Caledonia Gladiators had a tough 51-86 defeat to the London Lions as the EuroCup Women finalists dominated the fixture at PlaySport.
The Caledonia Gladiators came into this game off the back of a 56-66 win away to Essex Rebels last weekend, maintaining a record of 13-1.
The game started with traded baskets for the score to be 2-3 but that was the start of a 4-0 run for the Gladiators to lead 4-3 early, the traded baskets continued, and nobody was immediately prepared to control the game. After the first 5 minutes, it was Gladiators 8-9 Lions. London then scored a quick few buckets before the bucket-for-bucket style continued for the remainder of the opening period. At the end of the first quarter, it was a 4-point game, with the Lions leading 15-19.
The second quarter started with traded baskets before the Lions went on their biggest run, 7-0, to lead 17-28. Throughout the remainder of the period, Gladiators continued their impressive run – while the Gladiators tried to keep themselves in the game. At half-time, as the sides headed to the locker room, the score was 24-40 in favour of London.
The leading scorer for the Caledonia Gladiators was Laken James with 9 points, and for the London Lions, it was Megan Gustafsson with 11 points.
The 3rd quarter started with London on a 9-1 run for the Lions, taking the game to a 19-point advantage for the Capital City side. London were in control of this game by this point, showing their class ahead of their European final. At the end of the quarter, it was Caledonia Gladiators 41-63 London Lions.
The final period saw Lions continue to show their quality – maintaining their lead and building upon it, showing out for the PlaySport crowd and putting up some impressive plays from inside and beyond the arc. Upon the final buzzer, Gladiators dropped to two losses on the season, and London extended their unbeaten run domestically – winning 51-86.
The MVP award went to Laken James who had an impressive stat line of 14 points, 2 assists 1 and 5 steals. The next home game is Sunday against the Newcastle Eagles. Secure your tickets on the FanBase app HERE!
