The 2020-21 BBL season opened as it ended back in March – with a thrilling overtime game.
The first game of the season saw 2019-20 Trophy champions Newcastle Eagles pick up a victory away from home over hosts London Lions, 79-89, after going into overtime.
Both teams were evenly matched throughout the contest, with no quarter lead exceeding more than two points. As the final buzzer approached, Newcastle found themselves trailing by three points with less than eight seconds remaining on the clock.
However Eagles veteran Rahmon Fletcher managed to feed the ball to Eagles newbie Justin Gordon who pulled up at the three-point line and managed to sink it, tying the game with 1.4 seconds remaining, before the whistle blew for the first overtime game of the season.
As both teams entered the extra period, Eagles managed to dominate the home side, out scoring the Lions 12-2, gifting them their first win of the new season, and sending them atop of their BBL Cup group.
Whilst not only saving the game for his team, Justin Gordon also led his team with a whopping double-double of 24 points and 17 rebounds.
