CB Gran Canaria suffocated Bahcesehir on defense in Round 3 of the 2024-25 EuroCup season en route to coming away with a key victory.

Gran Canaria turned to its defense to remain perfect

Often viewed as an offensive juggernaut, Dreamland Gran Canaria found another recipe for success on Wednesday night. In [its Round 3 win over the visiting Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/gran-canaria-survives-drama-edges-bahcesehir-66-63/), head coach Jaka Lakovic's team went to another level on defense to keep the visitors at bay.

"This was a great test for us," Gran Canaria guard Caleb Homesley said afterward. "Bahcesehir is a really good team. I thought tonight we really had to rely on our intensity and defense, and that's ultimately what won us the game."

Facing a team that is yet to allow its opponent to score 70 points, Gran Canaria felt how well Bahcesehir plays defense. Gran Canaria overcame 20 turnovers on only 11 assists, and a sub-par 33.3% three-point shooting.

But Gran Canaria showcased the type of defense it is capable of playing, too. Especially close to the rims, where it outrebounded the visitors 41-29 and held the visitors to 41.0% two-point shooting.

And in a physical game and tight game, Gran Canaria used a strong finish, a 12-2 run that turned a 54-61 deficit into a 66-63 win.

"We were a little bit better with our decisions on offensive possessions \[late in the game\], and of course, we had good defensive stops," commented Coach Lakovic.

Gran Canaria has now won its first three games for the second consecutive season, and with its offensive potential and the way it showed it can play defense, this team will be hard to beat this season.

Game News

The Spaniards suffocated Bahcesehir for most of the game

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Bahcesehir College Istanbul (2024-10-09T19:00:00.000Z)

There was no stopping Johnathan Motley in Round 3 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season as he put up a round-high 34 PIR in Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv’s 87-101 win at Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul.

Round 3 MVP: Johnathan Motley, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv

There was no stopping [Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/johnathan-motley/011157/) in Round 3 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season as he put up a round-high 34 PIR in Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv’s 87-101 win at Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul.

Motley was a force on offense for Hapoel, netting 24 points after going 8 for 10 on two-pointers and 8 for 11 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 6 rebounds, all on the defensive end, dished 4 assists and blocked 2 shots. He forced the Besiktas defenders to foul him 12 times, too. His 24 points and 2 blocks are both season highs. This is the third time that Motley has earned MVP of the Round honors.

The second-best PIR in Round 3 belonged to two players: Trefl Sopot’s [Tarik Phillip](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tarik-phillip/009649/) and Umana Reyer Venice’s [Mfiondu Kabengele](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/mfiondu-tshimanga-kabengele/012796/), who both set career highs with a 33 PIR. Phillip also set new career-best marks in scoring (21 points) and rebounds (12), while he tied his season high in assists (6) and added 2 steals as Trefl lost 73-88 to Joventut Badalona. Like Phillip, Kabengele had career highs in scoring (19 points) and rebounds (19), as well as 2 assists and 1 steal in a 66-88 loss to Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse.

Hapoel guard [Patrick Beverley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/patrick-beverley/001927/) joined teammate Motley in recording a post-30 PIR as he had a personal-high 32 PIR in their win against Besiktas. He amassed a season-high 16 points, a career-best 11 rebounds, along with 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Rounding out the list of top performers in Round 3 are ratiopharm Ulm’s [Justinian Jessup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/justinian-jessup/013290/) and Turk Telekom Ankara’s [Kyle Alexander](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kyle-alexander/011973/), with both players recording a 30 PIR. Jessup, playing in just his third EuroCup game, set a new personal best in scoring with 27 points to go with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. Alexander had a season-best 16 points and also recorded 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks.

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica was in control of the game against Dolomiti Energia Trento from the opening stages of the first quarter, but it was a 0-18 run in the third that dealt a decisive blow to the home team and allowed the visitors to clinch a 64-85 victory.

Major third-quarter run clinched first Buducnost victory

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica was in control of the game against Dolomiti Energia Trento from the opening stages of the first quarter, but it was a 0-18 run in the third that dealt a decisive blow to the home team and allowed the visitors to clinch a 64-85 victory.

A 94-76 loss at Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul in Round 1 was followed by a narrow 86-89 overtime defeat at home to Dreamland Gran Canaria in their last game despite Buducnost looking significantly improved in Round 2.

“After the bad luck \[we had\] in Round 2, we had to react and I think we reacted really well,” head coach Andrej Zakelj told EuroLeague TV after the game against Trento. “When we are focused and relaxed, we can play great defense and then if defense is good, offense is good too.”

All the points in Buducnost's 0-18 third-quarter run

After taking a 35-42 lead into the second half, Buducnost’s defensive display in the third quarter was exemplary. The visitors kept Trento to just 9 points and went on a 0-18 surge that allowed them to secure a 44-65 cushion heading into the fourth, where they extended that run to 0-21 with a Fletcher Magee triple. As many as six players netted at least 2 points each during that run, with Yogi Ferrell standing out.

The Buducnost guard netted a game-high 21 points, having gone 6-for-8 from inside the arc and 3-for-4 from deep in just over 26 minutes on the floor. In his post-game interview, Ferrell admitted that their 0-2 record provided them with the incentive to push for a road win in Italy.

Game Videos

“It was a great game from the entire team,” Ferrell told EuroLeague TV. “We knew we needed to get our first win in the EuroCup. We were extra-motivated tonight. We came into this arena, playing against a great team. We did a great job of staying together, listening to the coach’s game plan and we came out with the win.”

After recording its first victory in EuroCup this term, Buducnost will look to build on its momentum by stunning Bahcesehir College Istanbul on the road next week. The task will be anything but easy, but the third quarter against Trento could serve as a springboard for greater things this season.

Eighteen unanswered points gave Buducnost control for good 

Major third-quarter run clinched first Buducnost's victory

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2024-10-09T18:00:00.000Z)

Gran Canaria survives drama, edges Bahcesehir 66-63

In a defensive battle of two previously undefeated teams, Dreamland Gran Canaria edged Bahcesehir College Istanbul 66-63 on Wednesday night. Gran Canaria improved to 3-0, while Bahcesehir dropped to 2-1 in Group A. The hosts trailed 54-61 in the fourth quarter, but finished the game on a 12-2 run to pull out a big win to remain perfect on the new EuroCup season. 

Nicolas Brussino netted 17 points for Gran Canaria, Caleb Homesley had 13 and Pierre Pelos 11 points in a victory, while Mike Tobey pulled down 11 rebounds. Marko Simonovic led Bahcesehir with 14 points and Jaleen Smith scored 13 in defeat.

Bahcesehir got off to a good start and opened an early 0-5 lead thanks to a layup by Axel Bouteille and a three-pointer by Marko Simonovic. Gran Canaria soon responded, however, and went 14-8 ahead following a 11-0 run, with Nicolas Brussino, Andrew Albicy, John Shurna and Caleb Homesley combining to put the hosts in control. After almost four and a half minutes without a basket, Simonovic got the scoreboard ticking for Bahcesehir again, 14-10. Gran Canaria led 16-10 at the end of the first quarter.

There were no baskets in the first 3 minutes of the second quarter. It meant that the visitors were held to a single basket over more than 10 minutes bridging two quarters before back-to-back triples from Jaleen Smith and Sehmus Hazer tied things up at 16-16. A layup apiece by, again, Smith and Hazer put Bahcesehir up 18-20. But Gran Canaria needed just a handful of possessions to take control back, with Albicy and Brussino hitting back-to-back triples in a 10-0 run that opened 28-20 margin. Bouteille scored 5 points, including a three-pointer, to give Bahcesehir an offensive spark, before Gran Canaria took a 32-27 lead into halftime.

Brussino opened the second half with a three-pointer while drawing a foul, which opened a 9-point margin. C.J. Massinburg, Bouteille and Smith cut into the deficit before Homesley's three-pointer made it 41-35. But Bahcesehir scored the next 9 points, including a three from Simonovic and another from Smith that made it 41-44. Joe Thomasson answered right back with a three and the teams traded baskets as Bahcesehir held 48-49 after 30 minutes.

A three from Pierre Pelos tied things at 51-51 early in the fourth, but Simonovic and Smith, later with a corner triple, opened a 51-56 visitors' lead. Brussino hit another triple for the hosts, but Mateusz Ponitka's step-back three-pointer opened a 54-61 margin. Gran Canaria responded, first defensively, then with Pelos, Tobey and Homseley all scoring layups on consecutive possessions, 60-61. Two more layups, one from Tobey and another from Pellos gave the hosts a 64-63 edge with 64 seconds left. Gran Canaria followed it up with a defensive stand and then fought for an offensive rebound before Homesley iced the game from the foul line.

A late 12-2 run capped the home team's comeback

Led by Austin Wiley, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem took advantage of a massive difference in rebounding to overpower Veolia Towers Hamburg 89-74 for a second straight victory in the BKT EuroCup. 

Jerusalem uses club record in offensive rebounds to beat Hamburg 

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem took advantage of a massive difference in rebounding - especially offensive boards - to grab a second straight victory in the BKT EuroCup. And one of the leaders in that segment of the game - once again - was league debutant Austin Wiley. 

Wiley struggled shooting the ball in scoring 12 points on 4 of 12 shots and 2 of 4 free throws but he snatched 17 rebounds, including 8 from the offensive glass in Jerusalem’s 89-74 win over Veolia Towers Hamburg. 

The Israeli side grabbed 50 rebounds to just 30 for Hamburg - including 25 offensive rebounds. That set a new club record, topping the previous best of 21 in the 2013-14 season. And Jerusalem turned those extra possessions into a 27-7 advantage in second-chance points. 

The mark of 25 also ties for sixth place for most offensive rebounds in a EuroCup game with the record 27 being held by Valencia Basket from 2016-17.

The 25-year-old Wiley has been a force in his first season in the EuroCup as he collected 8 points and 11 rebounds in the opening game against Valencia - 4 of those from the offensive glass. Wiley, who is in his fifth season in Europe, was limited to 2 points and 1 rebound in Jerusalem’s second game against Lietkabelis. 

The 34-year-old veteran Chris Johnson was Wiley’s partner in crime crashing the glass with 6 rebounds - 5 of those being of the offensive kind. Justin Smith added 4 offensive rebounds and it was truly a team effort as six players grabbed at least 1 offensive rebound. 

The effort was also needed as Jerusalem shot just 39.6% on two-pointers after the team had connected on 49.2% of its close-range shots in the first two games. Because of that, Jerusalem had totaled 14 offensive rebounds in the first two rounds of games. 

Jerusalem head coach Yonatan Alon now knows that his team can really go at it on the offensive glass if it needs the extra possessions. 

Its 25 offensive boards tied for the sixth-most ever in a EuroCup game

Jerusalem used club record in offensive rebounds to beat Hamburg 

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2024-10-09T17:00:00.000Z)

 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica celebrated its first victory of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup campaign by thrashing Dolomiti Energia Trento 64-85 at Il T Quotidiano Arena on Wednesday. 

Buducnost cruises past Trento, 64-85, for first win

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica celebrated its first victory of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup campaign by thrashing Dolomiti Energia Trento 64-85 at Il T Quotidiano Arena on Wednesday. The visitors dictated the tempo from the off and they practically put the game to bed thanks to a 0-21 run spanning the last two quarters. The two teams currently boast the same record, as Buducnost improved to 1-2.

Yogi Ferrell led all scorers with 21 points, with Nikola Tanaskovic and McKinley Wright adding 13 and 10, respectively. For the visitors, Myles Cale recorded a team-high 13 points, Anthony Lamb had 12 and Selom Mawugbe added 11.

Buducnost started strong with Tanaskovic hitting in transition before buckets from Andrija Slavkovic, Rasheed Sulaimon, Ferrell and Udoka Azubuike gave the visitors a 2-11 lead. Trento bounced back, as 4 unanswered points from Lamb were followed by a Quinn Ellis jumper to bring the hosts within 8-13. Then, Andrea Pecchia responded to a Sulaimon open triple with 5 points of his own before a long Lamb three-pointer allowed Trento to cut the difference to 16-18 heading into the second quarter.

Lamb made 2 from the charity stripe and Mawugbe completed a three-point play to give Trento its first lead, 21-20. Yet, Fletcher Magee nailed a tough triple and Buducnost responded with a 0-7 run. A Mawugbe slam was followed by a Cale bucket from inside and Trento trimmed the deficit to 4, but Ferrell triples in quick succession extended Buducnost’s lead to 31-41. Trento was quick to respond, with Cale and Jordan Bayehe netting a bucket each to make it 35-42 at halftime.

The opening stages of the second half turned into an on-court battle between Ferrell and Ford, with the former netting 5 points and the latter responding with two baskets inside, 39-47. Buducnost looked dominant in the paint, with Kenan Kamenjas nailing a bucket before 5 points from Tanaskovic boosted their lead to 44-54 midway through the third quarter. Then, Ferrell sank a midrange jumper and Alen Omic scored inside, with Magee drilling a triple to extend Buducnost’s run to 0-18 and the visitors took a 44-65 lead into the closing quarter.

Magee nailed a triple to open the fourth before Toto Forray netted a floater to finally put an end to Buducnost’s surge, 46-69. In fact, the Trento captain scored his team’s first 6 points in the last quarter before Ford squeezed one from beyond the arc to cut the difference to 53-70. Yet, following a timeout by head coach Andrej Zakelj, the visiting side tightened up its defense and found some easy baskets through team play on the other end to seal the victory.

21 unanswered points in the second half gave the visitors control for good 

Joventut Badalona grabbed its first road win of the 2024-25 EuroCup season by beating Trefl Sopot 73-78 in Round 3.

Joventut subdues Trefl, 73-78, clinching first road win 

Joventut Badalona improved its BKT EuroCup Group A record to 2-1 after a scrappy 78-73 win at Trefl Sopot in Round 3, with Kassius Robertson leading the way for the Spanish side as he racked up 20 points and 6 assists.

Devon Dotson added 18 points and 6 boards for Joventut, Kaiser Gates chipped in with 14 points and Adam Hanga scored 12 to underline a fine team effort. At the other end, Tarik Phillip paced Trefl with a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds and Andy Van Vliet added 15 points, but Trefl’s duo lacked support from their teammates.

Trefl, which dropped to 0-3, raced into an 11-4 advantage early on and led 18-13 in the closing stages of the first quarter, before Robertson sank a treble of three-pointers in a row to turn the tide. A tight battle followed, with the lead changing hands several times before Dotson gave the visitors a 37-40 halftime lead with a buzzer-beating triple off the glass from the halfway line.

Phillip, who scored 10 points in the opening half, kept firing on all cylinders at both ends in the third quarter while Robertson’s firepower dried up, allowing Trefl to conjure a 12-0 run and take its biggest lead of the game, 51-43.

It seemed the Polish side was on its way to grinding out a first regular season win but Dotson had other ideas, draining a long triple to complete a 4-15 run and once again turn the match on its head. Trefl then launched one last onslaught to lead 71-70 in the home straight but the hosts then ran out of steam, allowing Joventut to force the final twist.

Cool free-throw shooting in the final minute saw the visitors have the last laugh in a physical rollercoaster, and the outcome delighted Robertson, who was held to 5 points in the second half.

“My teammates picked me up in the second half and we did what we had to do,” he said in a courtside interview. “We got our first road win and it’s a big one for us. Our offensive rebounds late in the game were huge and we got some second chance point off them. Those are game breakers."

Joventut head coach Dani Miret was equally pleased. “It’s a great victory for us,” he said. “We have a lot of talented players but we are a new team and this kind of game will really help us improve. Our big guys struggled a little bit today, but in the end we hit some open shots. I am really happy the way we worked together.”

The Spanish side prevailed in a tense finish thanks to cool free-throw shooting 

Trefl Sopot v Joventut Badalona (2024-10-09T17:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Jerusalem improved to a 2-1 record in this year's EuroCup after beating the Hamburg Towers, who remain winless, 89-74 in Round 3.

Jerusalem pulls away in fourth against pesky Hamburg, 89-74

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem picked up its second straight victory in Group B as it defeated Veolia Towers Hamburg 89-74 in Samokov, Bulgaria, on Wednesday night. The game was closer than the final result indicated as Hamburg fought tough until the Israeli side put the game away with a 19-5 fourth quarter run for a 2-1 record. Hamburg, meanwhile, is still looking for its first win at 0-3.

Jared Harper led the way with 19 points and 6 assists, Yovel Zoosman scored 14 points, Austin Wiley picked up 12 points and 17 rebounds, and Speedy Smith added 10 points and 5 assists. Jerusalem grabbed 25 offensive rebounds to set a new club record. Hamburg’s Jaizec Lottie tallied 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in the defeat. The visitors gave up just 89 points after its opponents had averaged 102.5 points in the first two games.

Jerusalem started the game with the first 8 points, including two three-pointers with Hamburg needing two minutes before it could score – hitting a triple of its own. Five points from Kenneth Ogbe pulled Hamburg to within 10-8. The home side pulled ahead 16-10 and was leading 21-18 after 10 minutes.

The hosts were missing shots but getting offensive rebounds, and they scored the first 8 points of the second quarter to lead 29-18. Hamburg did not make it to the scoreboard for more than three minutes. Jordan Barnett hit two three-pointers and Camron Reece had two baskets as Hamburg trimmed the margin to 39-36. Jerusalem weathered the storm and led 46-37 at the break.

Hamburg once again struggled out of the gates to start the quarter and Jerusalem increased the lead to 13 points, 50-37, with the first four points of the second half. Hamburg didn’t score until more than three minutes had been played, as it got three-pointers from Brae Ivey and Lottie to trim it to 50-43. Lottie added another triple and the deficit was just 58-54, with Jerusalem’s lead being 59-54 after 30 minutes.

Early in the final frame, Barnett buried a triple for Hamburg and the hosts were within 61-57. Jerusalem responded and put the game to bed with a 19-5 run thanks to Yovel Zoosman hitting two three-pointers and converting a three-point play to make it 80-62 with under five minutes to play. Hamburg could not get closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

The Israeli side were dominant on the glass, grabbing 25 offensive boards

Valencia Basket set a new EuroCup record by hitting 20 three-pointers in its win at U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Round 3 of the 2024-25 EuroCup season.

Valencia tied all-time EuroCup record for made three-pointers in Round 3 triumph

Valencia Basket remained undefeated in Group B by [downing U-BT Cluj-Napoca 96-105 in Round 3](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/valencia-stays-perfect-after-storming-comeback-win-at-cluj-96-105/), tying an all-time BKT EuroCup record in the process.

The Spanish side buried 20 three-pointers on the night, becoming the third time to do so in competition history. UNICS Kazan was the first team to reach that mark, burying 20 three-pointers in a 101-76 home win against Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul on November 24, 2009. Most recently, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne also made three-pointers in a triple-overtime instant classic against Dreamland Gran Canaria, grabbing a 128-129 victory on December 27, 2017.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">𝙍𝙀𝘾𝙊𝙍𝘿 🧡 Los 20 triples anotados hoy son récord, no sólo de nuestra historia <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroCup</a>, sino de los 5️⃣1️⃣1️⃣ partidos europeos de la historia del Valencia Basket 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/Xabi6lopez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Xabi6lopez</a> 🔥🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/brancoupapi99?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@brancoupapi99</a> 🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/jeanmontero03?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jeanmontero03</a> 🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/semi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@semi</a> 🔥🔥 Puerto 🔥🔥… <a href="https://t.co/hscjSuu7Ws">pic.twitter.com/hscjSuu7Ws</a>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1844082729555468422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Xabi Lopez-Arostegui](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/xabi-lopez-arostegui/005356/) buried 6-of-8 shots from downtown, including one at the buzzer, which allowed Valencia to set a new club – and EuroCup – record. Its best mark until tonight were the 19 three-pointers it hit in a 98-52 victory against Paris Levallois on November 19, 2013. Those 6 three-pointers made are also a career high for Lopez-Arostegui, who also had a personal-best PIR of 29.

"I think we were more focused and played with more pride in the second half to push from our offense and kept running," Lopez-Arostegui said. "In the end, we got the win because we played harder, like they did in the beginning, and scored the last shots." 

In addition to the 6 triples converted by Lopez-Arostegui, [Brancou Badio](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/brancou-badio/007527/) struck 4 times from beyond the arc, [Jean Montero](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/jean-montero/010042/) and [Semi Ojeleye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/semi-ojeleye/011982/) each hit 3 three-pointers, and [Josep Puerto](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/josep-puerto/006643/) and [Matt Costello](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/matthew-costello/010444/) sank 2 apiece.

Valencia buried 20 three-pointers, becoming the third time to do so in competition history.

Valencia hits 20 threes, ties EuroCup record

Cluj led 42-25 midway through the fourth quarter and kept a 52-44 margin at halftime, outrebounding Valencia 23-11 until then. Valencia hit 12 second-half three-pointers, going 8 of 10 from downtown in the fourth quarter to complete a comeback victory.

"I think they played much better than us for a lot of minutes, with more energy and a better defense but we had good personality, shooting three-pointers with Matt Costello, with Xavi \[Lopez-Arostegui\]," Valencia head coach Pedro Martinez said afterward. "A lot of players believed that we could win and we have to be happy for this, but we have to think about what happened in the moments when we played with less energy than the other team."

Valencia outrebounded Cluj 13-18 in the second half and had 13 second-half assists compared to Cluj's 7. Its 105 points also tied for its third-best scoring mark in EuroCup history. Valencia had scored 108 points twice: against Ostend on November 12, 2002 (80-108) and against EWE Baskets Oldenburg on January 13, 2016 (89-108). Remember, Valencia scored 105 points against Veolia Hamburg Towers in Round 2 last week, too.

"If you look at a simple stats sheet, you will see that they scored 20 threes with 50% \[shooting\], something unbelievable," Cluj head coach Mihai Silvasan commented after the game. "They came into this game with very bad percentages, but we know they have valuable players that can score. This is something unbelievable for any team at any level, and I think that made the difference in the second half."

Pedro Martinez's squad lit it up from deep to complete their comeback at Cluj

Valencia tied EuroCup record for three-pointers in Round 3 triumph

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v Valencia Basket (2024-10-09T16:00:00.000Z)