London, UK — Friday, 19 December 2025 — The London Lions suffered a 91–74 home defeat to Manchester at the Copper Box Arena, as a decisive third quarter swung momentum away from the Lions following a tightly contested opening half.

Coming just 48 hours after an emotional EuroCup overtime win and with several rotation players unavailable due to injury, London stayed within striking distance early but could not recover once Manchester found rhythm after the break.

Kaiyem Cleary led the visitors with a game-high 26 points, consistently providing answers whenever the Lions attempted to build momentum.

After the game, Head Coach Tautvydas Sabonis pointed to the demanding turnaround and lack of energy as key factors.

“Congratulations to the Manchester coach and the team — good win and well prepared,” Sabonis said. “Tough game for us. Forty-eight hours since the game against Beşiktaş. It didn’t look like my team today. We didn’t come with the right mentality and energy to play this game, and I want to apologize to the fans that came to watch us and expected a better team today."

The Lions trailed by just three at halftime after a competitive opening half, led by Chasson Randle, who finished with 20 points while shooting five of six from three-point range. Randle carried London offensively early, while Jonathan Williams battled inside to keep the game balanced heading into the interval.

The turning point came in the third quarter, where Manchester’s control of loose balls and shot-making separated the game.

Cleary took control with a series of pull-up jumpers, while Manchester capitalised on second-chance opportunities and transition scores as London struggled to find any offensive flow.

London struggled to convert quality looks, allowing the margin to grow quickly and turn a tight game into a double-digit deficit.

The Lions showed flashes of fight late, highlighted by a powerful dunk from Jonathan Williams that briefly lifted the crowd, but Manchester continued to respond at the other end, closing out the win with control.

Randle echoed the need for consistency following the loss.

“They played a great game and made shots when they needed to,” he said. “We’ve got to be better and do a great job of coming out and playing every single game and giving our best.”

The Lions now shift focus to the road, traveling to Scotland to face Caledonia on Sunday at 5 PM before entering a short Christmas break.