Turk Telekom, Buducnost, Bourg and Trento all claimed wins on Tuesday night
Game Center: Jerusalem, Cedevita claim Round 6's lone road wins; Aris, Neptunas, Ulm, Reyer triumph, too
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Wednesday, November 5
U-BT Cluj-Napoca 87-93 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana returned to winning ways by beating U-BT Cluj-Napoca 87-93 at BTarena on Wednesday evening. The hosts started strong and took a 22-15 lead into the second quarter, but Cedevita outscored them 17-29 and secured a 39-44 cushion at halftime. Cluj fought back in the second half, however the visitors soaked up pressure to seal the outcome.
The Slovenian side recorded its first win in three games and improved its record to 4-2, with the hosts dropping to 3-3. DJ Stewart paced Cedevita with 17 points and DJ Stewart scored 15, with Aleksej Nikolic adding 14. Daron Russell led all scorers with 21 points, Iverson Molinar netted 19 and Mitchell Creek had 14.
Neptunas Kleipeda 100-87 BAXI Manresa
Neptunas Klaipeda claimed a convincing 100-87 win over visiting BAXI Manresa at Svyturio Arena on Wednesday evening. The home team built a double-digit lead, 27-17, in the first quarter and grew it to a game-high 69-46 advantage in the third, before navigating peacefully through till the end. The Lithuanians got their third straight win to go 3-3 in Group A after 6 rounds, while Manresa dropped to 3-3 after earning second loss in a row.
James Karnik and Arnas Velicka posted double-doubles of 25 points and 13 boards, and 12 points and 14 assists respectively, to lead Neptunas. Donatas Tarolis scored 20 points and Richard Lomasz followed with 18 for the winners. Manresa was led by Retin Obasohan, who chipped in 18 points in as many minutes. Alex Reyes followed with 12, Agustin provided 10, and Hugo Benitez finished with a double-double of 10 and 10 assists in the losing effort.
Bahcesehir College Istanbul 82-90 Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem
Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem earned a crucial 82-90 win over Bahcesehir College Istanbul at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia, improving to 4-2 in Group A and handing Bahcesehir its first loss of the BKT EuroCup season. Jerusalem controlled the pace for most of the game, leading through three quarters. Bahcesehir mounted a late comeback in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough. Jared Harper’s impact on both ends, combined with strong interior play and defensive execution, secured the win for Hapoel.
Harper led the way with 27 points and 4 assists for a PIR of 37. Justin Smith added 16 points, Austin Wiley posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Yovel Zoosman contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds. For Bahcesehir, Malachi Flynn had 28 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, Hunter Hale scored 12 points, Trevion Williams recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Tyler Cavanaugh added 11 points.
ratiopharm ulm 87-86 London Lions
ratiopharm ulm righted its course in Group B by defeating London Lions 87-86 at home to snap a two-game losing streak in the BKT EuroCup. The German side had lost its last five games in all competitions but Diego Garavaglia decided the game with 2 free throws with 2.7 seconds left to improve to 4-2.
Nelson Weidemann paced six Ulm scorers in double figures with 17 points. The team was playing the first of four home games in the next five EuroCup games. London now has a 2-4 mark as Tarik Philipp’s career-high 23 points were not enough.
Aris Thessaloniki Betsson 85-78 Slask Wroclaw
Aris Thessaloniki Betsson defeated Slask Wroclaw 85-78 at Palais de Sports in Round 6 on Wednesday. Aris recorded its first victory since Round 2 and improved to 3-3 in Group A, while Slask dropped to 2-4 and is now on a three-game losing streak.
Bryce Jones led the winners with 28 points on 17-of-18 free-throw shooting. Arnas Kulboka added 20 and Bryn Forbes scored 12 for Aris. Issuf Sanon paced Slask with 20 points off the bench, Kadre Gray netted 14 and Noah Kirkwood had 10 for the visitors. Aris led 21-6 after 10 minutes and extended its margin to 50-30 at halftime. Slask rallied to get within 81-76 with 27.7 seconds left before Jones sealed the outcome from the foul line.
Umana Reyer Venice 90-55 Veolia Towers Hamburg
Umana Reyer Venice earned a comfortable 90-55 victory over Veolia Towers Hamburg on Wednesday night at Palasport Taliercio. The 35-point win smashes their previous EuroCup record win differential of 26.
Winless Hamburg made a strong start, taking an early 7-2 lead to create a rare sense of optimism. They managed to hold the lead for the majority of the opening quarter, but Reyer clawed their way back into the contest just moments before the first period ended. In the second quarter, Reyer grabbed hold of the contest, opening up a double-digit advantage with just 15 minutes played. From that point onwards, the Venetians refused to surrender control.
The hosts shared the offensive loads tremendously well. Kyle Wiltjer played the starring role, recording 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. More impressively, each Reyer player made a dent in the scoring column, creating extreme challenges for Hamburg. The result means that – despite losing their first two EuroCup games – Reyer moves to 3-3 for the campaign. Humbled Hamburg, on the other hand, falls to 0-6.
Tuesday, November 4
Turk Telekom Ankara 95-67 Panionios Cosmorama Travel Athens
Turk Telekom Ankara secured a 95-67 win over Panionios Cosmorama Travel Athens at Ankara Sports Hall in the Round 6 opener on Tuesday to improve to 4-2 in Group B. After a closely contested first half, Turk Telekom returned from halftime with a much more aggressive defense in the third quarter and extending the lead to 30 points to seal the victory with time to spare.
Michael Devoe led the way for Turk Telekom with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for a PIR of 26. Jaleen Smith added 20 points and 5 rebounds, while Jordan Usher contributed 13 points. For Panionios, Keron DeShields scored 17 points in his debut with the team, Markel Starks added 11 and Giorgos Tsalmpouris chipped in 10 points.
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 82-79 Besiktas GAIN Istanbul
Buducnost earned its first win in three meetings with Besiktas and improved to 4-2 in Group B after coming out on top in a thrilling rollercoaster played in a fervent atmosphere. Rasheed Sulaimon paced the home team on 20 points, Yogi Ferrell chipped in with 13 while Juwan Morgan racked up 12 and 6 boards. Anthony Brown led Besiktas on 15 points and 7 boards, Devon Dotson scored 14 points and Vitto Brown added 13 for the visitors, who dropped to 4-2.
Besiktas made a fast and furious start on offense, sinking its first four shots from downtown to take a 6-14 lead. The Turkish side kept firing on all cylinders to grind out a 21-26 advantage at the end of the first quarter. More good shooting from long range allowed the visitors to surge 29-38 early in the second, with Anthony Brown on fire. Buducnost stepped up a gear and engineered a 9-0 run to draw level and then nosed ahead 47-45 at halftime.
The home team kept up the pressure as it pulled away to 56-47 early in the third quarter and although Besiktas closed in to 60-59, Buducnost found another gear again to lead 70-61 ahead of the final 10 minutes, with Sulaimon, Ferrell and Morgan running the show. Besiktas drew level, 74-74, as Vitto Brown made some big shots midway through the fourth quarter. Anthony Brown then made a three-point play as he sank a tough turnaround jumper, sinking a free throw too after he drew a foul in the process to give the visitors a 77-79 lead. Buducnost forced the final twist, however, as Sulaimon nailed a tough floater followed by a free throws, while Besiktas fell short of forcing overtime when Anthony Brown shot an air ball on the buzzer.
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse 85-82 NINERS Chemnitz
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse fought back from a disappointing first half to defeat NINERS Chemnitz, 85-82, in a thriller on Tuesday night at Ekinox Arena. The undermanned NINERS led 41-36 at the break, but Bourg rallied hard with 8 minutes to go, when it was 13 points behind. Mistakes started to creep in for a tired-looking NINERS team and with just over 3 minutes remaining, the French team tied the game with a three.
Both Gach made tremendous plays down the stretch to make the difference, inspiring a full comeback for the hosts. Despite a gutsy late three from Corey Davis Jr., NINERS – who had just five men available through fouls in the final seconds – just didn’t have enough. When the final buzzer sounded, Bourg had secured the victory to move to the top of the group, with a record of 5-1.
Gach led the way in scoring for Bourg with 18 points, while also pulling down 7 boards. Kevin Kokila carried a heavy load for Frederic Fauthoux’s team with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Darius McGhee, Adam Mokoka and Will McDowell-White also scored in double figures. Davis paced NINERS with 25 points and 5 assists.
Dolomiti Energia Trento 78-74 Lietkabelis Panevezys
Dolomiti Energia Trento registered its first home victory of the BKT EuroCup season by fighting past Lietkabelis Panevezys 78-74 at BTS Arena. Trento saw leads of 14 and 10 points disappear, but still managed to hold on thanks to 20 offensive rebounds. The victory saw Trento's record improve to 3-3.
DeVante Jones led the way with 21 points, DJ Steward had 17 points and Peyton Aldridge added 9 points and 10 rebounds. Lietkabelis dropped its fifth straight game to fall to 1-5 on the season despite Michael Flowers pairing 19 points with 7 assists and Augustine Rubit adding 18 points.