After blowing a 16-point lead. Hamburg regrouped and stunned the Londoners on Hughes's game-winner with 1.3 seconds remaining.
Hughes lifts Hamburg past London, 81-83!
Veolia Hamburg Towers grabbed its second road win in Group A by edging London Towers 81-83 on a game-winning shot by Mark Hughes with 1.3 seconds left. Hamburg improved to 2-9 in Group A while London dropped to 8-3.
Aleksander Dziewa and Aljami Durham paced the winners with 15 points apiece. Mark Hughes added 12 while William Christmas had 10 for Hamburg. Gabe Olaseni led London with 24 points and 9 rebounds. Sam Dekker added 14 points and Tarik Phillip had 10 for the hosts.
Meisner, Dziewa put Hamburg ahead
Dziewa followed a layup with a dunk to get Hamburg going. Seth Hinrichs soon struck from downtown to prompt a London call timeout at 4-11. Durham scored in penetration and Meisner buried a jumper for a 10-18 score. A red-hot Meisner capped a 0-9 run with a triple that boosted the guests' lead to 10-23. Josh Sharma and Jordan Taylor brought London closer, 14-24, after 10 minutes.
London's late rally
Hughes buried a three-pointer and Hinrichs added a fastbreak layup in an 0-8 run that gave Hamburg a 16-32 margin early in the second quarter. Olaseni and Dekker stepped up for London, then Conor Morgan banked in an off-balance shot to give his team hope at 25-37. Conor Morgan got help from Dekker, Jordan Taylor and Luke Nelson to bring London within single digits, 40-48, at halftime.
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London retuned to the game
Durham struck from beyond the arc soon after the break. Christmas dunked in traffic and Dziewa's running jump hook restored a 44-55 Hamburg lead. Phillip and Dekker each scored around the basket in an 8-0 run that brought London back in the game, 56-60. Dziewa scored down low and Hughes downed a jumper to give Hamburg fresh air at 58-64. Conor Morgan hit a triple and then Taylor got the hosts even closer, 65-67, after 30 minutes.
Down to the wire!
Luke Nelson hit one from downtown and Taylor added a jumper to complete London's comeback, 70-69. Nelson capped a 7-0 run with a driving layup, as Durham and Dziewa helped Hamburg regain a 72-73 edge. Olaseni scored twice down low and Dekker added a driving layup for a 78-75 London lead with 3 minutes left. VJ King downed a three-pointer and bettered Olaseni's layup with another bomb from downtown for an 80-81 Hamburg lead in the next-to-last minute. Matt Morgan split free throws and Hughes banked in a running shot for an 81-83 Hamburg lead with 1.3 seconds left. London could not get a shot up on the game's final possession.