Raiders open Championship account with win

BBL Championship – Plymouth Raiders 92 MK Lions 76

CP Marjon Plymouth Raiders began their BBL Championship campaign in style with a 92-76 victory over Prestige Homes MK Lions at the Pavilions.

Lehmon Colbert (pictured) led the home offence with 25 points and received excellent support from reigning MVP Jeremy Bell on 21 points and Michael Ojo with 17.

Plymouth led for the majority of the match and took a six point lead into the final quarter. Lions trimmed the gap to three but Gavin Love refocused his team and they ended the match on a 19-6 run to seal the victory.

Playing their first league match of the season the Raiders began well to open up a 6-0 lead. But led by four points from Demarius Bolds the Lions scored the next eight points.

A Lehmon Colbert three gave Raiders their six point lead again at 16-10 before a 9-2 Lions burst put the visitors ahead. Two Jeremy Bell free throws were the final points of the quarter to see Plymouth take a 20-19 advantage into the second quarter.

An Anthony Rowe two for Raiders started off a 14-7 run to take the score to 34-26. And then two Michael Ojo threes gave Plymouth a healthy half time lead.

The first made the margin a double-digit one at 39-28 and the second, on the buzzer, put the home team up by 13 at 49-36.

Milton Keynes had their best spell of the match at the start of the third quarter. A Howard Crawford two ended a superb 22-8 run, which gave the visitors a 57-58 lead.

However, Raiders regained their poise and finished the period with a 12-4 burst of their own to take a 69-63 advantage into the final stanza.

UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders 92 (20,49,69) (Colbert 25, Bell 21, Ojo 17)
Prestige Homes MK Lions 76 (19,36,63) (Crawford 21, Bolds 16, Northern 16)