EAGLES HEAD INTO CUP FINAL
Newcastle Eagles ousted Leicester to earn a showdown with London Lions in this month’s BBL Cup final.
The reigning Trophy holders defeated the Riders 76-71 at Morningside Arena on Monday behind 19 points from Evan Maxwell.
They now meet London who were officially awarded a 20-0 forfeit win over Manchester when the Giants were forced to pull out due to positive Covid tests.
Originally booked for ArenaBirmingham, the January 24 final will be staged at University of Worcester Arena in tandem with the WBBL Cup decider which will now be between Leicester Riders and Nottingham Wildcats after original finalists Sevenoaks withdrew.
Newcastle, Cup winners on a record five prior occasions, led for most of the game but their hosts were 64-62 in front with seven minutes remaining before a 6-0 Eagles run swung the momentum their way.
And although Riders – paced by 17 points from Geno Crandall – levelled at 70-70, Ian Macleod’s men ruthlessly polished off their rivals.
Earlier, Newcastle signed London-born forward Shore Adenekan who last played for BBC Coburg of Germany ProB in 2019. He notched two points in four minutes on his debut.
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