European basketball returns to the Copper Box on Tuesday evening as London Lions host Avtodor Saratov in the FIBA Europe Cup, tip-off 7.30pm.
The Russian side have had a fine season in the competition, winning all six games in the first group stage and currently boast a perfect 3-0 record in the second round. Lions suffered a heartbreaking 84-81 loss when the sides met in Saratov a month ago with Phil Scrubb hitting a dagger three in the dying seconds to seal the win.
That was the second straight game that Scrubb had won a game in dramatic fashion and the Canadian guard averages 12.3 points, 3.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game for the Russian team. A balanced offense is led by American shooting guard Jaron Johnson who added 3.2 assists and 4.1 boards to go with his 14.4 points. Croation big man Zeljko Sakic leads Saratov on the boards with 5.7 rebounds, adding 12.8 points and 2.3 assists.
Coach James Vear is aware of the size of the task his team face:
“They're top of the group and that hasn’t been a fluke” he said. We were unlucky when we played them in Russia, but Phill Scrubb showed what a great player he is. I coached against him when he was college in Canada, so I know all about him and how their offence runs through him. They have a lot of depth and are strong throughout the roster, so it’s going to be tough.”
The strength in depth of the Russian side is illustrated by the fact that ten players are averaging double digit minutes, and they are the only side who are still unbeaten in the competition.
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