Jordan Ford scored 32 points in his EuroCup debut in a losing effort
Gran Canaria edges Trento, 84-81, behind mighty Mike Tobey



Dreamland Gran Canaria started the EuroCup season with an 84-81 victory over Dolomiti Energia Trento at the Gran Canaria Arena on Tuesday night. The visitors got off to a solid start and took a 45-49 lead into the second half, but the hosts tightened up their defense after the break and clinched the win.
Mike Tobey led his team with 20 points and 8 rebounds and Carlos Alocen netted 11 points. Trento guard Jordan Ford led all scorers with 32 points, finishing the game shooting 11-for-11 from inside the arc and 3-for-4 on three-pointers. Jordan Bayehe paired his 11 points with 4 rebounds.
Game Videos
Tobey scored all of Gran Canaria’s first four buckets, but Quinn Ellis, Saliou Niang and Selom Mawugbe opened their accounts from inside, with Anthony Lamb hitting 2 of 2 from the line to make it 8-8. A triple from Nicolas Brussino and 4 points from John Shurna gave the hosts a 15-10 cushion midway through the first quarter. Then, Caleb Homesley scored his first points in the EuroCup for Gran Canaria before setting up Alocen on the break for a 21-15 lead. Trento bounced back, with Saliou Niang completing a three-point play and Andrea Pecchia netting a bucket that trimmed the deficit to 23-22 heading into the second quarter.
An Alocen triple and baskets from Homesley and Pierre Pelos allowed Gran Canaria to grab a 32-27 lead, but a couple of Ford buckets from inside brought Trento within 32-31. The guests took the lead, 34-36, courtesy of two more Ford baskets and a three-pointer from Myles Cale. Andrew Albicy responded with a triple, but Ford took his tally to 16 points by drilling a layup and completing a three-point play to put Trento back ahead 37-41. The game turned into an up-tempo affair in the last 2 minutes of the first half, with Shurna and Toto Forray exchanging triples before Tobey completed a three-point play of his own, as Trento secured a 45-49 cushion at the break.
Gran Canaria hit the ground running in the second half and went on a 5-0 run, thanks to buckets from Joe Thomasson and Brussino, to get back in front, 50-49. A Mawugbe two-pointer was the only basket Trento scored in the first 5 minutes of the third quarter, but Gran Canaria was trailing 50-51, as it didn’t manage to make the most of the visitors’ scoring drought. A Ford triple was followed by baskets from Homesley, George Conditt and Alocen, with the hosts regaining the lead, 60-56, heading into the closing quarter.
Ford opened the fourth quarter with a layup before Bayehe and Pelos exchanged triples, 63-61. Alocen responded to a Ford midrange jumper with a layup, but a Bayehe slam and a Cale bucket gave Trento a 65-69 cushion. But the hosts reacted, with Tobey completing a three-point play and Shurna making 2 of 2 from the charity stripe to restore a 70-69 lead. Then, Shurna nailed a buzzer-beating triple from the corner and Thomasson drilled one of his own to give Gran Canaria a 78-71 cushion with 2 minutes to go. Trento responded, with Lamb netting one from beyond the arc and Ford scoring two tough baskets from inside to cut the difference to 80-78 with 50 seconds remaining. Yet, Tobey netted his eighth bucket of the night before Thomasson hit 2 free throws to put the game to bed.