London Lions bounced back from two defeats in their group by gaining revenge over Sheffield Sharks, winning 88-73 at the Copper Box Arena.

Newham Recorder: London Lions in action against Sheffield Sharks (Pic: Graham Hodges)London Lions in action against Sheffield Sharks (Pic: Graham Hodges) (Image: Archant)

Former NBA star DeAndre Liggins was unstoppable, scoring 32 points on 7-11 shooting from beyond the three-point line as Lions dominated over the first quarter break.

Having started aggressively, they hit a 16-2 surge as Kevin Ware came off the bench to light the touch paper scoring six in a row to establish a 20 point lead that was only once trimmed to single figures.

In the second quarter, Andre Lockhart hit a stunning nine points in a row as the lead ballooned with BBL MVP Justin Robinson pulling the strings.

It was fitting that Liggins hit a triple on the half time buzzer of a sweet Robinson assist as the home side took a 55-36 lead.

Coach Atiba Lyons got his charges to respond as Lillard and McKnight tried to fight back.

The home side could only register 17 points on the board to the visitors’ 27, capped by a Mike Tuck triple as the lead came down to 72-63.

In the fourth, the Lions stepped up the defence, holding the Sharks to 10 points.

Ware carried on where he’d left off and Ed Lucas hit a tough drive as the lead moved again. With five players in double figures, the Lions closed out the game to win by 15 points and taking the head to head with the Sharks in the group should there be a tie.

Liggins added seven rebounds to his tally, whilst Robinson’s seven assists came with no turnovers.

The Lions now travel to the Leicester Riders on Sunday (November 14) for the next game in the round as they look to continue turning their fortunes around after a slow start to the new campaign.

In other news, the British Basketball League have announced the return of coverage on Sky Sports this season.

The two-year agreement will see Sky Sports air 30 live BBL matches a season.

As part of the agreement Sky Sports will also air the BBL trophy final, BBL cup final, BBL playoffs and live coverage of the women’s BBL playoff final.

The Lions will be on air for the first time when they travel away to Newcastle Eagles on December 3.