London Lions pushed Maxima Roma to overtime after a late Maxwell Lewis and-one tied the game, but came up just short in an 86–84 EuroCup road defeat.
Rome, 4 November 2026 — London Lions came up just short in a hard-fought EuroCup road contest, falling 86–84 to Maxima Roma in overtime on Wednesday night.
Maxwell Lewis led the Lions with 14 points, while Devante Jones added 13 points and seven assists. Ethan Price contributed 12 points, with Joel Scott finishing with 11 points and five rebounds.
The Lions made a strong start, responding to Roma's early scoring with a run of their own. Contributions from Deane Williams, Scott and Price helped London build a six-point advantage, closing the opening quarter ahead 22–16.
London continued to find success early in the second, with Lewis, Jones and Price helping extend the lead to nine.
Roma responded through Xavier Moon and Aaron Holiday, gradually working their way back into the contest. The hosts eventually took the lead before the Lions regained control late in the half, with Jones finishing inside to send London into the break ahead 44–42.
Roma came out strongly after half-time, opening the third quarter with an 8–0 run to take the lead. Moon continued to create problems for the Lions, helping Roma build their largest advantage of the night at 13 points.
Lewis knocked down a three to help London respond, but the hosts maintained a 63–55 lead heading into the final period.
The Lions began to chip away at the deficit in the fourth. Price connected from beyond the arc before Josh O'Garro added a transition dunk and a corner three to bring London back into contention.
Jones and Scott combined for a strong finish inside, while Landrius Horton helped cut the gap to one.
With the Lions trailing by three in the closing seconds, Lewis attacked the basket and converted an and-one with 25.3 seconds remaining to tie the game at 76.
London got the defensive stop it needed on Roma's final possession, sending the contest into overtime.
Roma regained control in the extra period, opening with a 7–0 run.
The Lions responded through Horton and Scott, with Scott's put-back cutting London's deficit to 2 at 83–81 with 27.1 seconds remaining.
After Roma added a free throw, the Lions had one final opportunity to tie the game, but Lewis' corner three did not fall.
Williams connected from beyond the arc on the final possession, but time had expired as Roma held on for the 86–84 win.
Head Coach Tautvydas Sabonis reflected on the missed opportunities that proved costly in such a close finish.
“We missed some open shots, and if I'm not mistaken, we missed 15 free throws, maybe even 20 free throws, in a game you lose in overtime.”
The Lions finished 10-for-23 from the free-throw line, leaving points at the line in a game decided by just two.
London will now turn their attention back to SLB action, returning home to face the Leicester Riders on Friday at NCC Hackney.
