Basketball: McCord roars on Tigers

THAMES VALLEY TIGERS won for the seventh time in eight games last night as John McCord scored 28 points in their 101-91 victory over Leicester.

The rematch of the National Cup final saw the Tigers go on two 11-0 runs to grab control early but the Riders, desperate for wins in their bid to make the play-offs, refused to fold.

Bob Donewald's men clawed their way back from a 39-24 deficit to trail by just six points with a quarter to play. But the Tigers, now just two points adrift of fifth-placed London Towers, scored six successive points to extend their advantage back to 82-70 early in the final period.

They were never threatened again. Three-point specialist JaRon Boone led the Riders with 24 points while Billy Singleton added 21.