The London Lightning held off a late surge by the Windsor Express for a 117-113 victory Saturday at Budweiser Gardens.
The Lightning improve their record to 30-5 following the win, the best record in the NBL of Canada. The Express are a distant second to the Lightning in the Central Division standings with a 19-17 record.
London controlled the first half of the game and had a 57-44 lead over Windsor at halftime. The Express made offensive adjustments and brought the game closer in the third quarter, outscoring the Lightning 40-28. Windsor made a series of key baskets as time wound down in regulation but the Lightning held on for the win.
Royce White was the scoring and defensive leader for the Lightning. He put 26 points through the hoop and went 10-for-17 in field goals. He also had 16 rebounds, 14 of them defensive. Kyle Johnson added 24 points for London while Garrett Williamson brought in 19, including seven-for-nine in free throws.
Juan Pattillo continued to lead for the Express, leading all scorers with 32 points in 37 minutes on the hardwood. He also rebounded 20 times with seven of those boards on offence, and went 11-for-12 from the charity stripe. Maurice Jones and Logan Stutz each contributed 17 points for Windsor.
The Lightning make a short trip to Kitchener-Waterloo for an Easter Sunday showdown with the Titans. The Express have a layoff till April 23 when they welcome the Lightning to the WFCU Centre.