London, September 27, 2026 — London Lions remained unbeaten in SLB play, defeating Liverpool Basketball 78-49 at the Copper Box Arena to move to 4-0 and claim their first SLB victory at their home venue.
London set the tone defensively throughout, forcing 27 Liverpool turnovers while holding the visitors to 49 points. The Lions pulled away after halftime, limiting Liverpool to nine points in the third quarter before closing out the victory.
Thomas Kennedy led the way with 15 points and five rebounds, while Keenan Evans added 11 points, four assists and four steals. Emilis Zibuda made an immediate impact in his professional debut with 10 points and four rebounds, while Maxwell Lewis and Ethan Price also finished with 10 points apiece.
Liverpool kept the game close early, with London holding a narrow 15-13 advantage after the opening quarter. Price provided an early spark with a pair of three-pointers, while Evans found Lewis for a lob off an offensive rebound.
The Lions began to create separation in the second quarter. Lewis finished a breakaway dunk before Zibuda checked into the game for his professional debut and connected from three to extend London's lead. Evans then added a corner three off a pass from Lewis as the Lions took a 37-26 advantage into halftime.
London's defence continued to control the game after the break. Kennedy scored off a ball-screen action with Devante Jones to force a Liverpool timeout, while Lewis answered a Liverpool basket with a floater. Zibuda and Kennedy continued to make an impact as the Lions closed the third quarter on top 57-35.
The Lions put the game away in the fourth. Zibuda hit another three off a kick-out from Joel Scott before Kennedy added a transition putback. Evans then connected from deep, while a Zibuda steal led to a Kennedy slam as London extended its advantage.
The victory marked the first SLB meeting between London and Liverpool and London's first SLB game at the Copper Box Arena.
On his professional debut, Zibuda said: “I felt ecstatic, but also nervous. I mean, I'm a pro and it's great to be on the court and provide for the team any way I can. Just being a London Lion, with all these fans, it's huge and I'm happy.”
Head Coach Tautvydas Sabonis said: “What we do every day, our identity is defensive. We've got to crash boards, we've got to play one-on-one, play team defence, and when we do that, we are one heck of a team. Today, leaving a team at 49 points, it's the first time I've ever left a professional team at 49, so that just shows how physical we were today.”
London now turns its attention to EuroCup action, travelling to Lithuania to face Šiauliai Basketball in its opening game of the European campaign.
