BRADFORD Dragons opened their National Basketball League Division One campaign in lacklustre style, going down 86-65 at home to newly- promoted London Lituanica.

The Londoners had stormed Division Two last season, losing only one game before winning the end-of-season play-offs by defeating also promoted Lancashire Spinners.

Lituanica, who won their opening league game at home to Westminster Warriors last Thursday and are also in the quarter-finals of the National Cup, kept Bradford scoreless for the first five minutes of the game, and the hosts never recovered.

By the time the buzzer sounded for the end of the first quarter, the Dragons trailed 28-12, and it didn't get much better in the second period, after which the home side trailed 50-29.

And, although the Dragons had a mini revival in the third period, reducing the margin to 19 at 68-49, there was no way back.

Nick Moore headed the scoring for Bradford with 19 points, while Adria Rodriguez Vinas contributed 16.

But the most telling statistic lay with the field-goal percentages, with London shooting 66 per cent from open play to the Dragons' 37 per cent.

The normally reliable Henry Bongoma was probably the most out of sorts, hitting a mere 25 per cent, falling way short of his 65 per cent against Derby Trailblazers and 63 per cent the week before against Lancashire Spinners.

Bradford coach Chris Mellor said: "We played a very poor game from start to finish.

"We didn't guard anybody, while offensively we didn't move the ball and their players to get enough high-percentage opportunities.

"They (London) played well and we just didn't match their physicality with any kind of toughness and intensity the whole game."

Bradford are at Derby Trailblazers next weekend, who will be keen to gain revenge after Bradford's dramatic National Trophy victory.

Dragons' under-18s' game at Tees Valley Mohawks postponed, while the under-16s faced a home fixture against Cheshire Wire, going down 108-52.

The under-14s completed a miserable weekend for the Dragons, losing 75-65 at home to Durham Wildcats.