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The Gladiators pick up a vital road win in London as they edge past the Lions in a thriller at the Copper Box.
Fans were treated with the game being decided in Overtime following Jordan Taylor’s brillant buzzer-beating three-pointer.
After getting past the Riders on Friday night, the London Lions returned home to the capital to take on the Caledonia Gladiators in the first half of a double-header in East London.
The visitors entered the game in inconsistent form having won 5 of their previous 10 games. This was not reflected in the opening quarter, however, as the Scottish side had an eleven-point lead after 10 minutes.
The second quarter saw the hosts pull their socks up and switch through the gears. On the offensive end, Petar Božić’s team put up 25 points - which would usually be enough to significantly trim the deficit that they were facing. However, the Gladiators themselves continued to find tough buckets as they converted 23 points of their own.
Sean Skelly’s team drained 17 three-pointers on the afternoon, which was nearly double of the Lions’ tally. Patrick Whelan, alongside Lukas Palyza, combined for nine three-pointers as the duo caused problems for the hosts.
In the second half, the Lions fought back to win both quarters - eventually trailing by three points in the dying seconds.
Stepping up to the plate with the game on the line was 34-year-old veteran Jordan Taylor, who drained the all-important three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
A similar situation occurred back in October when Sam Dekker was on target to force additional time against Paris at the Copper Box. Unfortunately for the Lions, the game resulted in a similar outcome as their opponents secured the victory.
Ian DuBose did a great job in tough circumstances to secure the road win for his team, who now move to third in the domestic standings with a game to spare.
London, who were led by Gabe Olaseni’s 26 points, are now 15-3 domestically but still top of the tree with Christmas around the corner.
The reigning champions will be looking for revenge in their next game as they face the Plymouth City Patriots at the Copper Box.
Watch the highlights from London Lions vs Caledonia Gladiators here.
