Despite a spirited performance from Danta Sofia, Liverpool Basketball’s third-quarter collapse against Cardiff Met Archers led a 69-63 loss and coach Michael Williams throwing a chair in frustration.
The home side dominated for large spells, leading for three quarters, but they couldn’t find the composure needed to close out the game.
Liverpool warming up. pic.twitter.com/Ok6F1x6nr2
— Zeph (@ZephJournalist) October 25, 2025
Liverpool started strongly, keeping the score tight until late in the first quarter when Cardiff began to lose control of their early lead.
Captain James Dawe and Lucas Scotland were instrumental in the Archers’ bright start, combining for 17 points, but Liverpool managed to contain them for most of the second quarter.
Liverpool’s fast-paced, pass-and-move offence helped them build a 10-point lead by half-time. With the backing of a lively home crowd, the momentum appeared firmly in their favour.
As play resumed, Sofia looked to continue his impressive all-round display, blocking shots and posing a constant threat around the rim for Liverpool.
But the third quarter proved disastrous for the hosts, who managed just four points with less than two minutes remaining in the period, prompting plenty of words from their coach.
That dry spell allowed Cardiff to seize their opportunity and by the end of the quarter the deficit had been reduced to just two points.
Early in the fourth, the visitors took their first lead since the opening quarter when Dawe drained a three-pointer to make it 45–46.
From there Cardiff found another gear. Everything they touched seemed to fall, with Shayne Scruggs leading the charge scoring 12 points in the final quarter alone.
As the game slipped away, Liverpool head coach Williams was visibly frustrated with his team’s collapse, even throwing a chair in anger, prompting a quiet word from the officials.
The final buzzer confirmed a 69–63 win for the Archers. Williams will now be forced to return to the drawing board as his side suffer a second consecutive defeat.
