Lightning concentrated on defence for quarter 2, holding Newark BC to just 4 points. Newark BC couldn’t find an answer as shots refused to fall, both inside the paint and beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Lightning extended their lead, with veteran duo Wilkins and Rice contributing on both ends of the floor. At halftime, Newark BC found themselves down 26-16 and struggling to keep up with the pace they initially set.

After the break, Newark BC showed signs of life. The push was led by Reksvtys, who earned Newark BC 9 points for the game which included 3 out of 4 from the line. But the turnovers started to mount as Newark BC became overwhelmed by the experience of Lightning. Defensively, Zegunis topped the rebound table with 7 in total. This kept Newark BC within clutching distance throughout parts of the game. The third quarter ended 36-26, still in favor of the Lightning, with Newark BC unable to break the double-digit deficit.

In the final quarter, the pressure was showing, as Newark BC gave away 2 points following a flagrant foul for unsportsman behaviour. O’Connor sank both of these free throws which contributed to his staggering 18 point game.

Newark tried to fall back on their 3 point shooting, however this was not a reliable source of points for them for the game, converting only 4 of 19 attempts. And with 100% shooting from 2pt distance for Wilkins, the deal was done. 

After the final buzzer, we heard from Player-Coach of the Lightning, Rice. When asked what he was going to take away from this game, he admitted that they needed to be aware of the initial pace; “I think it’s just more of the same, but we need to be aware that we can’t start as slow as we did in this game.”

Both teams have games next week, so will they take the lessons from their first game into the next, or will they use the same game plan against a new opponent? 

You can find out first hand by joining us at 6:45pm on Thursday 26th of September at The Deans College, Lincoln.

See you there.

NEXT WEEK’S GAMES: 
Newark vs Oddities & ULT vs Lightning

Lightning Highlights:

• M. O'Connor (#23) led the Lightning with a game-high 18 points, shooting 46.2% from the field (6-13), including 3-5 from three-point range. He also contributed 5 rebounds.

• L. Carter (#31) scored 13 points, shooting 41.7% from the field (5-12), and added 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.

• Rice (#20) added 8 points, shooting 40% (2-5), and grabbed 3 rebounds.

• Wilkins (#22) had a strong showing with 6 points, hitting 75% of his shots (3-4) and securing 2 rebounds.

Newark BC Highlights:

• Zegunis (#77) led Newark BC with 8 points, shooting 37.5% (3-8) from the field, and contributed 7 rebounds.

• Reksvtys (#24) scored 9 points, hitting 75% (3-4) from inside the arc, and added 5 rebounds.

• Stankys (#19) added 7 points, shooting an efficient 75% (3-4), and grabbed 5 rebounds.

• Taurinskas (#13) had 5 points from the free-throw line, going 5-7 (71.4%) and adding 5 rebounds.

Team Performance:

• The Lightning shot 37.5% from the field overall and 35.3% from three-point range, while the Newark BC struggled with 26.8% from the field and 21.1% from beyond the arc.

• Newark BC led in rebounding with 33 total rebounds, compared to 19 rebounds by Lightning.

• Lightning’s defense caused 7 steals, while Newark BC had 4 steals.

Scoring by Quarter:

• Q1: Newark BC 12, Lightning 9

• Q2: Lightning dominated with a 19-4 run.

• Q3: Newark BC 10, Lightning 7

• Q4: Lightning outscored Newark BC 14-8.

Final score: Lightning 49 - Newark BC 34