DATELINE - MONDAY 14th JANUARY 2008
Following Sunday's British Basketball League (BBL) Cup Final at the National Indoor Arena, it has been brought to the attention of BBL management that during one of the performances by the Slovenian dunk team, the Hip Hoopers, there was some inappropriate language audible within the music being played.
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Basketball, and the BBL in particular, prides itself on providing a family-friendly environment at our events and thus such language is completely unacceptable. The BBL would like to apologise if this has in anyway detracted from anyone's enjoyment of the BBL Cup Final event or the performance of the Hip Hoopers.
Where performers are used, they are responsible for providing their own music to which they have pre-arranged and practiced routines. Due to the international boundaries the normal procedures emplaced by BBL management, which require that all music being used by performers is approved prior to the day, were not observed.
Travel problems resulted in the late arrival of the Hip Hoopers at the venue and thus unfortunately the necessary checks were not able to be made on the day. Further procedures have now been put in place to overcome the issues of using acts from abroad.
The BBL is committed to showcasing the best international performers in order to enhance the audience experience at all of our events, and this is a policy that the BBL will continue to pursue.
The event organisers appreciate the need to be extra-vigilant where international performers, and therefore language barriers, are involved and this understanding should prevent any recurrence of this unfortunate incident.
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The Marshall MK Lions lifted the BBL Cup on Sunday, securing their first ever piece of silverware in the BBL with a 69-66 victory over the Newcastle Eagles. The day after the game, after the dust had settled, Head Coach Vince Macaulay expressed his delight,
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"It's difficult at the moment because we've smiled so much, we've all got aching mouths. It's a great feeling for us, and the fans deserve it."
Lions were led by 24 points from Kevin Griffin and 22 from Tony Windless, and Macaulay was satisfied as their game-plan worked against the league-leading Eagles,
"We always knew it would be tough, we'd been telling the players all week that we wouldn't win by 20 points, but we knew we would win. It panned out the way we wanted it to, we needed to wear them down and break their spirit.
"They paid too much attention to Yorick [Williams], and Tony Windless and Kevin Griffin took full advantage of that. We took Terrell [Brown] out of the game early on and let him sit and watch for a few minutes, and he was terrific after that. He's a different player from last season, and it's all about confidence.
"I'm so pleased for Mike [New] and Shawn [Jamison], I knew our squad from last season was capable of this, and that belief has been vindicated. If you believe you can do something, then you can do it."
Lions' captain Dru Spinks shared his coach's delight at collecting the Cup, "I said to Shawn and Mike that we were all walking around a lot lighter now with that 'gorilla' off our back! I've been here since I was 15 years old, it wasn't just a monkey - it was bigger than that. But it's back to business now, we want to do it again, and I believe that we can win at least one more thing this year."
Spinks had praise for the club's fans, "When chants started in the section behind us it sounded like the whole arena was cheering for us. All the neutrals seemed to be rooting for us, I thought the roof was going to come off!"
Marshall MK Lions secured the first piece of silverware of the season with a 69-66 triumph over Newcastle Eagles in the BBL Cup Final at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on Sunday afternoon.
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Lions' Kevin Griffin was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in this most anticipated of matches that pitted the BBL's top two teams against each other. Griffin's award came thanks in no small part to his 24 points and five three pointers.
It was a low-scoring start to the game, particularly from the Lions. Eagles took advantage to post an 11-0 tear and lead 13-3. Although Milton Keynes rallied with the next six points, they still trailed 9-13 at the end of the quarter.
In fact it was not until the second quarter that the Lions' shooting bore fruit, particularly from distance. Trailing 20-12, the Lions took the lead by a single point on the back of three consecutive three-pointers from Yorick Williams, Tony Windless and Kevin Griffin. In fact, Lions hit six three pointers in the second quarter alone as they led 33-28 at the interval.
Kevin Griffin broke the game open in the third stanza with a series of three pointers that saw Lions into a sizable lead, the biggest of which was at 57-41, following an 11-3 tear. Eagles hit back in the remaining seconds of the quarter and cut Milton Keynes lead to 12 points at 57-45.
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Star man Griffin was subbed out and Eagles made the most of his absence to battle their way back into the game. Charles Smith led the charge and when Andrew Bridge netted a long range shot with five minutes remaining the deficit to reduced to just three points at 60-57 to the Lions.
Bridge was once again on target as the Eagles cut the gap still closer - he scored with 1.17 to go to get the Eagles to within one point at 67-66.
The final 30 seconds saw the ball largely in Lions hands. They ran down the clock, before Eagles were forced to foul them with five seconds left.
Veteran forward Michael New cooly dispatched the two resulting free throws to re-establish a three point lead at 69-66 and force Eagles to try for a three to tie the game and force overtime. Lynard Stewart was the man with the ball in his hands, but his buzzer shot fell short and Lions won their first piece of silverware.
Griffin was the game's leading scorer with 24 personal points; Charles Smith added 21 for the Eagles.
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Ahead of this Sunday's BBL Cup Final, the Head Coach of the Marshall MK Lions, Vince Macaulay, has admitted that he took some encouragement from witnessing his opponents, the Newcastle Eagles, defeat at the Worcester Wolves last weekend.
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Macaulay and his assistant coaches were scouting the Eagles as they fell to a 100-94 defeat to the Wolves, their first ever to that club, and Macaulay made the following comments, "It might have been the worst Newcastle performance for ten years, so we won't read too much into it.
"I don't know the reason for it, but people have talked about the age of our team - well, Newcastle looked ancient! Obviously it was interesting to see them play like that, Wolves ran past them like they were all going faster than Johnny Wilkinson.
"I'm sure that come Sunday they will have had a makeover and will be a different team."
The Eagles have battled through injury problems of late. Strugglers include Jeremy Hyatt who is suffering with a knee injury, Olu Babalola who continues to play with his arm strapped, and Fab Flournoy who was carrying a groin problem.
Meanwhile the Lions, who are the oldest team in the BBL with an average age of 31 years and 10 months, are pleased to have Robert Youngblood, their only recent injury concern, back in the fold.
Commenting after the defeat at Worcester, Newcastle's captain Andrew Bridge is confident that the result will have little bearing on Sunday's game.
"As for the final, it is a one-off game and I don't think results going into big games like that will affect anything on the day," he said.
The BBL Cup Final takes place this Sunday, January 13th at the National Indoor Arena Birmingham. Some tickets are still available by calling the NIA Box Office on 0870 909 4144 or visiting The_Ticket_Factory.
Worcester Wolves turned in one of their most impressive performances since joining the BBL to beat league leaders Newcastle Eagles 100-94 at Worcester University.
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The win moves the Wolves within two-points of a play- off position; Newcastle remain top despite the defeat.
Wolves came out well with a 7-0 start before Newcastle hit back to go 13-23 in front before closing the first quarter 18-25 up. Worcester rallied in the second to trail by just two (43-45) at half time.
The home side began to dominate in the third as a James Life three gave them a 59-54 lead. Eagles again responded to level at 62-62 before the teams headed into the final stanza with Wolves 73-70 in front.
In an exciting fourth quarter Newcastle led 76-78 before a four-point play from Life and then a two by the same player put the Wolves on top for good. Life led all-scorers with 36-points, while Charles Smith paced Newcastle with 27.
Sheffield Sharks secured their first win of 2008 and with it their first BBL Trophy victory of the season with a comfortable 61-78 triumph at Birmingham Panthers.
Sharks were in control throughout after fighting their way back from going down 8-0 at the start of the match. A 23-6 burst ended the first quarter for a 14-23 lead for the visitors.
After leading 35-44 at half time the Sharks made the game safe with a 10-0 tear round the third quarter break to put them 69-48 in front. The Panthers had no answer to Sharks big man Shelby Chaney who poured in a game-high 31- points.
A massive first quarter performance formed the backbone of Kularoos Plymouth Raiders thumping 92- 54 home win against Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders.
Needing a victory to give the Trophy holders a realistic chance of retaining their crown the Raiders came out fast against a shell-shocked Riders side. A 16-0 start to the match ensured they held a healthy 31-7 first quarter lead.
The advantage was rammed home in the second quarter as Riders were once again held to single digits for a 52-16 half time score. Although Leicester almost matched Plymouth after the interval it was too little too late.
Raiders' DeAntoine Beasley led all-scorers with 20. Rod Wellington's 15 was the highlight for Leicester.
The Guildford Heat made it four wins in a row in the BBL Championship, and moved up to third place in the process, as they overcame the Sheffield Sharks 68-81 at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield. It was the Sharks' sixth defeat in seven games in all competitions.
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Tony Dorsey (22 points & 10 rebounds) and Mike Martin (15 points & 11 rebounds) each had a double-double for the Heat. Justice Graham led all scorers with 24 points for the Sharks, whilst Shelby Chaney had 20 points and 15 boards.
The Heat led from the early stages as a 16-5 first quarter burst made the score 12-24, before the Sharks hit the last 5 points of the first stanza to narrow the gap to 17-24.
The visitors turned up the heat in the second as they stretched the lead to its largest margin at 25-49 on the back of a 25-8 surge. Again the Sharks left it late in the quarter to make their move: they closed out the half with a 9-3 run to stay in touch at 34-52.
Sheffield chipped away at the lead in the third period and a 9-2 run brought them back into it at 50-59. Justice Graham kept them close as the third quarter came to an end by scoring their last 8 points as the teams went into the final stanza at 56-65.
A James Jones triple restored the double-digit lead for the Heat at 61-71, but 5 straight points from the hosts got them as close as they would get at 66-71.
EJ Harrison sealed the game as he made a free-throw before the Heat grabbed the rebound from the missed second free-throw and Harrison subsequently made a three-pointer. That sparked a 10-0 burst and settled the game.
The Everton Tigers strengthened their position in the playoff places as they beat the Worcester Wolves by 123-90 at the Greenbank Academy. This was Everton's fourth win in their last five games in the league and saw them draw level with the Sheffield Sharks in sixth place.
In an amazing game, it was the Wolves who established a comprehensive early lead. Anthony Paez scored 6 quick points to help them out to 3-11, and with James Life netting 17 first quarter points they led 15-32 after the first ten minutes.
The Tigers responded immediately from the start of the second stanza with a 10-4 opening, which was swiftly followed by an 11-3 burst that narrowed the gap to 36-39, and that became 48-51 at the half.
Everton dominated the third quarter and scored an amazing 39 points in that ten-minute period. It started as they snatched the lead with the first 7 points, before they extended that run to 20-5 and never looked back.
The Wolves never got close again as the Tigers added another 36 points in the fourth quarter as, for the second game in a row, the Wolves conceded over 120 points.
Newcastle Eagles are pleased to announce that they have bolstered their roster with the addition of Dutchman Bryan Defares for the remainder of the 2007/08 season.
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The signature of the guard completes a hectic few weeks of searching for Eagles' Player/Coach Fab Flournoy and Managing Director Paul Blake with the latter thrilled to have finally captured the player. He explained, "We are very pleased indeed to have Bryan on board for the rest of the season."
"In particular because we may well be halfway through in calendar terms but we certainly aren't when it comes to the number of games still left to play. Bryan will come into what he will hopefully view as a good situation in that he will be joining a team about to play a major Final and challenging for the BBL title."
"Equally to have someone that has played in some top quality leagues in Europe, both in Greece and Spain, is fantastic for us."
The Boise graduate played last year in the Greek second division with Doukas averaging over 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game while he ended the previous season at Gijon in the highly rated Spanish LEB.
Blake added, "We know that Bryan is very much a team player and I am sure he will be a hard worker for us and while he is still relatively young in basketball terms, he brings a lot of experience from having played on the Continent."
"It was vitally important that we got someone in as we have been short-handed mainly due to injuries and the players have done fantastically well to pick up some great wins during that time. "Bryan was one of a handful of targets that we short-listed and we are really delighted to have secured his services and I can't wait to see him in action."
Defares will make his debut for his new side in tomorrow night's BBL Trophy clash against the Scottish Rocks as the Scots seek revenge for last month's BBL Cup semi-final defeat in Crawley.
Poujoulat Heat Guildford made it the best possible start to the New Year with a comfortable 102-67 home win against PAWS London Capital in the BBL Trophy group stage.
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Both sides shared runs of 10-0 during a high scoring first quarter which Heat edged 27-24.
Paul James' side broke the match open in the second period with a 20- 4 burst that took the score to 47- 30 - Daniel Gilbert notched 12 during the run. A further 7-0 tear ensured Heat were well in control 54-33 at half time.
Further Heat dominance in the third with runs of 9-2 and 8-2 were only punctured by an 11-0 bursts by Capital as the closed to 75-54 at the end of the third.
However, a 9-2 run to start the final stanza put the match beyond doubt and ensured it was Heat who began 2008 with a victory.
BBL TROPHY GROUP 2
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PO |
TEAM |
PL |
WON |
LOST |
POINTS |
1 |
GUILDFORD H | 2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
LONDON C | 3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
WORTHING T | 1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Newcastle Eagles signed off 2007 in style with a hard- fought 94-99 win at Everton Tigers to open their BBL Trophy campaign on a positive note.
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A delayed tip-off may have caused problems for the Eagles warm up routine but they managed to stay in contact with a hot shooting Tigers to trail just 31-28 at the end of the first quarter.
Led by a superb effort by Charles Smith the Eagles had taken the lead (51-54) by half time and they exploded in the third quarter to go ahead 67-86 with the final stanza remaining.
Tigers worked patiently to cut into the 19-point deficit and following a three-point play by Calvin Davis and a bucket by David Aliu the gap was just three (85-88). However, Lynard Stewart responded to give Eagles some breathing space and they closed out Everton to seal the win.
All eyes were on former Eagles point-guard Richard Midgley. The Great Britain international scored 24- points on 9/14 from the field including 3/4 from beyond the three-point line.
The leading scorer on the night was Charles Smith of the Eagles with 38 points plus 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. He was ably assisted by 17 from Lynard Stewart and 15 each from Olu Babalola and Jeremy Hyatt, whose only scoring shots were from beyond the arc, going 5 for 6.
The star for the Tigers was David Aliu who had a stunning performance of 31 points and 8 rebounds. An incredible 23 turnovers to the Eagles' 9, in this game did not help the Tigers cause.
A hard-fought game between the reigning BBL Trophy champions, the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders, and the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets, who won the competition for four consecutive years between 2001-2004, saw the Raiders come out on top by 74-71, taking them to the head of group 1 in the process.
The backcourt pairing of Brody Bishop, who had 17 points, and Anthony Martin, who had 16 points, carried the Raiders to the victory, whilst James Noel contributed 13. Shawn Myers led the Jets with 17 on the night.
The teams could barely be separated in the early stages as they played out a 16-16 first quarter. With the Jets taking an early second stanza lead at 17-18, Bishop's 5 points and 4 from Terrence Durham helped the home side on a 10-3 burst that gave them a lead they would maintain through to the half at 37- 34.
The Jets came back in the third period and after tying the game at 39, two scores from Jayson Obazuaye and a bucket from Matt Otten gave them a lead as large as 39-45 on an 11-2 opening to the third quarter. However, that didn't last long as a further triple from Bishop and 5 points from Martin ignited a 12-4 response and saw the home side snatch the lead back at 51-49, which became 57-54 going into the decisive stanza.
Once in the fourth, the Raiders had the better of the opening exchanges and 7 points from Martin helped them to stretch their lead to 70-63. The Jets clawed their way back and looked to rescue the game late on; an Obazuaye score brought it back to 74-71 and the same player looked to tie the game with a last-gasp three-pointer, only to see it rim out and condemn the Jets to their second away defeat in the 2007/08 BBL Trophy.
Worcester Wolves got their 2007-8 BBL Trophy campaign off to a winning start with an amazing 121- 125 shoot-out victory over the Sheffield Sharks at the EIS, Sheffield on Friday night.
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The Wolves led 100- 114 before the Sharks trimmed the deficit back to seven points off the back of a 9-2 tear midway through the final quarter to bring the score to 109-116.
A further 7-0 run got the Sharks to within two points at 121-123 with 20 seconds remaining, but James Life sealed the Wolves' victory from the free-throw line.
Earlier in the game, the Wolves enjoyed an 11-4 burst in the opening period to take the score out to 27-39 towards the end of the quarter.
The home side trimmed the deficit to four points at 52-56 off the back of an 8-0 run in the second period, but the Wolves held onto a seven point advantage at 60-67 going in at the half.
The third quarter saw the Wolves increase their lead once again to sixteen points at 73-89 off the back of another 7-0 run in the third period, before the action really hotted up in the final ten minutes of the game.
Life and Anthony Paez led all scorers in the game with 32 points each for the Wolves, while Justice Graham led the Sharks scoring with 26.
The Wolves shot 68.6% from the field, 80% from the free-throw line and an incredible 68.4% from the three-point line. They took a total of 19 threes nailing 13 of them. James Life was 6 for 8 from the arc while Ben Potts went 4 for 4 off the bench.
In addition to the sensational numbers from Alto Virgil for the Sharks, 20 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks and 6 steals, Shelby Chaney delivered 25 points and 11 rebounds while Atiba Lyons went for 24 points, 7 rebounds 8 assists and 5 steals, all in a losing effort.
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Newcastle Eagles moved themselves back to the top of the BBL Championship table thanks to a 109-86 victory over Team Birmingham Panthers at the Metro Radio Arena on Friday evening.
The Eagles led from tip to buzzer, and after a close opening period, the Eagles broke the game open with a 22-4 tear in the second period to take the score out to 50-26.
The second half saw another 7-0 run for the home side as they increased their lead to twenty points at 58-38. The home side enjoyed their biggest lead of the game midway through the third quarter off the back of a 10-0 burst to lead by thirty at 68-38.
The Panthers could not get themselves back into the game, despite closing the deficit in the final period, the Eagles ran out the comfortable winners. Charles Smith led all scorers in the game with 24 points, but also pulled down 17 rebounds, and gave up 10 assists on his way to a triple-double. Daniel Sandell led the Panthers scoring with 20 points.
Poujoulat Heat Guildford got their BBL Trophy campaign off to a winning start with a 77-83 road victory at PAWS London Capital.
Capital began the stronger of the teams as a 12-2 run at the beginning of the first quarter helped them to a 20-14 lead after ten minutes.
Capital stretched out with a 9-4 opening to the second quarter before Heat hit back to close the half with a 16- 2 burst, including seven from Tony Dorsey, to lead 38- 41 at half time.
Capital regained the lead with a 9-0 run midway through the third quarter but a 9-2 tear by Guildford to end the quarter, with two threes by Ajou Deng, tied the match at 61-61.
Deng began the final stanza with another three and two 6-2 runs in the final minutes closed out the match in Paul James' team's favour.
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders got their defence of the BBL Trophy off to a winning start thanks to a 78-86 victory over the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders at the John Sanford Centre on Thursday evening.
The Riders opened the game with the first three points, but this was to be their only lead of the evening as the Raiders went on a 14-0 burst midway through the opening period to lead 3-14. The home side closed out the opening period with a 7-0 tear of their own to trail 18-24.
Both sides traded baskets throughout the next two quarters, but the Raiders maintained their lead at 54-65 going into the final stanza. In the final quarter, the visitors opened with a 5-2 burst to take the score out to 56-70, but the Riders trimmed the deficit back to six points at 64-70 off the back of an 8-0 response.
The home side valiantly attempted to get themselves closer, but could not do so as the Raiders ran out eventual winners. Gaylon Moore led the Raiders scoring with 20 points, but it was Mindaugas Janiska who led all scorers in the game with 21 points for the Riders.
Marshall MK Lions extended their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions thanks to an 89-75 victory over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets in their opening game of the BBL Trophy Group stages campaign.
In a game where the home side never trailed, it was Kevin Griffin and Michael New who got the Lions going to put them ahead 13-7 early on, and the Lions held a 27-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Both sides traded baskets throughout the second period, but the Lions maintained a five-point advantage at 47- 42 going in at half-time. The second half the Jets begin to edge into the Lions lead, and back-to-back three-pointers to close out the third period trimmed the deficit to six points at 63-57 going into the final stanza.
In the final period, it was the home side who began to pull away from their visitors with some tremendous three-point shooting from Dru Spinks and Yorrick Williams as the Lions edged out to a 72- 64 lead. Griffin made sure of the victory for the Lions as he netted the last four points of the game to hand Milton Keynes the victory. Griffin led the Lions scoring with 17 points, but it was Jason Obazuaye who led all scorers in the game bagging 22 points personal for the Jets.
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Marshall MK Lions leapfrogged over the Newcastle Eagles back to the top of the BBL Championship table thanks to a 73-67 victory over the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders at the Bletchley Leisure Centre on Sunday evening.
A close opening period saw the Lions leading 22-20, before a 6-2 start to the second quarter gave them an early 28-22 advantage. Three- pointers from Yorick Williams and Terrell Brown saw the Lions extend their lead to 40-29, but Plymouth began to claw their way back into the game, and trailed by five points at 43-38 going in at the half.
The second half saw Plymouth enjoy a 7-2 tear to start the third quarter and tie the game at 45-45, but another three-pointer from Williams kick-started a 9-0 burst for the Lions to take the score out to 54-45 midway through the period.
The Lions maintained their lead through the rest of the quarter to lead 57-51 going into the final stanza.
In the final quarter, the Raiders desperately tried to close the deficit, and an 14-3 run towards the end of the game got the Raiders to within two points at 69-67 with one minute remaining, but Peter Heizer and Dru Spinks held their nerve to secure the victory for the Lions from the foul-line. Williams led the scoring for the Lions netting 17 points, but it was DeAntoine Beasley who led all scorers with 20 points for the Riders.
Poujoulat Heat Guildford bounced back from the disappointment of last night's BBL Cup semi-final defeat to Marshall MK Lions with a comfortable 109- 67 victory over Team Birmingham Panthers in the BBL Championship at the Guildford Spectrum on Sunday afternoon.
The home side exploded out of the blocks opening with a 15-2 run, including eleven points from Dan Wardrope. A further 18-3 tear towards the end of the opening period took the score out to 33-10. The Panthers attempted to claw their way back into the game, and a 10-4 burst midway through the second quarter closed the deficit to 42-22, however, the Heat broke the game open with a 16-4 burst to close out the first half leading 58-28.
The second half saw the home side continue to pile on the points, and a 9-0 run towards the end of the third period took the lead out to thirty-nine points at 73-34.
The Heat enjoyed their biggest lead of the game midway through the final period at 103-60, and were able to see the remainder of the game out in comfortable fashion. Wardrope led all scorers in the game netting 18 points for the Heat, while Adam Williams led the Panthers scoring with 14.
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders maintained their play-off push after securing a 92-81 victory over PAWS London Capital at the Captial City Academy on Sunday evening.
After a tight opening period which saw the sides tied at 14-14, the Riders opened up a thirteen point advantage thanks to an 11-0 run across the half-time interval to take the score out to 32-45. An 18-5 response from the Capital, including nine points from Harvey Van Stein, saw the home side tie the game at 50-50, before a single free-throw from the Riders gave them a one point lead at 50-51 going into the final stanza.
In the final period, the Riders broke the game open with a 12-3 burst to take the score out to 69-84. London trimmed the deficit to ten points at 79-89 inside the last minute, but could get no closer as the visitors ran out eventual victors. Terrence Woodyard and Roderick Wellington led all scorers in the game netting 22 points a-piece for the Riders, while Wes Miller led the Capital scorers with 21.