| London Lions claimed the outright lead at the top of the BBL Championship on Sunday, while DBL Sharks Sheffield and Plymouth Raiders also picked up road wins.
The Lions held off Manchester Giants behind 22 points from Justin Robinson in an 83-86 victory to move to 6-1. Sheffield completed a successful weekend double-header on the road by beating Surrey Scorchers 83-93 as Chris Alexander netted 20 points. Rashad Hassan made an instant impact for Plymouth with 27 points on his debut in a 72-77 comeback victory away at Radisson RED Glasgow Rocks. |
| BBL Championship Surrey Scorchers 83-93 DBL Sharks Sheffield (17-28, 43-49, 62-68) DBL Sharks Sheffield made it two wins from two on the road this weekend as they defeated Surrey Scorchers for the second time this season. Atiba Lyons’ side move to a 5-3 record to move into the top four, while the Scorchers drop to 2-6 following another home loss. Leading scorers – Tayo Ogedengbe/Quincy Taylor 20, Josh Steel 12 (Scorchers) – Chris Alexander 20, Rob Marsden 14, Dirk Williams/Matthew Don 13 (Sharks) Turning point – Sheffield made a strong start to the game with 28 points in the opening quarter, leading by as many as 13 points in the contest and although Surrey kept it close throughout they were unable to make their move. Key stat – The Sharks were clinical on the offensive end with nearly 60% shooting from the field, whilst they were able to keep their opponents to 42 and also handed out 23 assists in the win. Game hero(es) – Alexander led the way with 20 points along with six assists for the Sharks with five other players in double figures, while Anthony Collins added eight assists to his 10 points and five rebounds. |
| BBL Championship Radisson RED Glasgow Rocks 72-77 Plymouth Raiders (16-13, 41-27, 56-51) Plymouth Raiders produced an impressive second-half comeback to beat Radisson RED Glasgow Rocks on the road, on Sunday. Paul James’ side trailed by as many as 17 points, but turned things around to move to 3-4 in the league as Glasgow were denied a second consecutive home victory. Leading scorers – Bouna Ndiaye 15, Ali Fraser 13, Greg Pryor/Gareth Murray 10 (Rocks) – Rashad Hassan 27, Josh Wilcher 17, Denzel Ubiaro 12 (Raiders) Turning point – Glasgow pulled away in the second quarter to lead by 14 at the half, but the Raiders battled back in the third before making their move in the final period with a pivotal 16-4 spell to take the lead. Key stat – Plymouth were held to 27 points in the first half and managed to match that total in the final 10 minutes as they came from behind to finish strong against the Rocks. Game hero(es) – Hassan had a debut to remember for the Raiders with a game-high 27 points along with eight rebounds, while Wilcher added 17 points and Ubiaro came up with some big plays down the stretch. |
| BBL Championship Manchester Giants 83-86 London Lions (14-18, 34-42, 55-60) London Lions moved clear at the top of the BBL Championship after holding off Manchester Giants on the road. The Lions move to 6-1 ahead of the Bristol Flyers after their 10th win in a row against the Giants, who are now 2-3 after another home loss. Leading scorers – Willie Clayton 22, Callum Jones 21, Ingus Bankevics 15 (Giants) – Justin Robinson 23, Brandon Peel 19, Ladarius Tabb 15 (Lions) Turning point – James Jones’ three brought the Giants back within a single score at 65-68 before the Lions responded with a 10-0 run to re-establish control with a double-digit advantage. A late surge from the Giants kept it close late on, but the visitors held firm. Key stat – The Lions held their nerve at the line with 20 of 22 free throws in the win with the home side shooting 57% from 14 attempts. Game hero(es) – The reigning MVP, Robinson top scored with 22 points with Peel adding 19 along with seven rebounds. Meanwhile, Clayton had another big game for the Giants with 22 points and 22 boards. |
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