UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders Vs London Lions
(Sunday 30th Setember)
UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders 108 (Bell 40, Ojo 23,Schneck 17)
London Lions 86 (James/Jackman 16, Ogedengbe 13)
The UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders made an emphatic start to their BBL Championship campaign thanks to a convincing 108-84 victory over the London Lions at the Plymouth Pavilions on Sunday afternoon.
After trading baskets in the early exchanges, a Jeremy Bell three-pointer got the Raiders offence going as they rattled off a 9-2 run to take the score out to 17-9 midway through the opening quarter.
A Nuno Pedroso basket got the Lions back to within four points at 17-13, but the Raiders ended the game strongly as they finished the period with a 14-4 tear to take the score out to 31-17 at the end
of the first.
In the second quarter, the Raiders continued to keep the pressure on the Lions with some strong defensive stops and good execution at the other end of the floor as they increased their lead to 23 points off the back of a 10-0 burst to lead 53-30 with less than three minutes remaining in the half.
The Lions tried desperately to mount an attack before the break and were only successful in reducing the deficit by five points at 58-40 as the teams headed into the locker rooms at the half.
In the second half the home side remained strong throughout the third quarter and steadily increased their advantage over the Lions, despite the best efforts of Orlan Jackman and Adrian Sturt who bagged nearly half of their points in the third period. The Raiders saw their lead peak at 27 points with the score at 83-56 with less than a minute left in the quarter, but a Sturt basket for the Lions was the final act of the period as the teams headed into the final stanza with the home side on top 83-58.
In the final quarter, the Lions tried valiantly to get themselves back into the contest and close the deficit to allow them an opportunity to pick up the victory, but the closest that they were able to get was 22 points at the end of the game as the Raiders held on for the victory to kickstart their season in emphatic fashion.
Jeremy Bell was the star man for the Raiders as he enjoyed a game-high 40 point haul for the Raiders, and added 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Michael Ojo was a constant thorn in the Lion's side, hitting 23 points, and Matt Schneck recorded his first double double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
