The Lancashire Spinners Men’s Basketball team travels to unbeaten Loughborough in National League play on Saturday. Tipoff from the Netball and Badminton Centre on the Loughborough University campus is set for 6pm.
The Spinners (2-7) fell to 1-3 in Division One after suffering an 86-71 defeat to Northumbria before being knocked out of the National Cup at Bradford on Sunday. Lancashire’s leading scorer, Connor Murtagh, rebounded from a 3-point performance to score 29 in the overtime loss in Bradford.
Second-year forward Murtagh has averaged a team-high 16.3 points and 5.0 rebounds – ranked third – in the opening four games, and is one of five players contributing in double figures. Forward David Ulph is averaging a double-double in league play, and has had three in four games, including highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds against Worthing.
A trio of guards – Mark Rangeley, Jack Hudson and David Walsh – are also scoring in double-figures for the Spinners, who are shooting 43 percent from the floor (32 percent from 3-point). Walsh is shooting 52 percent, which is a team-best and he is averaging 10 points per game.
Loughborough (5-3) enters Saturday looking to stay unbeaten in league play, as it boasts a 4-0 record following a recent 81-72 win versus London. It is just one of three teams without a loss, alongside Derby and Manchester. The Student Riders are 4-1 at home in all competitions and are averaging 79.2 points at the Netball and Badminton Centre.
Former Spinner guard Alex Roberts has averaged 17.0 points in league play and has led the team in scoring on three occasions. Roberts played in 29 games and made 13 starts in his lone season in Bury, averaging 7.6 points per game.
Levi Noel and Ross Pinnock are both scoring 10-plus points for the Student Riders, who gained promotion at the end of last season.
Saturday marks the third overall meeting between the Spinners and Student Riders. The two split two league games during the 2014-15 season, which culminated in Lancashire being promoted to Division One. Though Lancashire claimed a 95-72 win in the most recent meeting on Feb. 28, 2015, as part of a 12-game winning streak overall.
Photo credit to Alex Daniel Photography/Bradford Dragons
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