The team beat Greek side Promitheas Patras 77-67 last night
The London team now sit fifth in Group B of the prestigious European competition – with the top eight teams qualifying after the group stage.
The London Lions continued their historic EuroCup run as they beat Promitheas Patras 77-67 in Greece last night. The win marks the team’s third consecutive victory in the European competition and moves them up to fifth in Group B. This represents the latest landmark achievement for the London side as they became the first UK team since 2004 to win away from home in the competition earlier in the season – beating Veolia Hamburg Towers 75-103.
The game, played at the Dimitris Tofalos Arena in Patras, was tied at 64-64 midway through the final period as the Lions’ quality shone through in the final few minutes to clinch victory. The team were led by Sam Dekker who scored 20 points and supported by Vojech Hruban scoring 14.
The Lions are hitting form at just the right time, with their next game in the competition being another tough away clash in Turkey against Turk Telekom on December 14. Their campaign in the competition this season marks a historic moment not just for the London-based side, but also a potential turning point for the growth of British basketball as the Lions are the first UK team to be included in the EuroCup since 2007. The London team has assembled a star-studded roster with a hybrid of homegrown tier-one talent, in addition to ex-NBA and further international signings, with the diverse squad boasting an abundance of experience playing in major basketball leagues around the world.
London Lions Head Coach, Ryan Schmidt, said:
“It was a great, well-fought game and I’m really proud of our guys. It wasn’t pretty and we struggled on the offensive end – we had some of our better offensive players, Zubcic and Nelson who really struggled hitting shots, but I thought the resiliency was impressive from our group. I’m really proud of our group to register this big road win, to get to four wins in the competition and to continue to trying to build on it and keep improving.”
