Dominant Newcastle Eagles land 2025 SLB Trophy title
Newcastle Eagles secured the 2025 SLB Trophy title after beating Bristol Flyers 97-78, on Sunday.
The most successful team in BBL history became the first franchise to lift silverware in the SLB era with a comprehensive display in Birmingham.
Seneca Knight top scored with 22 points along with five rebounds in 20 minutes with Mike Okauru adding 19 points in the win.
Bristol had an early 6-3 advantage, but that would be as good as it would get, as a 13-0 run from the Eagles set the tone as back-to-back threes from Okauru was followed by an and-1 play from De’sean Allen-Eikens.
Okauru was red-hot for Newcastle with his fifth triple capping an efficient first quarter, taking his personal tally to 17 points in a 31-19 lead.
There was no let up in the second as Knight scored five straight to extend the gap, and Newcastle kept applying pressure on both ends of the floor. Bristol were held to 12 points in the second with only three field goals, as they found themselves trailing by 21 points at the half-time break at 52-31.
Knight hit another three at the start of the third quarter, and when Okauru scored his first points since the end of the opening period – it was a 30-point game as the Flyers were held scoreless for almost four minutes.
73-44 late in the third soon became 73-56 early in the fourth with Corey Samuels hitting three straight threes across quarters, before a flash point with Okauru resulted in two unsportsmanlike fouls – igniting the crowd in the process.
But it was far from the spark Bristol needed to pull off an improbable comeback and Newcastle were able to close out what quickly became a one-sided final with their impressive first half performance.
The icing on the cake came when academy product Sauveur Kande checked in for the final minute and drained a three at the second attempt, before a lay up just before the buzzer.
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