BBL Week 3 headlines: Patriots off the mark, Phoenix halt Eagles

Image credit: British Basketball League

London Lions are now the only undefeated team remaining in the BBL, while Plymouth City Patriots opened their league account for the season.

Here’s what happened across the league in Week 3:

Patriots claim first win in split weekend

Plymouth City Patriots claimed their first win of the new season at the fourth time of asking as they defeated Sheffield Sharks 92-87 as part of a home double-header. Mason Faulkner starred with 24 points with the hosts needing to fend off a fightback having led by as many as 21 points in the contest.

The Patriots had slipped to a 73-77 loss to Manchester Giants on Friday night with the visitors profiting from an all-round attack, led by Jamell Anderson’s 19 points.

Phoenix halt Newcastle’s unbeaten start

Cheshire Phoenix handed a first league loss to Newcastle Eagles as they came away from the North-East with a 73-80 success on Friday night. The visitors surged ahead in the final quarter to take the win with Maceo Jack and Aaryn Rai combining for 40 points.

London add two more victories to their tally

Petar Bozic’s side opened Week 3 with another success on Sky Sports as they overcame a slow start to beat Bristol Flyers 98-84. Matt Morgan led the way with 25 points as the Lions outscored their opponents 51-28 in the middle periods.

They improved to 5-0 a few days later when they battled past Cheshire to win 82-91 on the road with Morgan having an even bigger game after dropping a 33-point haul. London gave up 16 turnovers, but went 23 of 24 from the foul line as they overturned a 24-16 deficit after 10 minutes.

Elsewhere, Leicester Riders enjoyed an impressive win on the road against Bristol as they secured a 74-92 victory with a dominant 10-37 opening quarter and five players in double figures.

Results: Lions 98-84 Flyers, Patriots 73-77 Giants, Eagles 73-80 Phoenix, Scorchers 67-70 Sharks, Flyers 74-92 Riders, Patriots 92-87 Sharks, Phoenix 82-91 Lions

Standings: Lions 5-0; Riders, Eagles 2-1; Sharks, Phoenix 2-2; Gladiators 1-1; Giants 1-2; Flyers, Patriots 1-3; Scorchers 0-2

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