London, Friday 2 January — The London Lions delivered a dominant second-half performance to take control of the Trophy Semi-Finals, claiming a 77–58 victory over the Bristol Flyers and establishing a 19-point advantage heading into Sunday’s decisive second leg.

With aggregate scoring determining who advances, London’s approach was clear to build separation while maintaining discipline. A balanced effort, strong defensive execution, and a decisive third quarter allowed the Lions to seize control of the tie on home floor.

Chasson Randle led the charge with 15 points, igniting momentum early with back-to-back first-quarter threes before adding two emphatic dunks in the second half. Karolis Lukošiūnas stretched the floor with four three-pointers, repeatedly punishing Bristol’s coverage, while Deane Williams added 10 points, including two timely triples and a momentum-shifting block.

On the glass, Aaryn Rai delivered a standout performance with 10 rebounds, anchoring London’s defensive effort, while Amin Adamu chipped in 11 points with efficient shooting and aggressive rim pressure. London’s depth again proved decisive, with the bench contributing 40 points in a complete team performance.

Bristol started brightly through William Yoakum, who scored six of the Flyers’ first ten points and forced an early Lions timeout. Randle responded immediately, drilling a step-back three followed by a corner triple to flip momentum and give London the lead late in the opening quarter.

London began to pull away in the second behind finishes from Johnathan Williams, a timely three from Amin Adamu, and consecutive triples from Deane Williams, taking a 36–29 lead into halftime.

Head Coach Tautvydas Sabonis acknowledged the shift after the break.

“Very happy for my guys. Very good second half,” Sabonis said. “First half we played around a little — defensively we were great, but offensively the ball wasn’t moving as fast as we wanted it to. In the second half, guys really put on a show for the fans, understood the task at hand, and did a great job to go into Sunday with a 19-point lead.”

The Lions broke the game open in the third, holding Bristol to just three points in six minutes as Randle attacked in transition and Karolis Lukošiūnas knocked down another three to push the margin to 57–36.

With point differential crucial, London stayed aggressive late, stretching the lead further before managing the final possession with Sunday’s second leg in mind.

Randle highlighted the collective focus after the final buzzer.

“We came out in the first half a bit up and down, but in the second half we locked in as a team both offensively and defensively,” he said. “Guys brought the effort, and every time we do that, effort and energy can lead to a win.”

Despite the commanding first-leg result, Sabonis was quick to emphasise the job ahead.

“Job’s not done. We got Sunday, we got a 19-point lead, and we’ve got to go away and do our job. If we can go up more, we go up more.”

The Lions now carry a 19-point cushion into the second leg, meaning Bristol must win by 19 or more on Sunday to overturn the deficit.

The Trophy Semi-Finals concludes Sunday at 3:00 PM in Bristol, where London will look to protect their advantage and book a place in the Final.