Crusaders 86-84 Raiders

A tough day at the office for Plymouth Raiders as they suffered their only defeat of the season in all competitions on Sunday. A narrowly fought contest ultimately decided in the final seconds in the National Cup 86-84 at the hands of Canterbury Academy Crusaders.

A second weekend in a row on the road beckoned for Raiders as they made the 550 mile round trip to Canterbury. Missing from the roster was key Point Guard- Marcus Cronin, however it looked like business as usual for Raiders during the first half as they cruised through to the break going into the locker room with a 7 point lead, 29-36.

The third quarter is where things started to unwind for Raiders, as big man Tom Elliott-Smith got fouled out before Canterbury battled back into the game, closing out the third quarter tying the game at 58-58.

A tense final quarter saw Raiders fall behind by five in the first few minutes as the Crusaders took advantage of Raiders' missed shots and lack of killer instinct around the basket proved costly. As the game went to the wire, a few close decisions going against Raiders, ultimately gave Canterbury the chance to snatch victory.

Head Coach Gareth Laws said “We had a strong start to the game and showed what we are about, a few decisions didn’t go our way and ultimately that cost us on the day”

“We have a bit of time to recover from two big road trips before we return home to the Life Centre. As a team we’re really looking forward to playing in front of home support again”

“We hope to see as many fans there as possible as we get back to our league campaign”

Raiders have a short break now before returning to the Life Centre on October 29th to face Cornwall Titans in the NBL Division 3. Tickets will go on sale later this week, so keep an eye on our social channels to keep up to date.