Manchester Basketball fell at the death in overtime, losing 111-108 on the road to the Leicester Riders in the SLB Trophy.

Max Jones led Manchester with 33 points, helping to bring the game to an extra period against the Riders. He was backed by 20 from Kaiyem Cleary, who had 6 rebounds on the night.

Manchester led by five with a minute remaining after a late bucket from Pjay Smith.  But late scores from Leicester forced overtime. Jones then drained a clutch triple with eight seconds left to tie the game at 108, before Specner Johnson found his way to the foul line, draining both to seal the Leicester win.

It was a lights-out offensive display for both sides, as the teams were red hot from behind the three-point arc. Jones had five, and Cleary knocked down four on the night. Tim Adetukasi and Jones both hit massive triples in overtime to keep the game in the balance.

Manchester had a hot start and seized the early initiative. They were up 11 after a Smith bucket midway through the opening period. But a late surge from the hosts cut it to a one-score game after one.

It was a back-and-forth affair from there, as Leicester continually reeled Manchester in after their runs throughout the second quarter. The visitors led by as much as nine in the third and seven in the fourth, and Leicester remained in the game with timely runs.

In the end, it was Johnson closing the game for the second-straight fixture for the Riders, as Manchester fell heartbreakingly short, concluding their Trophy campaign.
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Manchester Basketball are in ENBL action at the National Basketball Performance Centre, taking on Czech side BK Opava at 7 pm.

You can get your tickets here!