Bandja Sy's decisive plays clinched Paris's double overtime win
T.J. Shorts fouled out of the game just a few seconds into the second overtime and the London Lions made the most of the boost in morale they received to go on a 5-0 run and make it 102-97 with 3:37 left on the clock. When Nadir Hifi missed a jump shot in the next possession, the record-breaking crowd of 6,152 at Copperbox Arena may have instantly thought that it was time for the hosts to put the game to bed.
Enter an energized Bandja Sy, who grabbed the offensive rebound and got Paris within 102-99 with a put-back basket before stealing the ball at the other end. Hifi sank an off-balance three-pointer on offense to tie the game up, 102-102, and then Collin Malcolm found Sy, who dunked with force off the baseline to take his tally to 11 points for a 102-104 Paris lead with 1:49 to go.
Sy stepped on defense again in the next possession and recorded his third steal of the night when Paris needed him most. The Paris forward produced an extraordinary performance off the bench, going 5-for-5 from the field, as he made 4 of 4 two-point shots and 1 of 1 triples. He also downed 6 rebounds for a team joint-high PIR of 21.
Shorts may have scored 24 points, and Hifi 20, but had it not been for a possessed Sy in the second overtime, Paris may have not managed to soak up London’s pressure, as the hosts had gained momentum after Shorts committed his fifth foul. The visitors are now the only team in Group A to have gone unbeaten in their first four games of the season and Sy’s display in London was key to clinching this victory in what was the most entertaining BKT EuroCup game so far this season.