Posted on by Adam Perry

The London Lions have progressed into the quarter finals of the British Basketball League Cup with a 98-89 against the Leicester Riders at the Copper Box on Sunday.

The victory sealed the Lions’ passage to the knockout stages, having started Group 3, which includes the Leicester Riders, Newcastle Eagles and Sheffield Sharks, with two losses. They now wait to see how the rest of the group stages play out to see who they will play in the quarter finals.

Nigel Lloyd, player development director for the London Lions, acknowledged during the game the difficulty of qualifying from Group 3, saying: “I think London have been through the wars. These teams [in Group 3] could easily be the top 4 teams in the league this year.”

DeAndre Liggins continued his tremendous start to his British Basketball career, winning player of the game alongside teammate Dirk Williams who scored 9 of his 10 attempts. Liggins finished with 26 points and 6 steals.

Liggins has been on a shooting hot streak since joining the Lions, making 48.9 per cent of his 47 attempted three point shots (from 23 feet).

The former teammate of LeBron James has also contributed with his proactive defence, leading the league in steals, averaging 3.0 per game.

The Riders made for tough competition, keeping the game close during the second half as the Lions ran into foul trouble once again.

Five Riders players scored 15 points or more but ultimately this was not enough to win the game and extend their lead at the top of the group.

The Lions now wait to find out their opponents for the knockout round of the BBL Cup. Their position in Group 3 will be confirmed next Sunday which will decide if they play the Group 1 winner or the Group 2 runner-up.

 

(Image: London Lions/Carol Moir)