Caledonia Gladiators have beaten London Lions 68-67 to end the Women’s British Basketball League leaders’ 52-game winning run.
The Scottish side remain fourth in the table but are now only two points behind the reigning champions after 10 games.
Chantelle Handy said her side are “really buzzing” after a historic win.
“We knew it was going to be a hard game – London is a different calibre team,” the Great Britain forward said.
Lions not only won their first league title but also their maiden WBBL Cup last season, but the home loss has allowed Leicester Riders to draw level at the top.
It was Leicester who knocked the visiting Gladiators out of the WBBL Trophy by 54-44 on Saturday before easing aside Oakland Wolves 96-65 on Sunday.
But the Scots rallied on Sunday, establishing an impressive 23-6 lead after the first quarter before surviving the holders’ fightback in a finish that ebbed and flowed between the two sides.
“Our focus was we didn’t play well yesterday and didn’t play the way we wanted to perform,” Handy, whose two free throws sealed the win. “Our goal was to bounce back from that.”
Coach Donnie MacDonald thought there were still room for improvement but admitted “it felt really good” to win in London.
“Lions have put together a tremendous run over the last few seasons and we have to pay respect to that,” he told Gladiators’ Twitter account.
“But today our girls came out and played absolutely tremendously. We leave here feeling pretty happy.”
Erin McGarrachan finished top scorer on 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block for Gladiators, but it was team-mate Abbie Wolf who was awarded player of the match with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
