London Lions fought back to beat Caledonia Gladiators 82-76 in a thrilling British Basketball League clash.

The champions travelled north of the border with momentum, having secured the title and then reached the quarter-finals of the EuroCup in midweek.

And Matthew Morgan and Gabriel Olaseni starred with well-rounded performances against a Caledonia side who had struggled for consistency recently.

Lions were not at their sharpest, forcing some undesirable looks throughout the opening quarter, after initially gaining an early advantage.

And as their frustration continued, Lukas Palyza pushed the Gladiators ahead.

Gareth Murray’s group continued to score as a unit, working hard in transition to attack London, who found themselves in an unfamiliar position of chasing the game.

Caledonia seemed to be first to every loose ball, crashing the glass relentlessly and earning multiple second-chance points.

But as they so often do, the Lions came clawing back with Matthew Morgan and namesake Conor spearheading their offence, as they forced their way into the lead midway through the second period.

Caledonia's Fraser Malcolm came off the bench with a spring in his step, offering assured shooting and dynamic playmaking for the second unit.

Quade Green produced a steady diet of inside-outside scoring also, which squashed the deficit and earned the home side an advantage once again.

When Green drained a fading baseline jumper, he had earned a two-point lead which Caledonia took into half-time.

London came out swinging for the third period, as Matthew Morgan pushed Petar Bozic’s team back ahead with steadfast free-throw shooting.

The lead was short-lived, though, as Palyza and Green fired away to edge the hosts in front again.

Michael Bothwell plugged away for Caledonia, hustling on the glass and finding open teammates with regularity.

But although they were able to extend their lead to nine, Lions showed their title-winning pedigree when Gabriel Olaseni put together an eight-point run to tie the game midway through the final quarter, before Matthew Morgan earned a three-point lead.

Despite the effort of the depleted Gladiators, they couldn’t prevent a significant shift in momentum.

Kareem Queeley came off the bench to play a part in London’s comeback and Tarik Phillip joined the party with a highly efficient scoring display.

Olaseni commanded the board with force, helping Lions control the pace of the game.

Jordan Taylor iced a pair of shots from the stripe and when time ran out, the Lions had ensured success.