Basketball: Lions strike to end Towers' unbeaten run

London Towers' five-game unbeaten run ended in a 79-74 British Basketball League defeat last night, when Milton Keynes Lions Ishua Benjamin and Robert Youngblood hit back-to-back three-pointers to open a match-winning 75-70 lead.

Twenty-four hours earlier, Towers had climbed to joint fifth in the table alongside the Lions and Sheffield Sharks, after closing down a feeble Brighton Bears to win 78-58 at Crystal Palace. The Lions proved a sterner test as Shawn Jamison added 11 rebounds to his 20 points in support of Benjamin's 27 points and 11 from Youngblood.

Chez Marks led Towers' scorers in both games, scoring 24 last night to add to his 20 against the Bears.

League champions Chester Jets slumped to their fifth defeat in seven games, beaten 74-63 at home by a resilient Leicester Riders. Ryan Huntley led Riders' scorers with 26 points, while veteran Tony Holley hit eight points in a 14-7 run to open a decisive 69-60 Riders lead.

BBL leaders Scottish Rocks, who lost their unbeaten record last weekend, struggled to a 64-61 win over bottom club Plymouth Raiders, taking the lead for the first time on a Julius Joseph three-pointer at 54-53. Two Joseph free throws later opened a 60-58 lead and four free throws from team-mate Rob Yanders secured the win.

In a BBL Trophy north group game, Andrew Bridge's three-pointer 20 seconds from time snatched a 77-74 win for Newcastle Eagles at Sheffield, after the Sharks had led by 15 points.