Posted on by Adam Perry

The London Lions suffered an 88-79 loss to the Newcastle Eagles in their opening game of the BBL Championship at the Eagles Morningside Arena on Thursday night.

It was a game which remained close throughout, but the Newcastle Eagles held onto the lead for the majority of the second half as the Lions struggled to gain momentum.

Vincent Macaulay, head coach of the Lions, reflected on the game, saying: “It was a difficult game to go into. I thought the Newcastle Eagles played extremely hard and I have to be frank and be very upset at our performance.”

He continued: “I do not think we showed the desire to want to play. I tried to remind my guys that we’ve all been sitting at home…desperate to play the game.”

Despite their strong ending to the BBL Cup group stages, the Lions continue to remain inconsistent within games, costing them once again. The Lions lost in overtime to the Eagles in early November.

Once again, the Lions out fouled their opposition, committing 15 fouls to the Eagles 5. It is an issue which has plagued them all season as they continue to give up easy points from the free throw line.

The Eagles finished the game with three players registering double doubles (two categories with 10 or more). Justin Gordan led all scorers with 26 points alongside 11 rebounds, two-time MVP Rahmon Fletcher racked up 21 points and 10 assists, whilst Evan Maxwell scored 17 points with 10 rebounds.

The game was part of a double header evening, along with the Sheffield Sharks playing the Cheshire Phoenix, which saw British Basketball return to Sky Sports on a new two-year deal.

Robert Webster, Sky Sports managing director, is “delighted” to air 30 live BBL matches for each of the next two seasons, “showcasing the best basketball from across the country.”

Up next, the London Lions will look to bounce back and pick up their first win of the league season against the Plymouth Raiders at the Copper Box on December 11.

(Top Photo: Adam Perry)