Coach Lloyd’s side faced an unexpected loss from the Force 81-92, as Leeds sit second to the bottom in the table with five wins and 17 losses, the Force mustered up a win behind a masterclass performance from Jack Isenbarger and Eddie Matthew combining for 57 points on the night.
The London Lions were dealt their third consecutive loss in the league at the hands of a struggling Leeds Force.
This defeat drops them to sixth in the table behind a hot streaking Plymouth Raiders.
Leeds guard Jack Isenbarger, put on a shooting masterclass clinic against the London Lions at their home court, shooting 8/10 from beyond the three-point line and 4/6 from the field goal finishing the night with a heroic 34 points for his Force side.
Teammate Matthews finished the game with 23 points, 15 of those points coming from the three-point line finishing with an outstanding 83%.
Lions forward Rashad Hassan fought to get a strong double-double, 33 points and 11 rebounds as well as adding a block, while guard, Zaire Taylor poured in a comfortable 19 points shooting 50% from the three-point line, but it wasn’t enough to get a win for the Lions as Leeds improved on their shooting percentage going into the second half.
The Lions were unfortunate to rally a lead in the first quarter with Eddie Matthew’s, Robert Sandoval and Jack Isenbarger drilling crucial three-pointers for Leeds. Not wasting any time, the Force shot 6/6 from beyond the arc taking the lead in the first quarter, 28-23.
In the early minutes of the second quarter neither team indicated a clear lead with the score being tied numerous times, however, the Lions pressured the Force defence with Zaire Taylor and Hassan combining for 31 points in the second quarter, reducing the lead to 49-47.
The London Lions managed to improve their third quarter stint with hard defence, but displayed poor offense at the other end with both teams at a stalemate being scoreless for a few minutes.
Leeds took advantage of this with Matthews and Robert Marsden finding a rhythm late into the quarter, making important baskets and extending their lead by six points, 62-68 Leeds.
Isenbarger maintained the momentum late into the fourth quarter securing the win with a series of successful game changing three-pointers and handing the London side another loss.
The Lions host the Plymouth Raiders on the 10th March at 7.30pm, and look for a win to improve their place in the table and finish the season with a high.
