EuroCup: London Lions beat Trento 80-75 for first British win since 2004

Published by: Rohimot Ishola Oluwadamilola

London Lions became the first British team to win a EuroCup match since 2004 with an 80-75 victory over Trento.

Making their home debut in the competition, the Lions came from behind to score 20 points in the final 10 minutes at the Copper Box Arena.

Great Britain's Ovie Soko finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds.

"It's just cool for British basketball to see the crowd and to do something for the first time in 18 years," said Lions head coach Ryan Schmidt.

"It's a big win for us. It's a big win for our organisation, it's a huge win for the BBL (British Basketball League) and UK basketball as a whole and I'm proud of our guys.

"We gave up 27 points in the first quarter, but they just chipped away at it."

The EuroCup features 20 teams from across Europe, split into two groups.

The Lions, who are top of the BBL after winning their opening five games, will win promotion to the EuroLeague if they can reach the final of the EuroCup.