CEBL: Montreal Alliance at Niagara River Lions

ST. CATHARINES, Ontario (Interstat) — The Montreal Alliance visit the Niagara River Lions on Sunday at Meridian Centre in a matchup of two teams circling the bottom of the Canadian Elite Basketball League standings.

Montreal (9-13) enters on a three-game losing streak, most recently falling 104-77 at Ottawa on Wednesday. The Alliance have dropped nine of their last 12 games, a slide that began with a 93-75 loss at Niagara on June 13. Montreal did win the most recent meeting between the clubs, beating the River Lions 96-86 at home on June 26, but it was the lone bright spot over the past month.

Guard Blondeau Tchoukuiengo is a player to watch for the Alliance. In Wednesday’s lopsided loss, he posted 14 points, six rebounds and eight assists over 36 minutes. Two games earlier against Scarborough, he scored 12 points in 19 minutes off the bench.

Niagara (6-12) has lost two straight and six of its last seven. The River Lions fell 86-77 at home to Ottawa on Saturday, a game in which forward Jordan Tchuente recorded 15 points and seven rebounds over 28 minutes. Tchuente has been inconsistent, however; in a 92-69 loss at Ottawa on June 28, he managed two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.

The River Lions have won two of the three head-to-head meetings this season. After dropping the series opener 96-86 in Montreal on June 26, Niagara will look to reclaim home-court advantage. The Meridian Centre crowd could provide a boost for a team that has lost four of its last five at home.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.