Ulm, Germany, Wednesday 5 November — The London Lions battled until the final buzzer but came up just short in a narrow 87–86 loss to Ratiopharm Ulm in a EuroCup thriller. Despite a late rally led by Tarik Phillip and Kameron McGusty, the Lions’ comeback fell just one possession short as Ulm’s home crowd roared them across the finish line.

The fourth quarter was defined by heart and resilience from London. Trailing by seven with less than two minutes left, McGusty converted back-to-back and-one plays to make it a one-point game at 80–79. After a clutch three from Ulm’s Nelson Vitin, McGusty raced coast-to-coast for a layup to cut it to two with 15 seconds remaining. A late steal from Amin Adamu gave the Lions hope, but two free throws from Garavaglia sealed the result before McGusty’s final three dropped just as time expired.

Ulm were led by an impressive all-around performance from Nelson Weidemann, who poured in 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists, setting the tone on both ends. Len Schoormann and Christopher Ledlum added timely scoring, helping Ulm hold off London’s surge down the stretch. The victory snapped Ulm’s three-game losing streak and lifted them to 3–3 in Group B play.

For London, Tarik Phillip led the charge with 23 points, igniting the Lions’ fourth-quarter comeback with confidence and leadership, while Kameron McGusty added 18 points, showing poise in clutch moments. The Lions’ defensive intensity and second-chance efforts kept them alive throughout, but turnovers proved costly, particularly during a sluggish second quarter that saw Ulm pull ahead.

“Congratulations to Ulm. Both teams fought very well. Our second quarter hurt us a lot with the turnovers. Twenty-two turnovers; twenty-two turnovers, we don’t get the chance to shoot, we can’t even get a rebound, again, in a game when you lose by one that says it all,” said Head Coach Tautvydas Sabonis following the game.

The first half was evenly matched, featuring multiple lead changes before Ulm edged ahead 41–34 at halftime. London’s ball movement and early aggression drew fouls and created good looks, but Ulm capitalized on turnovers and late-quarter momentum.

The Lions clawed back in the third, sparked by a Tarik Phillip three and key hustle plays from Johnathan Williams III, eventually tying the game at 50–50 before Ulm responded with another run to end the quarter ahead 60–56.

London now sit at 2–4 in EuroCup Group B, looking to regroup after another close contest. The Lions return to the Copper Box Arena on Wednesday, November 12, where they’ll host Panionios Athens as they aim to reignite their EuroCup push in front of their home fans.