The 114 points scored by Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana  set a club scoring record, surpassing its tally from last season’s 108- 78 home victory over ratiopharm Ulm. 

Cedevita's dominance inside led to first win of the season

The 114 points scored by the Slovenian side set a club scoring record, surpassing its tally from last season’s 108- 78 home victory over ratiopharm Ulm.

The key to Cedevita’s win was its dominance inside, as Hamburg struggled to protect the paint with its defense looking vulnerable from the start. In the first half, Cedevita converted 17 of its 28 attempts from inside and finished the game with an extraordinary 35-for-49 shooting (71.4%) on two-pointers. Eleven of the 12 players who featured for the guests scored at least one bucket each, with Jaka Blazic going 9-for-11 (81.8%) to lead all scorers with 24 points. In fact, Cedevita bettered all its season averages in free-throws (74.5%), two-pointers (53.6%) and triples (34.0%) by going 26-for-29 (89.7%) from the line, 35-for-49 (71.4%) from inside the arc and 6-for-16 (37.5%) from deep.

Game Videos

Despite having already been eliminated, the Slovenian club received a huge boost in confidence from Wednesday’s victory, as head coach Zoran Martic stressed after the game.

“It was like getting the monkey off our backs because it was really tough for us mentally,” Martic said. “We lost so many tight games. Today we played as a team for pretty much 40 minutes.”

Cedevita had come close to victory on several occasions this season, but they didn’t manage to finish games off and came into Wednesday’s duel holding a 0-15 record.

Game News

“Maybe it sounds strange, but it was a really important win for us because of all the frustration we’ve had to go through this season,” Martic said in the post-game press conference. “It was a really huge burden for my players \[not to have won a game\], but today they showed desire to win and had a lot of energy.”

This win may serve as a springboard for Cedevita to end the campaign on a positive note. However, this will be anything but an easy task, as it hosts a strong London Lions side next week, before travelling to France, where it will take on Group A leaders Paris Basketball. Yet, should the Slovenian side manage to post similar figures inside in the last two games, they could definitely pull off an upset or two.

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana secured its first win of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season in style by thrashing Veolia Towers Hamburg 83-114 on the road.

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2024-01-24T18:30:00.000Z)

BC Wolves beat Reyer Venezia 57-75 in Round 16 of the 2023-24 EuroCup season.

BC Wolves beat Reyer Venezia 57-75, both teams eliminated from playoff contention 

Wolves Vilnius continued their good recent form by knocking off Umana Reyer Venice with a 57-75 road victory, but the win was not enough to stay alive in the race for the BKT EuroCup Playoffs. Wolves started the fourth quarter with a 1-18 run to give themselves a second win in the last three games for a 6-10 record. Wolves did not win by the 30 points it needed and Prometey Slobozhanske also beat Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, meaning the Lithuanian side was eliminated. Due to the loss to Wolves and Prometey’s win, Reyer has also been eliminated with a 6-10 record.

Tre’Shawn Thurman led the way with 14 points, Christian Mekowulu had 12 points and Garrison Brooks added 11 points. Reyer, which scored just 7 points in the fourth quarter, could not use a 19-point night from Max Heidegger, while Amedeo Tessitori chipped in 13 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. 

Reyer had a three-point make from Heidegger to go ahead 8-3. Tessitori scored in the paint and the home side was up 12-6. Wolves held Reyer to just 1 free throw for nearly 4 minutes to make it 13-11. And the game was even 15-15 after 10 minutes. 

Neither team scored in the first 2 minutes of the second quarter, but Kristupas Zemaitis gave Wolves the lead, 15-17. Triples from Davide Casarin and Aamir Simms put the hosts back ahead, 23-19. Jeffery Taylor and Mekowulu answered at the other end to combine for 9 points as Wolves went ahead, 25-28. The guests led 31-32 at the intermission.

Wolves held Reyer scoreless for the first 3 minutes of the second half and Mekowulu hit a three-pointer for a 31-37 lead. Reyer finally started scoring and went on a 12-2 surge thanks to 2 Heidegger triples and 4 points from Tessitori for a 43-39 cushion. Wolves would not let Reyer pull away and the hosts were up 50-47 going into the final 10 minutes. 

Wolves tallied the first 8 points of the final frame, with Vitalijus Kozys scoring 6 points, for a 50-55 cushion. Reyer needed more than 2 minutes to score, which came thanks to a Tessitori free throw. But Thurman and Eigirdas Zukauskas both nailed three-pointers and Wolves’ advantage grew to 51-61 with 6 minutes to go. Casarin was ejected with 5 minutes left in the game for a foul on Thurman, who made 2 free throws and Zukauskas’s 2 foul shots made it a 1-18 surge and a 51-65 lead. Reyer did not get closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

Jeffery Taylor of Wolves Vilnius has possession against Umana Reyer Venice in Round 16 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The visitors dominated the fourth quarter to come away with the win.

Wolves beat Reyer 57-75, both teams eliminated from playoff contention 

Umana Reyer Venice v Wolves Vilnius (2024-01-24T19:00:00.000Z)

Dreamland Gran Canaria shrugged off a poor run of form by comfortably overcoming Slask Wroclaw, 68-92, on Wednesday night, and it was a very impressive all-round team display from the reigning champion. 

Team effort led Gran Canaria to convincing win 

When Jovan Kljajic opened the second half scoring with a three-point strike, it meant that all 12 Gran Canaria players had already got themselves on the scoreboard. And nobody was greedy about it: no Granca player reached double digits until AJ Slaughter netted consecutive close-range scores midway through the third quarter, by which time the lead was already 43-62. 

And that kind of collective approach was reflected in many of the night’s stats. By the end of the game, 11 different Gran Canaria players had scored at least 2 field goals – only Andrew Albicy, who led the team with 5 assists, was held to just one field goal. In total, 10 players dished assists, totaling 29 across the team, 11 grabbed at least 1 rebound, and seven different players claimed steals.

Coach Jaka Lakovic was able to take advantage of the remarkable effectiveness throughout his roster by spreading the playing time extremely evenly across his players, with nobody spending more time on the court than 23:41 (Sylven Landesberg) or less than 12:49 (John Shurna).

That all added up to allow Gran Canaria to put 92 points on the board even though no individual player scored more than 12 (Ben Lammers), sending a strong message to the rest of the BKT EuroCup that this roster runs deeper than perhaps any other.

Lakavic was still not satisfied, though, knowing that his team has a lot more work lying ahead to achieve its aim of defending the crown. “We played a solid game but we made some mistakes that we have to analyze,” he said. "We have to get better and play with more intensity.”

But if his players maintain the same team-first ethic they showed on Wednesday night, the future looks bright.

Slask Wroclaw v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2024-01-24T19:00:00.000Z)

Dreamland Gran Canaria strengthened its push for a top two finish by totally dominating Slask Wroclaw, 68-92, on the road. The reigning champion improved to 12-4, while eliminated Slask is now 2-14 at the foot of Group B. 

Gran Canaria cruises to victory at Slask, 68-92 

Dreamland Gran Canaria strengthened its push for a top two finish by totally dominating Slask Wroclaw, 68-92, on the road. The reigning champion improved to 12-4, while eliminated Slask is now 2-14 at the foot of Group B.

The first quarter was closely contested but Gran Canaria pulled away to lead 33-50 at the interval and it was never close again. Miquel Salvo was an all-around inspiration with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while Ben Lammers top scored with 12, and Ferran Bassas and AJ Slaughter both netted 11. Dusan Miletic led Slask’s resistance with 15 points, while Daniel Golebiowski added 13.

Miletic scored on the opening possession, before consecutive triples from Andrew Albicy and John Shurna sent Gran Canaria ahead, 5-10. A deep three from Jakub Niziol briefly pulled Slask level, but Lammers netted a pair of long twos for a 13-16 lead. Golebiowski’s three-pointer kept the hosts close, but Sylven Landesberg and Ferran Bassas answered from deep for a 21-26 lead after 10 minutes.

Pierre Pelos hit a triple to protect the lead early in the second, and Slaughter soon added another three for a 25-34 advantage. Miletic’s dunk was met by consecutive scores from Roko Prkacin, giving Gran Canaria its first double-digit lead at 27-38. Salvo both produced a pair of nice inside finishes, and Amar Gegic scored on the halftime buzzer to make it 33-50 at the break.

Jovan Kljajic opened the second half from deep, and Slaughter’s fastbreak layup made it 33-55. Golebiowski hit a pair of triples to narrow the gap, 43-58, but Slaughter scored twice inside to resettle Gran Canaria. Aleksander Wisniewski boosted Slask with a three-point play, but a couple of scores from Lammers and a Bassas triple fixed the score at 48-75 at the end of the third.

Niziol’s three-pointer gave Slask a good start to the fourth quarter, and baskets were evenly traded for the next few minutes. Bassas scored from long and close-range as Gran Canaria continued to cruise, and Pelos struck from deep for a 59-89 lead. Wisniewski scored twice in the last couple of minutes, but that was little consolation for well-beaten Slask.

The winners improved to 6-2 on the road this season.

JL Bourg-en-Bresse came away with a 68-76 win at Aris BC in Round 16, with the French side showing why it is the Group B leader.

'Very good' JL Bourg-en-Bresse impressed in Thessaloniki

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse still has first place in Group B in its own hands [following a 68-76 road win over Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/jl-bourg-en-bresse-remains-in-first-place-downs-aris-bc-68-76/) on Wednesday night, a game in which the French side never trailed.

After the final buzzer, Aris head coach Ioannis Kastritis praised Bourg, calling the visitors a "very, very good team."

"They run a lot, they shoot with confidence, they crash the boards and go for every offensive rebound," Kastritis added.

### The stats went the way of Bourg

All of that was on display in this contest, as Bourg shot 10-of-23 from long range, with six different players sinking at least 1 three-pointer.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">VICTOIRE ✅<a href="https://twitter.com/ARISBCgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ARISBCgr</a> - 68 🆚 76 - JL Bourg<br><br>Solide victoire de nos bressans à l&#39;extérieur ⚔️ <br><br>Place maintenant au repos avant de reprendre le chemin du travail pour préparer le prochain match à Ankara !<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeRedy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeRedy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/6sdrOkroDq">pic.twitter.com/6sdrOkroDq</a></p>&mdash; JL Bourg Basket (@JLBourgBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLBourgBasket/status/1750246247011598400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Bourg also pulled down 13 more rebounds than Aris, with the hosts grabbing 27 compared to 40 for Bourg. That tally for Bourg included 15 offensive rebounds, 9 of which came in the second half.

That all helped Bourg never fall behind in this game. The visitors built a 13-point margin, 14-27, in the second quarter and even though Aris erased that deficit, the hosts never held a lead in this contest.

### Another great performance by Risacher

The star of the night was the 18-year-old Zaccharie Risacher, who dropped 20 points, 2 shy of his career high. He made 4-of-6 two-pointers and 3-of-4 threes. He was also Bourg's only scorer in double figures on a night when the team's defense held its opponent below 70 points for the first time since Round 11.

"Defensively, we played very good," Bourg head coach Frederic Fauthoux noted. "In this arena, in this atmosphere, it is fantastic."

Zaccharie Risacher dropped 20 points, 2 shy of his career high. He made 4 of 6 two-pointers and 3 of 4 threes. He was also Bourg's only scorer in double figures.

Zaccharie Risacher shined with 20 points vs. Aris

Last season, Bourg lost six of its last seven regular-season games before being ousted in the eighthfinals by Promithes Patras.

Now, after this win, Bourg is 13-3 and sits alone in first place in Group B.

"We are first, and we want to stay first. We have two games left," Coach Fauthoux stated.

With just one win, Bourg will secure home-court advantage in the quarterfinals, and winning out will give Bourg a home-court advantage in any series all the way to EuroCup Finals.

Next week, Bourg travels to the Turkish capital to face the red-hot playoff-chasing Turk Telekom Ankara, before closing out the regular season on its home floor against playoff-bound ratiopharm Ulm.

More Bourg News

Ronnie Harell of Aris Midea Thessaloniki is surrounded by three Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse players in Round 16 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Bourg held the hosts below 70 points, hit 10 three-pointers on 43.5% shooting, and outrebounded Aris by 13.

'Very good' Bourg impressed in Thessaloniki

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2024-01-24T18:00:00.000Z)

Late defensive effort lifted Prometey over Hapoel

It’s not often a team can allow more than 100 points and then say with a straight face that it was its defense that made the difference. However, it you watched Prometey Slobozhanske pull out a 105-113 victory over Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv on Wednesday, you understand.

It starts with recognizing the offensive capabilities of the two teams: “We played against one of the best, if not the best, offensive team in this competition,” Prometey head coach Ronen Ginzburg said of Hapoel, which is second in the EuroCup in scoring this season with 96.5 points per game. Prometey is tied for fourth (88.3 ppg.).

“In the end, I think what won us the game is, we didn’t play good defense in the first half, and in the second half, especially in the end, in the last quarter, we changed to some solutions that helped us to stop their guards,” Ginzburg concluded in the post-game press conference.

That defense held both Xavier Munford and Will Cummings, who combined for 31 points in the first three quarters, scoreless in the fourth.

Hapoel scored 30 points in both the second and third quarters, but just 23 in the fourth. Prometey, which came into the fourth quarter down by 1, scored 7 points off of 4 Hapoel turnovers in the final stanza.

“We buckled down, turned the pressure up and got a lot more physical with them,” assessed Prometey guard Ronald March, who led all players in scoring with 27 points. “And then on offense, executed a little bit more, got the ball inside and just played together.”

In the other locker room, Coach Danny Franco expressed disappointment as Hapoel dropped its third consecutive game: “I don’t want to hang it on any kind of excuses or explanations. We need to look deep into ourselves right now. We failed as individuals first of all tonight with basic stuff.

“We weren’t good enough. Give the credit to Prometey. They played right. Unfortunately, we didn’t give them good enough competition tonight.”

The Ukrainian champs came from behind in the fourth quarter thanks to some defensive changes. 

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Prometey Slobozhanske (2024-01-24T17:30:00.000Z)

KK Cedevita Olimpija defeated the Hamburg Towers 83-114 in Round 16 of the 2023-24 EuroCup season.

KK Cedevita Olimpija blows away Hamburg Towers, 83-114, on the road

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana grabbed its first victory of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season by thrashing Veolia Towers Hamburg 83-114 on Wednesday night. The guests were superior from start to finish and managed to prevent the German side from securing its first home win of the campaign. Cedevita now has a 1-15 record, while Hamburg dropped to 2-14.

Jaka Blazic led all scorers with 24 points, Justin Cobbs had 16 and DJ Stewart added 15, with Zoran Dragic and Karlo Matkovic scoring 12 each. For Hamburg, Aleksander Dziewa netted a team-high 21 points, VJ King recorded 19 and William Christmas had 15.

A Matkovic triple was followed by baskets from Luka Scuka, Cobbs and Blazic, with Cedevita taking an early 3-9 lead. Blazic responded to a Christmas bucket from inside with a three-point play to make it 5-12. Then, Matkovic made a three-point play of his own, but 5 points from Christmas brought Hamburg within 10-15. Stewart, Matkovic and Blazic scored a basket each to extend Cedevita’s lead to double digits, 12-23. Dziewa drilled one from deep before Christmas and Gobbs exchanged baskets. Then, Dziewa took his tally to 8 points after scoring a bucket and a free throw as Hamburg managed to trim the deficit to 22-28 heading into the second quarter.

VJ King opened his account with a reverse layup, and Dziewa netted his third bucket from inside the arc to bring Hamburg within 26-28. A Dziewa alley-oop slam and a Christmas basket allowed Hamburg to tie it, 30-30. Nico Brauner and Leif Moeller sank a triple each for a 36-32 Hamburg lead, but Cedevita responded with a 0-14 run for a 10-point cushion. A Hughes triple was followed by another Dziewa basket, with Hamburg cutting the difference to 45-52 at halftime.

Cedevita got off to a strong start in the second half, with Stewart scoring back-to-back baskets before Blazic netted a layup in transition to extend their team’s lead to 45-58. Dziewa brought Cedevita’s run to an end with a bucket inside, but Stewart hit a tough one from downtown to make it 47-61. Hamburg responded with a 5-0 run, but Stewart nailed a mid-range jumper to stop the hosts' momentum, 52-63. A Stewart reserve layup was followed by a King three-point play, with Cedevita maintaining a double-digit lead 60-70. Then, Dragic knocked down a couple of triples to extend his team’s lead to 16 points.

Blazic’s first triple of the night allowed Cedevita to take a 62-83 cushion into the closing quarter, where the guests went on a quick 0-7 run to extend their lead to 28 points. Hamburg fought back in the closing stages, but it was a matter of time before Cedevita reached the 100-point mark, with Gregor Glas hitting a triple to make it 70-102 with 4:43 left on the clock. In the remaining minutes, both head coaches gave some youngsters an opportunity to get valuable EuroCup experience as the two teams saw the game out.

DJ Stewart of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana has possession against Veolia Towers Hamburg in Round 16 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The Slovenian side finally notched its first win of the campaign.

Cedevita blows away Hamburg, 83-114, on the road

JL Bourg-en-Bresse defeated Aris BC 68-76 on the back of a solid night by Zaccharie Risacher, who scored 20 points for the visitors.

JL Bourg-en-Bresse remains in first place, downs Aris BC 68-76

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.

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.

Bryce Brown of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse and Ronnie Harrell of Aris Midea Thessaloniki fight for the ball during the two teams' Round 16 matchup in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Risacher had another standout performance for the French side.

Bourg remains in first place, downs Aris 68-76

Prometey Slobozhanske boosted its playoff hopes with a 105-113 road win over Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv at Belgrade’s Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Wednesday night. 

Prometey closes in on playoff berth with 105-113 win over Hapoel

Prometey Slobozhanske boosted its playoff hopes with a 105-113 road win over Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv at Belgrade’s Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Wednesday night. And then advanced into the next stage when Wolves Vilnius defeated Umana Reyer Venice later in the evening. Prometey scored 32 fourth-quarter points to come from behind and improve its record to 9-7, while sending Hapoel to its third straight loss and an 11-5 mark. 

Ronald March rocked with 27 points to lead the winners and Gian Clavell and Caleb Agada netted 19 points apiece. Ondrej Balvin was a force inside with 16 points on near-perfect shooting and 6 rebounds and Oleksander Lypovvy contributed 11 points. Braian Angola led Hapoel with 24 points and 8 rebounds in defeat. Xavier Munford scored 19, Tomer Ginat 14, Dez Wells 13 and Will Cummings 12.

### Prometey takes control with a pair of runs

Tai Odiase made his present felt at both ends and Lypovvy took a steal in for a layup before March drained a triple to cap a 2-11 Prometey run that gave it a 12-19 lead. Hapoel bounced right back with Ginat scoring 5 points in an 8-0 response to regain the lead. March hit back with back-to-back triples and Isuf Sanon scored twice in a 0-10 Prometey run. A Bar Timor jumper made it 22-29 after 10 minutes.

### Hapoel fight back to stay close

Hapoel roared back to tie it at 33-33 behind Munford’s triple and leaner in the lane. Prometey answered with the next two baskets, which prompted Hapoel head coach Danny Franco to call a timeout. March’s fourth three of the night put Prometey up 7. Hapoel closed the gap again to 2 before Balvin’s dunk ended the half with the visitors up 52-56.

### Angola helps his team jump in front

Angola and Ginat shined in an 8-0 run and then Munford and Angola each connected from deep as Hapoel went up 68-63. The momentum remained with Hapoel as Munford scored on the break to increase the lead to 72-66. March and Balvin kept Prometey close, though Idan Zalmanson’s free throws saw Hapoel continue its momentum. Balvin stepped up with a slam, a block and a free throw to bring his team within 1. After free throws by Munford and another Balvin dunk, the third quarter ended with the scoreboard showing 82-81.

### Agada pushes Prometey ahead for good

Caleb Agada opened the fourth quarter with a triple to put Prometey back in front. He scored twice more to stretch the lead to 86-92. Balvin stepped up with a three-point play and March followed to give Prometey its biggest lead yet, 88-100. Timor and Ginat stopped the bleeding for Hapoel and a Wells triple made it 95-102. Prometey started to milk the clock and every missed Hapoel shot or turnover increased the visitors’ likelihood of winning, which became an inevitability.

The Ukrainian club needed to wait for other results to go its way and when they did was able to celebrate a spot in the postseason. 