The London Lions win the first leg of theirfirst-round EuroCup play-off tie, easing past Bursa Uludag in Turkey.
The British side won the game by 24points whilst winning each individual quarter to keep their winning streakalive.
Thursday night’s clash in Turkey saw theLondon Lions ready and eager to start their European play-off campaign followingtheir dominance in the competition’s group stage.
The Women’s British Basketball Leaguechampions, who cruised through their group with an unbeaten record, looked toavenge their round one play-off exit from last year’s EuroCup by putting on anentertaining display in Bursa.
The hosts appeared up for the challenge inthe opening 10 minutes, going toe-to-toe with the undefeated Lions. Halfwaythrough the first quarter with the score 5-7, a three-pointer from TemiFagbenle edged the visitors into a five-point lead.
The former WNBA champion was a bright sparkfor the visitors throughout the game, recording a match-leading 24 points whilstshooting 100% from behind-the-arc.
The second quarter saw the hosts step uptheir game to prevent London running away with the tie. Oumoul Sarr’s offensiveefforts paid dividends for Bursa as the Senegalese centre was able tocontribute five points to the Turkish side’s attempt at a comeback in thequarter.
However, London prevailed as theiroffensive excellence was evident through the creative of three-time WBBL Young Playerof the Year, Holly Winterburn.
The Lions stretched their lead to 25-35 byhalftime, which was later extended in the remaining 20 minutes of the match.
The third quarter showcased that the LondonLions dominance on offense could also translate to defence, as they restrictedthe Turkish side to just nine points in the third period of the game.
Ahead of the final quarter, Stella Kaltsidoulikely reminded the team that they need to keep the same intensity in order toextend their lead for a bigger buffer heading into the reverse fixture.
As a result, the Lions scored their largestquarterly total of the night, sinking an impressive and valuable 27 points.
As a result, London maintained theirunbeaten run in this season’s EuroCup and will hope that they can build on thisresult in the reverse fixture.
Watch the full game here.
