The London Lightning won their 20th game of the season on Sunday, beating the Niagara River Lions 106-98 at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.
The Lightning are three games into eight consecutive games on the road and they have won two of those three so far, beating the K-W Titans last Monday and then suffering just their ninth loss of the season on Wednesday in Windsor.
London ran the floor well against the River Lions and got collective contributions on offense.
Garrett Williamson and Royce White led London with 18 points. White also led the Lightning with a monster game on the boards, pulling down 14 rebounds. Last year’s NBL Canada MVP chipped in four assists and two blocks.
London out-rebounded Niagara 53-39 during the game.
Ryan Anderson hit a game high four three-pointers and totalled 17 points on the afternoon. Doug Herring Jr. added another 14.
After missing Wednesday’s game with a shoulder injury, Julian Boyd returned to the Lightning lineup and hit seven of his nine shots from the field and three of four from three-point range. Boyd had 17 points overall.
Defensively, London limited the River Lions to 40.2 per cent shooting.
Niagara has lost five games in a row and ranks as the NBL Canada’s coldest team. They are a possible first-round playoff opponent for the Lightning.
London is now two full games ahead of the St. John’s Edge for first place in the Central Division and four and a half games up on Windsor. The Express have won their past three games.
The Lightning will try to overtake Windsor in their next game, which takes place at the WFCU Centre in Windsor on March 2.
London has defeated the Express once in five meetings between the teams. Windsor is responsible for four of London’s nine defeats in 2017-18. Tip-off in Windsor is at 7 p.m.
In other Sunday NBL Canada action, the Halifax Hurricanes remained the league’s hottest team, capturing their fifth straight victory, 81-73 over Moncton. The Island Storm outlasted Cape Breton 138-121.