Manchester Giants head coach Brian Semonian was proud of the performance his side displayed in the 100-91 defeat to London Lions in the British Basketball League Trophy at the NBPC on Friday night.

Like the recent clashes between the two sides, this one was yet another full-blooded affair which saw the league leaders pull away in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter after a game which swung back and forth in favour of each side.

The Giants led 70-69 going into the final quarter and looked to press their advantage when they increased their lead to 87-84 with just under four minutes left on the clock. On the verge of an upset, a few errors and missed shots gave the Lions the impetus they needed to get over the line.

Defeat to London now means that it is mathematically impossible for Coach Semonian’s side to progress in the British Basketball League Trophy, but he was more than happy to sing the praises of his side after the fight they showed on Friday night.

Speaking post-match, he said: “I’m really proud of our performance tonight. We’ve played London really close the past couple of times.

“It was just a couple of possessions that was the difference but I’m really proud of our effort - they are a top team and it shows that we can really compete.

“As far as the Trophy goes, it’s disappointing that we won’t be moving forward but our goal is more of a season-long goal of making the playoffs.

“We’re using these games to work on our offensive and defensive identity and making sure that’s really solid going into the second half of the season.

The Giants showed great determination throughout the game and were the stronger team at various points. The difference between the two sides fell to turnovers at key moments going in the favour of the hosts, which allowed them to post important points on the board.

On this, Semonian added: “It was just a couple of possessions that were the difference in this game, so that could be a couple of turnovers and calls but we’ve got to make sure that we don’t leave it into the referee's hands and we’ve got to take charge of what goes on.

“We had a really solid game plan and I thought that we executed it well - if the ball bounces a few ways, maybe we get a different result.

“[London Lions] are a top team and I’m really happy with our guy’s focus and effort tonight.”

Manchester Giants have one more fixture remaining in the competition, with Bristol Flyers visiting the NBPC on Sunday afternoon as part of a double-header which sees the Giants Women take on Nottingham Wildcats in the Betty Codona Trophy following the conclusion of the men’s game.

Asked whether he would take the opportunity to make some changes to his side, Semonian said: “We’ve just got to take it one game at a time. This one is done now and we’ll go back to see what’s best for the team for us going forward.

“We’ll make sure to use the [Bristol Flyers] game to our advantage, to use the opportunity to sharpen up our skills mostly on the offensive and defensive end so that’s what we’re going to focus on for our next match.”

Purchase a ticket for the men's clash against Bristol Flyers to get access to the Women's fixture on Sunday at the NBPC here.