The London Lions secured a hard-fought win against the Plymouth City Patriots, avenging November’s loss with a 91-84 victory.
The win extends London’s lead at the top of the British Basketball League Championship table, improving their record to 16-3. Meanwhile, the Patriots fall to 2-15, sitting bottom of the Championship despite pushing the league leaders until the very end.
Starting Five
London Lions starting five: Ciaran Sandy, Gabriel Olaseni, Jordan Taylor, Matthew Morgan, Sam Dekker
Plymouth City Patriots starting five: Elvisi Dusha, Jacob Wiley, Joe Hart, Spencer Levi, TJ Atwood
First Half
The Patriots got the game underway at the hands of Jacob Wiley, who snatched an offensive rebound off the glass and put it back for two (0-2).
The Lions found an early response through their star American, as reigning League MVP Sam Dekker put back a monster two-handed slam off a missed Jordan Taylor three, before laying up a two in transition on the next play (8-5).
Ciaran Sandy rewarded Lions’ Head Coach Petar Božić, who gave him his second straight start, by taking a charge on Spencer Levi inside before knocking down a three from the corner (13-9).
The Patriots hung in the game throughout the first quarter, however, led by Wiley who went backdoor for a reverse layup to bring it to a one-possession affair with 2:34 left (18-16).
Tyrell Green followed up Wiley with a three from the top of the arc to snatch the lead back for Plymouth (18-19).
The sides were locked in a battle to end the first, which was concluded by Wiley, who sank a tough finish over Josh Sharma to make it 22-23 to the visitors.
Dekker got straight to work in the second with six straight points, including a strong drive inside and a finish with his left hand (28-25).
It was a tough offensive start for both sides through the first four minutes of the quarter, but London edged out to a 30-25 lead after two Taylor foul shots, who cleaned up Matthew Morgan’s missed breakaway slam.
The Patriots hit back with big buckets to remain within touching distance. Joe Hart got Plymouth’s bench on their feet with a big three to keep within five (37-32).
London fought their way to the free throw line to continue to grow their lead gradually. Gabe Olaseni made three straight trips to add five points to the London tally (42-34).
Olaseni hit seven free throws in a monster 15-point first half for the London-born big man.
Atwood responded with three straight trips of his own, putting up 5 points to remain in contention (42-37).
The League’s leading scorer, Matthew Morgan, ended the half with a three to make it 45-37 to the table-toppers.
Second Half
Elvisi Dusha made the play of the night early in the third, making Taylor touch the hard wood with a crossover before leaning into a tough two and finding nothing but string (47-41).
The “showtime” Patriots continued their flashy start to the third quarter as Levi threw up a lob for Wiley to throw down (51-45).
Wiley took his fourth foul shortly afterwards, forcing him to the bench with a team-high 12 points (51-45).
London grew into the quarter, and Dekker burst out on the fastbreak for an uncontested two to give the Lions their first double-digit advantage of the game (57-46).
Patriots’ Head Coach Paul James, who recorded his 500th British Basketball League win in Plymouth win against London in November, saw himself ejected from the fixture after picking up his second technical foul (61-46).
James’ ejection breathed life into the Patriots. Down 17, they commenced an 11-0 concluded by a Mason Faulkner pull-up three (63-57).
Faulkner hit two straight threes as Plymouth’s miracle resurgence continued. He hit a free throw to end the third with the score 67-61 to the Lions.
The game sat on a knife edge to start the fourth. Faulkner hit a three early in the shot clock to counter Morgan’s triple as Plymouth kept in it (72-66).
The Patriots hit big shots but couldn’t manage to take the lead. Hart hit a three to keep the deficit at six (77-71).
Morgan stayed hot from range for London. He hit a three to keep the visitors from completing their comeback (81-73).
The Patriots suffered from turnovers late in the game. Wiley, Atwood and Dusha gave the ball away in a minute of play, but London couldn’t convert on the offensive end (82-75).
Dekker broke the scoring drought, which lasted for two and a half minutes, with a clutch three. That turned the tide in London’s favour late (85-75).
However, Plymouth found a late surge. Faulkner found the bucket for his fourth three to bring it back to a seven-point deficit, and Atwood broke away in transition to make it 85-80.
London continually found the foul line late to get over the line, as Phillip put away four points and Morgan scored two in the final minute of action (91-84).
Player of the Game
Tonight’s Player of the Game was London Lion’s guard Matthew Morgan. Morgan went off for 27 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, going 11-11 from the foul line and 4-10 from three to lead the game.
| Teams | Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| London Lions | Matthew Morgan | 27 | 4 | 4 |
| London Lions | Sam Dekker | 18 | 6 | 2 |
| Plymouth City Patriots | Mason Faulkner | 18 | 3 | 7 |
| Plymouth City Patriots | TJ Atwood | 17 | 9 | 2 |
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