AFTER sweeping aside Leeds Force by 30 points, Worcester Wolves came back to earth with a bump as they lost 88-70 at London Lions.

Having kept pace with their star-laden opponents for much of the match, a bleak period for the visitors straddling the third and fourth quarters saw London pull away to victory.

It also ended a run of four consecutive victories for Paul James' side, who remain second in the British Basketball League.

For the second game in a row Jamal Williams topped the Wolves’ scorers, producing 17 points, and there was a welcome 14 point-return for reserve centre Dejan Radojevic in the continued absence of Robert Thurman.

However, their contributions came to nothing, largely due to Worcester turning the ball over nearly twice as many times as their opponents.

Last year’s BBL player-of-the-season and former Wolves favourite Zaire Taylor set his stall out by intercepting an errant Williams pass as the game began.

On the very next play London forward Lovell Cook copied Taylor’s example, helping his side to an early 5-2 lead. An even first quarter ended with the teams tied at 15-15.

With Thurman out injured, Radojevic got his chance to shine, making an immediate impact with an impressive quartet of scores at the start of the second period, breaking open a 25-15 advantage.

By half-time the gap had closed to 37-34 as Cook stepped forward to sink a trio of three-pointers.

Within a couple of minutes of the re-start Lions had their noses in front at 40-39, following consecutive turnovers from Wolves’ guard Paul Guede.

With a minute to go in the third quarter Taylor notched his first points of the afternoon as his side began to move clear at 59-52.

Lions’ former NBA player Olumide Oyedeji grabbed the first basket of the final quarter, while Great Britain captain Andrew Sullivan eagerly got his hands in the way of another badly-directed Wolves ball.

The Worcester woes were compounded by a series of unsportsmanlike fouls as frustration grew.

A time out did little to calm matters as a 66-55 deficit merely grew larger. Chavis Holmes incurred a technical foul for arguing a referee's call and then joined the long list of men in a Worcester vest who surrendered possession during a disappointing visit to the capital.