The Sudbury Five know what needs to be done.

Trailing their best of five BSL (Basketball Super League) semi-final series with the London Lightning one game to none following a 106-101 road loss to London on Saturday, the Five can break down exactly where a potential key victory slipped over to a loss.

Leading 89-82 with 9:03 to play, coach Logan Stutz and company would dearly love a "do over" of the ensuing 2:07 stretch, a sequence in which a 9-0 run by the Lightning flipped the scoreboard to read 91-89 for the homeside.

Even then, the locals remained in the game, down by just a basket (99-97) as the clock clicked past the four minute mark. But again, London clamped down, outscoring Sudbury 7-2 in that ultra-tight final phase when defensive intensity was up through the roof.

There is little doubt that post-season victory is in sight for the Sudbury Five, even if the pathway to it is not easily navigated.

The culprits for the Sudbury loss are well-known entities on the opposing bench, with veterans Chris Jones (30 pts), Jermaine Haley (23) and Billy White (20) showing the way to victory in game one.

The Five countered, as they have for much of the year, with a slightly more balanced approach as A.J. Mosby Jr (22) led a group of six "double digiters" for the visitors, a block of talent that included Ja'Myrin Jackson (16), Duane Notice (16), J.D. Miller (14), Landon Kirkwood (14) and Deontae Hawkins (10).

After scoring the first two baskets of the game, the Five overcame a 27-23 deficit after the first quarter of play, sitting dead even (52-52) at the half. London enjoyed a healthy overall rebounding advantage (54-40), one which was recorded largely on the strength of their play at their own end of the court (defensive rebounds - London 39 Sudbury 29).

The teams featured very similar numbers in overall field goal percentage as well as from beyond the arc, though Sudbury struggled to convert from the line (20/29 - 69%), the silver lining being that they visited the charity stripe more frequently than their opponents (London - 17/22 - 77.3%).

Lightning coach Doub Plumb went slightly deeper into his bench, with a ten player rotation featuring only Antoine Mason (7 minutes) with less than ten minutes of playing time.

Logan Stutz went exclusively with his top eight, with big men Raymar Morgan and Paul Harrison joining the above-noted Sudbury sextet.

Game two is set for this evening (Monday May 6th) with tipoff just after 7:00 p.m. at the Sudbury Arena.