Marc Steutel has warned his warrior Eagles to expect a dogfight as desperate London Lions look to claw their way back into a pulsating playoff semi-final.

The two-game series is finely poised after shorthanded Newcastle somehow came away from a stunned Copper Box Arena with a 77-71 win.

And Steutel is expecting London to throw everything at his fifth-seed roster this afternoon  as the top ranked team in British basketball looks to avoid an embarrassing exit at the Vertu Motors Arena.

“We know we’re in for a dogfight but I think London know they’re in for a battle,” said the Eagles’ proud playcaller.

“I’m excited to see what we can bring to the second leg but we’ve got to try and get guys fresh before tip-off.

“To hold Lions to 71 on the home floor was everything. I thought we did a great job of managing the rhythm, flow and tempo of the game.

“We made sure that we restricted their runs and at the same time we kept turning them over.

“Looking after the ball was key and while I’ll always look back on a few possessions and wonder whether we could have done more I can’t complain: my guys competed and battled and that’s the biggest thing.

“I thought we did a really good job of managing everything and we got contributions from the seven guys who played — every one of them contributed positively.

“That’s been a strength and a trait of our team all season.

“Everyone in our group understands it’s only half time and we’ll be ready to go again.”

Not for the first time this season it was ‘Money’ Mike Okauru who set the standard with a game high 25 points.

Earlier in the week the US guard won the most votes from Super League Basketball  coaches, captains and members of the media to top the Molten All-League Team of the Year.

And Okauru looked every inch the league MVP as he added five rebounds and four assists to his overall haul.

“Mike isn’t just a great player, he’s an incredible human,” added Steutel.

“I’m so fortunate in my job where I get the chance to work with people like that and build relationships with people like that.

“When Mike’s putting the team on his back and everyone else is following, I always believe that we have a chance.”

Okauru is already a top target for teams across Europe following a stellar first season on Tyneside.

And he did his burgeoning reputation no harm at all as he ran the game against Championship winners London.

One of only seven players on court for Newcastle, the relentless scorer hit eight of 13 from two-point range.

And he said: “I try to do my best and lead my team. I had a good game in the first leg.

“It was a tough, crazy environment inside the Copper Box and we played against a great team. I’m just happy for my guys. We followed our scout and it worked.

“But the fact is we have a six-point lead at half-time. We have to get ready for Sunday and try to get a win to get to the O2 next weekend.

“My coach and my teammates give me the power to go out there and play my game and I’m ready to go again.”

Newcastle were missing British basketball’s most decorated player after Darius Defoe picked up an injury on quarter-final duty against Manchester.

And the Eagles suited up against London in leg one without maverick rookie De’Sean Allen-Eikens.

The latter could still get the all-clear to play in this afternoon’s Tyneside return but Steutel is planning to run a seven-player rotation for the second time inside 48 hours with young gun Sauveur Kande waiting in the wings.

The men in black dominated the second half of Friday’s first leg as Steutel’s tactical masterclass left opposite number Peter Bozic nonplussed.

But the Eagles know the Lions are unlikely to shoot as poorly from beyond the arc in back-to-back games after the league champions converted just three of their 20 three-point efforts at home.

“We know the job’s not done,” added Steutel. “But I was a really proud coach after that first leg against a team that’s done well all year and boasts a lot of talent.”

Remaining tickets for Newcastle’s playoff semi-final second leg are available via boxoffice.newcastle-eagles.com