London BC Medelynas 107-95 Ipswich Basketball
NBL Division II
Newham Sixth Form College, London
London BC Medelynas out-slugged Ipswich Basketball in a high-scoring, offensively dominated game in London on Saturday.
A wild first quarter ended 33-30 to the visitors after Ipswich guard Jake Eynon capped the period with two deep three-pointers, in which he hit three and Ipswich as a team combined for seven made three-point shots.
With the two teams having shot over 60% from the field in the first period, it was clear such a pace could not be sustained for the entire game, and the second quarter started off at a slower pace.
Medelynas’ leading scorer Ausridas Petraitis struggled with foul trouble in the second quarter, but Algirdas Jaras and Algirdas Matusaitis kept the home side in the game in his absence. By half time, Medelynas held a one-point lead at 52-51.
Medelynas began to assert their physical superiority in the third quarter, with Petraitis scoring inside, and with hard fouls on the defensive end including an unsportsmanlike foul on Luke Mascall-Wright as he was floored while attempting a dunk.
The hosts led by as many as five in the quarter, but scores from Ethan Price, Steve Hemmings and Eynon kept Ipswich in touch before Mascall-Wright scored to beat the buzzer, putting Ipswich back up by one at the end of the quarter, 74-73.
Coach Adam Robinson’s side began to run out of steam in the fourth quarter, and a 14-4 offensive spurt powered by five points from Petraitis gave Medelynas the first double-digit lead of the encounter.
Threes by Hemmings, Mascall-Wright and Eynon kept Ipswich’s score ticking over, but the visitors were unable to chip away at the deficit and in the end Medelynas led by as many as 16 before wrapping up a 12-point victory.
“We had a serious physical disadvantage today, but we also didn’t bring the intensity we knew would be required,” said a disappointed Coach Robinson.