London Lions made history as they became the first British basketball team to reach a European final by beating Umana Reyer Venice at the Copper Box Arena.

After edging the first leg in Venice by a point, the Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL) side won 71-59 to sail into a first EuroCup Women final.

They will face either Spar Girona or Besiktas in the two-legged showpiece.

Turkey’s Besiktas take a 21-point lead into Thursday’s second leg in Italy.

Lions found themselves 33-31 down at half-time thanks to 14 points from Reyer’s Jessica Shepard, who finished with a game-high double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds.

However, Lions guard Holly Winterburn was pivotal in overturning the deficit as she recorded 17 points, five assists and four rebounds overall.

Temi Fagbenle and Megan Gustafson added 14 points and 19 points respectively.

The first leg of the final will be played at London’s Copper Box on 3 April, with the decider taking place on 10 April.