Posted on by Adam Perry

A commanding second half propelled the London Lions to a 99-79 victory over the Newcastle Eagles in the BBL Cup at the Eagles Community Arena on Friday night.

With the score tied at halftime, the Lions won the second half 52-32. This included a 30-point fourth quarter in which two-time MVP Justin Robinson scored 14 points to fire his team to their second win of the season.

Lions head coach Vincent Macaulay spoke before the game about progressing to the knockout stages, saying: “We hope to be in a good place on Monday having won two games. One here tonight and then one Sunday at the Copper Box and that is what we need to do to make sure we progress.”

This win keeps the Lions’ fate in their own hands. Should they win on Sunday against the Leicester Riders or the Sheffield Sharks lose either of their remaining two games, the Lions will qualify for the knockout rounds.

The Lions recorded their highest-scoring game of the season with 99 points, as stars DeAndre Liggins and Justin Robinson combined for 43 points on the night. Robinson bounced back from his shooting woes against the Riders last Sunday, scoring 66 per cent of his 12 shots alongside 4 steals.

Robinson came out on top in the battle of the two-time MVPs with Eagles’ Rahmon Fletcher’s 12 points, 8 rebounds and 14 assists — not enough to lead his team to victory. 

Three-point shots were a decisive factor in the game with the Eagles making only 3 of their 26 attempts from 23 feet as opposed to the Lions’ 11 out of 28. Evan Maxwell scored all of the Eagles’ three-pointers in his performance with 23 points and 8 rebounds.

The Eagles’ loss sees them drop to second in Group 3 whilst the Lions have separated themselves from the Sheffield Sharks at the bottom of the table. 

The Lions welcome the Leicester Riders to the Copper Box on Sunday at 2:30 pm as they look to get revenge for last Sunday’s loss and seal their passage to the knockout stages. 

 

(Image: London Lions/Carol Moir)