Worthing Thunder's losing streak is extended by Loughborough Riders

Zaire Taylor scored 18 points in Worthing Thunder's defeat to Loughborough Riders. Picture: Kyle Hemsley

Thunder suffered a 97-79 loss at the hands of the Riders to leave them without a victory in four matches.

In a match delayed by 45 minutes due to the late arrival of the visitors after being caught in traffic, Worthing scored the opening baskets of the encounter to lead 4-0.

They held a slight advantage for the first half of the quarter but this was the only time in the match that the home side would see themselves in front.

Once the Riders had advanced into a 9-7 advantage, there was no looking back for the young and enthusiastic visitors.

It did not help that Thunder were missing Cameron Hildreth and it was a 16-2 run spanning the end of the first and opening 3 minutes of the second periods which saw the Riders end the quarter 29-17, opening up a 19-point lead at 38-19.

Thunder battled hard during the remainder of the second session but were still trailing by 18 points (53-35) as the teams went into the locker room for the half time break.

The teams were fairly evenly matched throughout the rest of the game as they traded baskets and the home side tried to get back on terms but it was Loughborough who narrowly won the third quarter 24-22.

Although Thunder tried to get back into the game, the nearest they got was to reduce the margin to 12 points with just three minutes of the match remaining.

However, the Riders finished the game the stronger and extended their lead to finish victors by 14 points (97-79) as the final buzzer sounded.

Thunder slipped to seventh following the defeat, leaving them four points behind the teams in third and four.

With eight matches remaining this season, Worthing will need a good run-in to finish the season in a top-four position and secure a home berth in the post-season play-offs.

Thunder are without a match this weekend before returning to action against second-placed Hemel Storm at Worthing Leisure Centre on February 22.

Scorers: AJ Basi (21 points), Zaire Taylor (18 points), Tom Ward (13 points), Alex Owumi (12 points), Josh Goddard (10 points), Dominic Ives (3 points), Ishmael Fontaine (2 points)