Makana Stone banked home 11 points Saturday in England. (Photo property Leicester Riders)
Any given day, it seems.
Based on records alone, Saturday’s Women’s British Basketball League matchup between the Leicester Riders and Durham Palatinates should have been a blowout.
Just not in the way it ended up being.
Stung by being on the wrong side of a game-closing 18-3 run, Leicester — which entered the day in fourth place in the 13-team league — fell 85-70 to Durham, which started play mired in 10th place.
The loss, which came despite a strong game from Coupeville’s Makana Stone — who tossed in 11 points and snatched four rebounds — drops the Riders to 11-5 in league play, 15-7 overall.
Durham, fighting to make the final eight and earn a playoff berth, rises to 5-10.
The game started in favor of Leicester, which built a 21-14 lead by the first break, then things began to unravel a bit.
The Palatinates cut the margin to 39-34 by halftime, before using a 27-17 surge in the third quarter to claim the lead at 61-56.
Leicester fought back, with Stone twice scoring in the fourth quarter to pull her squad back within a point.
With the game knotted at 67-67 with just three and a half minutes to play, it was time for one team to step up and claim victory.
On this day, that was Durham, as Leicester bounced eight of its final nine shots off the rim.
Hannah Robb finally stopped the torment, knocking down a three-ball with 38 ticks on the clock, but, by that time, the Riders trailed 80-70 and time had run out on their victory bid.
Stone, who scored in all four quarters Saturday, added an assist and her first professional blocked shot to her 11 points and four rebounds, while Alison Lewis popped for 15 points to pace Leicester.
Durham ace Goretti Hurtado Barbeito topped all scorers, rattling the rims for 25.
In her first pro season Stone has racked up 175 points, 126 rebounds, 28 assists, and 19 steals.
Leicester returns to action Mar. 27 when it faces off with the Sheffield Hatters.
Coupeville Sports 
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