Risacher had another standout performance for the French side.
Bourg remains in first place, downs Aris 68-76
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 16 of 18
Group B
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Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse never trailed and moved another step closer towards locking up first place in Group B thanks to a 68-76 road win over Aris Midea Thessaloniki on Wednesday night. Bourg improved to a 13-3 record in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season, maintaining a one-win lead atop of the Group B standings, while Aris dropped to 7-9 and shares the fifth-best record in the group.
Bourg led by as many as 13 points in the first half and held a 51-61 lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but Aris made a run and got within 60-63. However, that's as close as the hosts got as Jeremy Morgan and Zaccharie Risacher made key shots to help Bourg pull away again, and record a valuable win. Risacher was the visitors' only double-digit scorer as the 18-year-old dropped 20 points, while Bodian Massa collected 9 points and 8 rebounds. For Aris, Roberto Gallinat had 20 points and Vassilis Toliopoulos scored 17 in defeat.
Game Videos
Bourg had the better start, using its defense to set the tone, while Risacher scored 8 straight points, including a three-point play followed by a transition three-pointer, to help open a 4-12 lead after 5 minutes of play. Toliopoulos and Kris Bankston gave the hosts' offense some life, but Aris committed 3 turnovers in the final 2 minutes of the quarter, resulting in a 0-7 run that included a three-pointer from E.J. Rowland, helping Bourg to a 10-22 lead after 10 minutes.
Jonathan Stark opened the second quarter with a four-point play, but shots from Axel Julien and Rowland extended it to 13 points, 14-27. However, Toliopoulos had a magic over-the-backboard shot, before him and Ronnie Harrell each nailed a three-pointer to close the gap to 24-30. Bourg scored the next 6 points to restore a double-digit margin, but Aris was able to end its drought. Gallinat's triple sparked an 8-0 run, cutting the deficit to 32-36 in the penultimate minute of the first half, before Bourg went into halftime with a 34-39 lead.
Gallinat erased the deficit with 5 points in the first 70 seconds of the third quarter. But over the next 3 minutes, Aris was held scoreless while Isiaha Mike scored his first 5 points of the night, including a triple, to open a 39-46 lead. Roberts Blumbergs and Risacher traded triples before Toliopoulos and Julien exchanged three-pointers, keeping the margin intact, as Bourg took 51-59 into the fourth quarter.
Massa scored twice inside for the visitors, but Ismael Sanogo also had a pair from close range and Toliopoulos struck his third from long range to cut the deficit, 60-63. However, Jeremy Morgan nailed a tough triple, followed by a transition three from Risacher to restore a 9-point lead with under 5 minutes left. Gallinat kept Aris alive with a three-point play and a three-pointer to get Aris within 66-71 entering the final 2 minutes. That's when Jequan Lewis made a runner, his first and only basket of the night, and Bourg's defense forced turnovers on back-to-back possession, then Morgan's corner triple opened 66-76 in the final minute to ice the game.
