Loughborough College basketball players have helped Loughborough Riders bring home the National Cup trophy for the first time ever.
A win for the men’s and women’s teams made it a historic double for Loughborough.
The National Basketball League men’s final was broken open in the third quarter with a 17-point explosion from Loughborough College student Lucien Cristofis, with the Riders claiming an 82-63 victory against Team Solent Kestrels – and the MVP award going to Cristofis.
The roster featured Kyle Jimenez, Tim Fava, Tim Yome, Ellis Haggith, Ethan Damerum and Alex Roberts, who all study with Loughborough College.
The second quarter was when Loughborough began to hit their stride and by the main change they led 38-34. Cristofis’ exploits helped set up the win with him adding seven more points to his third quarter haul for 24 total, adding six rebounds and two assists for good measure. The talented shooter went 5/8 from 3pt range.
With the game finely balanced at 47-45 and with 4:14 remaining in the 3rd, a 16-0 run from the Riders deflated Solent with Cristofis doing most of the damage. He lit up the Kestrels from the perimeter, feeding the crowd and energising his bench. The MVP’s efforts were supported by a three from guard and fellow Loughborough College student Kyle Jimenez (14 points, four rebounds) and some solid Riders’ defence.
There was no let up from Loughborough in the 4th as Solent tried to find a way back into the game. Nothing would fall though, no matter what the Kestrels tried and as time ticked by the Loughborough celebrations began to kick into gear waiting for the buzzer and their chance to lift the historic National Cup.
Loughborough Riders MVP Lucien Cristofis said: “Being MVP is a big achievement for me, probably one of the biggest for me so far. I had to pick myself half way through the game but my guys gave me energy and let me play with freedom. My mind set was ‘I can’t change the past, but I can still shape the future’ so I forgot about the 1st half, relaxed, and played my game. From there it just came naturally.”
Loughborough College sport development manager Rob Jarram, who heads the basketball programme for the College, added: “This is another remarkable achievement for our programme as a whole. To have both the men’s and the women’s teams win is simply credit to the efforts of a lot of people, notably the coaches and players. I was delighted for Lucien, winning MVP in the men's game, showing how far he's come whilst being a part of the Loughborough programme.”