London Lions Continue European Success

The London Lions continued their strong form In a game that was not as close as the 91-81 final score suggests, the Lions roared in the first half and were able to coast in the second on their way to the top of Group A. 

After a strong first half that saw a 9-0 Lions run and a 30-point second quarter eruption, Bayreuth opened the second half with a strong run of their own.

A string of buckets from Cameron Wells, Janari Joesaar, and Martynas Sajus cut the Lions’ 16 point halftime lead to just six, but that was as close as the visitors could get after Dirk Williams ended Bayreuth’s run with a deep three. 

Bayreuth tried their best to claw back into it, but just three possessions later some beautiful ball movement in transition culminated in an Aurimas Majauskas three that extended the Lions’ lead to 12 with 3:00 minutes left in the third. 

Powered by big man Martynas Sajus, Bayreuth used their dominance down low to put together a few good stretches of play in the fourth. However, Isaiah Reese and Co. had other plans for the visitors and put the clamps on in the fourth quarter to squander any chance of a comeback. Julian Washburn capped off his fantastic night with a three from the wing before forcing a turnover on the subsequent defensive possession. Marquise Teague then put the nail in medi Bayreuth’s coffin with a tough and-one layup to put the Lions up 14 with just two and a half minutes to go. 

With the win, the Lions improved to 4-0 at the Copper Box Arena this season, something Macaulay is proud of. 

The Lions continue their warpath through Group A of the FIBA Europe Cup at home next Wednesday against Donar Groningen where they will look to carry their momentum into the last two games of group play on the road.