River Lions roll past winless Rattlers to remain perfect at home
Niagara's Babb-Harrison scores game-high 25; Delaurier scores 17, adds 11 rebounds
The Niagara River Lions led wire-to-wire against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Tuesday night to claim a 86-74 victory and remain undefeated at home, improving to 3-0 at the Meridian Centre this season.
Ajax, Ont., native Jaylen Babb-Harrison led Niagara (5-3) with a game-high 25 points while shooting 5-of-8 from three-point range.
Javin Delaurier collected a game-high 11 rebounds and was second on the team with 17 points. The American forward entered the game with a league-leading 11.1 rebounds per game.
Showtime at the Merridian Centre 🎬<br><br>Boucard with the dime. Sneed with the highlight finish 😳<br><br>📺: <a href="https://t.co/wLyGHzuvHI">https://t.co/wLyGHzuvHI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OurGame?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OurGame</a> <a href="https://t.co/i7PUvaB3E3">pic.twitter.com/i7PUvaB3E3</a>
—@CEBLeague
The River Lions led 17-13 after the opening quarter and created further separation in the second to establish a 40-32 halftime lead.
The Rattlers (0-9) were led by another standout performance from Mississauga, Ont., native Devonte Bandoo, who finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The River Lions held the Rattlers off to enter the Elam Ending with a 77-67 lead, where Guillaume Boucard ultimately sealed the victory with a game-winning free throw to reach the target score. The Montreal native also led all players with six assists.
Saskatchewan will aim for its first win against the Guelph Nighthawks (2-6) in a road game this Thursday, while Niagara will host the Ottawa BlackJacks (3-5) this Saturday.