- London Lions Women beat Besiktas 149-145 on aggregate in the EuroCup final
- Trailing 75-68 from the first leg, the Lions won the return tie on home soil 81-70
- But the newly-crowned EuroCup champions may not defend their title next term
The Copper Box Arena in London is part of the lasting legacy from the 2012 Olympics; and on Wednesday night more history was made at this iconic venue, courtesy of the London Lions Women’s basketball team.
And in front of a packed home support, they went one step further by becoming Britain’s maiden European champions by lifting the Women’s EuroCup.
Having lost the first leg in Turkey to Besiktas Women by seven points 75-68, the Lions were roared to victory by a thunderous crowd – winning the return tie on home soil 81-70 and 149-145 on aggregate.
MVP and American-Brit Karlie Samuelson led the hosts’ individual scoring with a game-high 19 points, while her team-mates Megan Gustafson and Temi Fagbenle finished on 18 and 17 apiece.
Knowing what needed to be done in London, the Lions came out as the aggressors and led 23-17 at the end of the first quarter.
That bright start continued into the second quarter and Stella Kaltsidou’s side held a 10-point lead at half-time with a 45-35 advantage.
The interval saw Besiktas, backed by hundreds of travelling fans, regroup and claw their way back into the match with a gritty display – making it a five-point game at 60-55 by the end of the third quarter, knowing that gap would be enough to win them the trophy.
As the tension levels rose the Besiktas coach Aziz Akkaya became embroiled in raging arguments with the officials and had to be restrained before being asked to leave the courtside.
With the crowd whipped into a frenzy, everything was on the line in the fourth quarter. Besiktas edged back to within the seven-point margin they were protecting before home-grown talent Holly Winterburn took the roof off with a superb three-pointer to extend the Lions’ lead to 79-70.
As the seconds ticked down Gustafson made two free throws to extend the lead to 11 and her personal tally to 18 and when Besiktas’ Dana Evans went for a desperate three-pointer and missed the joyous celebrations could start in earnest on a milestone evening for British basketball.
Captain Fagbenle, who grew up in London before going to play in the WNBA in the United States, was emotional after lifting the trophy inside a raucous Copper Box Arena.
‘We got it done, we got it done. To get it done in London makes it even better, it’s a dream come true.’
Gustafson, an NCAA record-holder with a stellar WNBA career, said the victory ranked alongside any of her previous accolades.
‘I mean, for my professional career, it’s definitely probably the highest I’ve been able to get to. Obviously, playing in the WNBA has been great but I haven’t won a championship there yet,’ the former Washington Mystics player said.
‘This is the best overseas group I’ve ever been part of.’
While the celebrations were set to go long into the night, the future is less clear as the club’s American owners 777 Partners – and prospective buyers of Premier League outfit Everton – have announced they are cutting funding to the team, meaning they are unlikely able to defend their continental title next season.
‘It’s definitely up in the air,’ Gustafson said. ‘I mean, hopefully this changes their mind. I’m definitely keeping the door open for London just to see what happens.
‘I hope they can get it together. Because this was an amazing experience.’
Winterburn, 23, who will leave the club at the end of the season, said: ‘It went down to the final possessions – they made some big shots at the end, but we earned this.
‘We deserved this, we’ve practiced hard every single day. The group has stuck together, I don’t think I’ll ever play in a team like this again.
‘With the funding situation, it’s not an option [for me] to stay and I’m sad about that. I can’t thank London enough for what they’ve done for me and British basketball.’
The win continues a stunning season for the Lions who became the first British team ever to win in their group, en route to reaching the final. They also boast a 100 per cent record in the Women’s British Basketball League after winning all 14 of their matches to date.