Look back at all the action in the Regular Season Round 3 by checking out the best photos of the week!

EuroCup, The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 3

Plenty of players used Round 3 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season as their personal stage for major performances that by and large guaranteed their teams victories.

Round 3 roll call: Happy returns and promising newcomers

### Landesberg gave Granca scoring punch

Sylven Landesberg is Dreamland Gran Canaria's main addition to a backcourt that already worked really well together, up to the point of lifting the BKT EuroCup trophy for the first time last season. [Landesberg provided instant offense in Round 3 against Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/dolomiti-energia-trento-dreamland-gran-canaria/U2023/30/), coming off the bench to get 21 points in as many minutes. He buried 5 of 6 two-pointers and 2 of 4 shots from downtown, adding 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 fouls drawn for a game-high PIR of 24. Good news for Gran Canaria, bad news for everyone else: the champs have potential to be even better this season.

Sylven Landesberg of Dreamland Gran Canaria had 21 points in 21 minutes against Dolomiti Energia Trento,

Landesberg leads Gran Canaria's second unit

### Toliopoulos led Aris to first win

Aris is back to the EuroCup for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign and had to wait until Round 3 to collect its first win, [edging Turk Telekom Ankara 68-66 at home](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/aris-midea-thessaloniki-turk-telekom-ankara/U2023/28/). It would not have been able to do it without playmaker Vassilis Toliopoulos, who had another brilliant performance. He finished the game with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 8 fouls drawn, good for a PIR of 21. Toliopoulos played a decisive role, too, hitting 3 of his 4 triples in the third quarter as Aris pulled away to a nine-point lead. He also buried the go-ahead free throws as the last player to score in the game.

Vassilis Toliopoulos helped Aris Egalis Thessaloniki down Turk Telekom Ankara in Round 3

Toliopoulos leads Aris to first EuroCup win in 8 years

### Dekker shined for London in his EuroCup return

Since the day he arrived in the English capital last season, Sam Dekker has been the London Lions' franchise player. He missed his team's first two games this season due to injury but Dekker is back and was ready to showcase his versatility and talent right away. [He led London to an 87-99 road victory against Prometey Slobozhanske](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/prometey-slobozhanske-london-lions/U2023/21/), one of last season's semifinalists, with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 fouls drawn and a PIR of 22. London made sure that Dekker has more talented players around him this season but make no mistake, he remains the Lions' leader due to his experience, charisma and all-around skills.

Sam Dekker led London Lions to a big road win against Prometey Slobozhanske, 87-99.

Dekker returns in good shape

### Ginat stepped up for Hapoel in Venice

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv remained undefeated in Group A [by downing Umana Reyer Venice 81-97 in the Floating City](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/umana-reyer-venice-hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/U2023/23/). Tomer Ginat had a really solid night shooting the ball, hitting 6 of 9 two-pointers and 3 of 4 triples on his way to 21 points, adding 6 rebounds to amass a PIR of 20. When Venice led 55-52 midway through the third quarter, Ginat followed a baseline jumper with a three-pointer in an 0-8 run that put Hapoel ahead for good, 55-60. The guests never trailed after that and Ginat had 5 quick points midway through the fourth quarter to make sure Hapoel sealed the outcome.

Tomer Ginat led Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv to a 81-97 against Umana Reyer Venice, hitting 6 of 9 two-pointers and 3 of 4 three-pointer on his way to 21 points

Ginat is rock-solid in Venice

### Wolves forward Mekowulu showed his potential

Wolves Vilnius was very close to sealing its first-ever win in the competition but Joventut Badalona rallied from a double-digit deficit to force overtime and win the game, 107-98. Despite his team's loss, [Christian Mekowulu had an all-around performance](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/joventut-badalona-wolves-vilnius/U2023/24/) despite not having the best shooting night, hitting just 1 of his 8 field goal tries. Nonetheless, he finished with 8 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 13. He intimidated on defense, changing a lot of shots, and was accurate from the foul line, hitting 6 of 7 attempts. His only miss, however, took place late in regulation, in a game that went down to small details like that.

Christian Mekowulu had 8 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks and 5 fouls drawn in his team's 107-98 road loss against Joventut Badalona.

Mekowulu has a solid game in Badalona

### Williams was Buducnost's main pillar

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica grabbed its second consecutive home win in Group B, [downing Slask Wroclaw 103-89 in the Montenegrin capital](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/buducnost-voli-podgorica-slask-wroclaw/U2023/27/). It was a very team-oriented performance, as six Buducnost players scored 12 points or more. JaCorey Williams finished the game with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, hitting 8 of 12 two-point shots and adding 2 steals and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 23. Buducnost led 58-56 early in the first half and Williams went on to score 8 points in the final 5 minutes of the third quarter. Thanks to Williams's effort, Buducnost boosted its margin to 74-66 after 30 minutes and never looked back.

JaCorey Williams posted a double-double 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Buducnost BOLI Podgorica to a 103-89 road win.

Williams's double-double leads Buducnost past Slask

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2023-10-18T18:00:00.000Z)

ratiopharm Ulm v 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2023-10-17T17:30:00.000Z)

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v Turk Telekom Ankara (2023-10-18T17:00:00.000Z)

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Slask Wroclaw (2023-10-17T16:00:00.000Z)

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2023-10-17T17:30:00.000Z)

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2023-10-18T17:00:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona v Wolves Vilnius (2023-10-18T18:30:00.000Z)

Umana Reyer Venice v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2023-10-17T18:00:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Paris Basketball (2023-10-18T17:30:00.000Z)

Prometey Slobozhanske v London Lions (2023-10-18T16:00:00.000Z)

A pair of big men, BKT EuroCup rookie [Trevion Williams](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/trevion-lamon-williams-/012604/) of ratiopharm Ulm and a competition veteran [Vladimir Brodziansky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/vladimir-brodziansky/010458/) of Joventut Badalona, led their respective teams to big offensive performances in Round 3 while earning themselves co-MVP of the Round honors. Williams dominated in [Ulm's 99-74 home win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/ratiopharm-ulm-7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys/U2023/29/) over 7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys. In just his second EuroCup game ever, he had 15 points, making 4 of 5 two-pointers and 2 of 3 triples, while pulling down 11 rebounds and also collecting 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. His PIR or 31 was shared by Brodziansky, who stepped up in [Joventut's 105-98 overtime win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/joventut-badalona-wolves-vilnius/U2023/24/) against Wolves Vilnius. Brodziansky scored 22 points, making 3 of 5 two-pointers and going a perfect 4 of 4 on triples and free throws, in addition to 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

Trevion Williams & Vladimir Brodziansky | Round 3 co-MVPs | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

The next-best best PIR, 29, belonged to [Donte Grantham](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/donte-grantham/012586/) of the London Lions, who combined 17 points with 11 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block in [an 87-99 road win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/prometey-slobozhanske-london-lions/U2023/21/) over Prometey Slobozhanske. His teammate [Matthew Morgan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/matthew-morgan/012585/) and [Bryce Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/bryce-brown/012628/) of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse posted PIRs of 28 each. Morgan collected 21 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals, while Brown netted 25 points with 2 assists and 2 rebounds in [a 92-88 triumph over U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/mincidelice-jl-bourg-en-bresse-u-bt-cluj-napoca/U2023/26/). Rounding out the list of Round 3's top performers was [T.J. Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tj-shorts/012608/) of Paris Basketball, who had 14 points, 9 assists and 4 steals for a 27 PIR in [a 69-105 drubbing](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/veolia-towers-hamburg-paris-basketball/U2023/22/) of Veolia Hamburg Towers.

Round 3 co-MVPs: Trevion Williams, Ulm and Vladimir Brodziansky, Joventut

Wolves Vilnius playmaker Arturs Zagars is set to be sidelined for the rest of the season due to a severe knee injury. 

Zagars out long-term with a knee injury 

Wolves Vilnius playmaker [Arturs Zagars](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/arturs-zagars/008104/) was injured late in a Lithuanian League game last weekend against another BKT EuroCup team, 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, and had to be carried off the court. He had scored 21 points in 22 minutes against Lietkabelis prior to his injury. He was subsequently diagnosed with a medial collateral ligament tear that will require surgery, the recovery from which will keep him sidelined the rest of this, his fourth EuroCup season, the club announced.

Zagars, 23, arrived to Wolves on loan from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Zagars played a stellar role in the 2023 World Cup, leading Latvia to a fifth-place finish and averaging 12.4 points and 7.4 assists in 8 games. In his only EuroCup game with Wolves this season, Zagars had 10 points and 4 assists in a losing effort against Paris Basketball.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Get well soon, Artūrs! 🙏 Our player tore his MCL during the overtime in the LKL game on the weekend <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreWolves?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreWolves</a> <a href="https://t.co/xURMEA9iqU">pic.twitter.com/xURMEA9iqU</a></p>&mdash; BC WOLVES (@wolves_bc) <a href="https://twitter.com/wolves_bc/status/1714958178121601167?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

The Wolves Vilnius playmaker is set to be sidelined for the rest of the season due to a severe knee injury. 

Wolves' Zagars to miss season after knee injury 

Here are the leaders in the main statistical categories for Round 3 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season. 

Round 3 individual highs: Christian Mekowulu, Vilnius Wolves, 4 blocks

[Points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=score)

Bourg's Bryce Brown was the tops scorer in Round 3 with 25 points. Tomer Ginat of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv is the EuroCup scoring leader with 19.5 points per game.

[Rebounds](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=totalRebounds)

Five players had 11 rebounds this round: co-MVP Trevion Williams, London's Grantham, Ondrej Balvin of Prometey Slobozhanske, Jacorey Williams of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica and Christian Mekowulu of Vilnius Wolves. Trevion Williams averages A EuroCup-best 13.5 rebounds.

[Assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=assistances)

T.J. Shorts of Paris Basketball led all players this round with 9 assists and tops the overall ranking with 8.0 per game.

[Steals](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=steals)

Shorts and Tyrone Wallace of Turk Telekom Ankara picked up 4 steals apiece, the most in Round 3. Andres Feliz of Joventut Badalona tops the steals chart with 4.0 steals per game.

[Blocks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=blocksFavour)

Christian Mekowulu of Vilnius Wolves had 4 blocks, more than any other player in Round 3, and leads the league with his 2.5 per game, too.

[Double-doubles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=miscellaneous&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=doubleDoubles)

Five players had double-doubles in Round 3, all in points and rebounds: Trevion Williams (15 points and 11 rebounds), Jacorey Williams (18 and 11), Grantham (17 and 11), Balvin (10 and 11) and Matthew Mitchell of Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul (12 and 10). Trevion Williams is the only EuroCup player with two double-doubles in three rounds.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 2 winner

Congratulations to Shin Chan the Round 3 winner in [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home)! Shin's team Loa posted a score of 235.5..

The team featured the following lineup: team captain Trevion Williams of ratiopharm Ulm, Tomer Ginat and Jaylen Hoard of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, TJ Shorts of Paris Basketball and DJ Seeley of U-BT Cluj-Napoca; Ondrej Balvin of Prometey Sloboshanske as sixth man; Berkan Durmaz of Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul, Pep Busquets of Joventut Badalona; Maxime Courby of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse and Jalen Adams of Turk Telekom Ankara as bench players; and Petar Mijovic of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica as head coach.

His prize for finishing first in Round 3 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2023-24 season!

The overall leader after three rounds is Gokhan Turan, whose Primavera team is ahead of everyone with 654.30 fantasy points.

Trades are now open for Round 4. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home) next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 3 winner

The London Lions improved to 3-0 in the EuroCup standings with an impressive 87-99 win at Prometey Slobozhanske, which is the perfect warm-up for its clash with Paris Basketball next week.

London Lions made a statement by triumphing at Prometey

The London Lions are roaring loud in this season’s BKT EuroCup Regular Season. Now in its second year in the competition, London has got off to a 3-0 start, with its most recent win being [an 87-99 triumph against Prometey Slobozhanske at Arena Riga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/london-lions-flex-their-muscles-to-beat-prometey-87-99/) on Wednesday night.

It was a night full of celebrations for the English team, as [Sam Dekker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/sam-dekker/009672/) returned to action for the first time this season and head coach Petar Bozic was able to rejoin his players after missing Round 2 – a 94-100 win at Veolia Towers Hamburg – with an illness. In London’s 22nd-ever game in the EuroCup, its win against Prometey might be the most impressive of all.

Prometey Slobozhanske-London Lions | Round 3 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

### Recovering from a tough start

When Prometey raced into a 30-19 lead after the first 10 minutes, it would have been easy for London to feel down in the dumps. After all, Prometey went 7-0 at Arena Riga in last year’s regular season, with its only home defeat coming on the floor of Zalgiris Kaunas, Zalgirio Arena, where it was 1-1. Prior to Wednesday night, the Ukrainian side defeated Hamburg 97-77 in its 2023-24 home opener at Arena Riga in Round 1.

Yet, London quickly flipped the script with an offense-laden second quarter in which it outscored the hosts 15-29, making it a 45-48 ballgame at halftime. Wednesday night’s visitors went on to outscore Prometey 20-25 and 22-26 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, leading to the hosts’ first-ever regular-season defeat on its home floor.

The unity that the London squad, led by team captain Dekker, showed after the game is something that Coach Bozic has brought to the club since his appointment over the summer. The terrific work done by the front office also deserves praise, as new additions [Matt Morgan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/matthew-morgan/012585/), [Donte Grantham](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/donte-grantham/012586/), [Conor Morgan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/conor-morgan/009680/) and [Gabe Olaseni](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/gabe-olaseni/006600/) are all flourishing in London’s colors.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Winning mentality 🗣️ <a href="https://twitter.com/dekker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dekker</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreLondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreLondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/WVS9O81nMg">pic.twitter.com/WVS9O81nMg</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1714720451669246193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Matt Morgan impresses again

In particular, Matt Morgan followed up a Round 2 MVP performance by once again leading the charge on offense, scoring a game-high 21 points. Despite being a EuroCup rookie, the 25-year-old has taken to the competition like a duck to water, averaging 17.0 points through his first three games. For a London team that was overly reliant on Dekker’s scoring last season, the emergence of Morgan has come as a sigh of relief.

“This was a big win for us,” Morgan stated in his post-game flash interview. “They made a run towards the end, but I think we all love each other and we all play for each other, so I think that’s what got us through. We made big shots at the end – Conor, Sam, Gabe, Donte, everybody, Tarik \[Phillip\]. We all got this win.”

As noted above, Morgan is not the only signing making an impact. Grantham finished the night with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double, Conor Morgan – the only new addition with EuroCup experience – posted 15 points, while Olaseni added 10 points. Then, Dekker marked his return to action with 17 points, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the final buzzer to put the icing on top of the cake.

“I think, for us, it’s a hard-working team victory,” Coach Bozic commented afterward. “Whoever stepped onto the floor brought something tonight, something good. The energy was great on the bench and the floor was great.

“They were a little bit more physical \[in the first quarter\] and we needed that adjustment time. After that, I think we took over.”

Matt Morgan scored a game-high 21 points as the London Lions defeated Prometey Slobozhanske 87-99 in Round 3 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Matt Morgan's highlights vs. Prometey

### Another big test on the way

And take over London did. Next up for the Lions is [the visit of Paris Basketball to Copper Box Arena](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/london-lions-paris-basketball/U2023/35/) next Tuesday night.

Both teams are 3-0 to start the season, and they ended up developing a bit of a rivalry last season, as shown by the spiciness in their Round 9 encounter in London. Paris ended up winning that game 80-93, but London exacted revenge in Round 18 by downing the French outfit 85-96 at Halle Georges Carpinter.

There are fun matchups everywhere you look, but none more so than at the guard position, where London’s Matt Morgan will come head-to-head with Paris’s [TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tj-shorts/012608/). The latter is averaging 17.3 points, 8.0 assists and 2.7 steals in his rookie EuroCup campaign, so keeping him quiet will be London’s main task.

It is therefore key that London doesn’t get off to a slow start, even if it does have the ability to bounce back, something Morgan himself alluded to: “We’ve come out with slow starts before and we’ve ended up waking up and playing harder, so I think we just got back to what we do: play defense, run in transition. We just stayed together, played together and we came out with this win.”

Many basketball fans from across the continent to tune in for London vs. Paris next week. Two of Europe’s next powerhouse teams are ready to battle, and both are flying high. It should be one hell of a game.

More London Lions News

Matt Morgan and Jordan Taylor of the London Lions bump chests after their team's Round 3 win against Prometey Slobozhanske in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Ukrainian side Prometey, which plays its home games in Latvia, lost its first-ever BKT EuroCup regular-season game at Riga Arena on Wednesday night.

London Lions v Paris Basketball (2023-10-24T18:30:00.000Z)

Joventut's veterans saved the day

If anything, the game was a perfect example of Joventut's basketball philosophy, as it allowed young players to get opportunities but relied on its most experienced ones to get out of a difficult situation at the end of regulation.

Joventut gave playing time to four players who are eligible for the EuroCup Rising Star award. Two of them started the game: Jordi Rodriguez had 5 points in 8 minutes and Yannick Kraag was one of his team's pillars with 12 points and 7 rebounds for a PIR of 17. Young big men Ruben Prey and Miguel Allen also saw playing time during the game.

Deshaun Thomas, Ante Tomic and Pau Ribas led Joventut Badalona to a 107-98 overtime win against Wolves Vilnius.

Thomas, Ribas, Tomic play decisive role

Joventut struggled early and trailed 17-21 after 10 minutes, 41-46 at halftime and 48-58 late in the third quarter. It used a 9-0 run to get back in the game and it was not until Kraag took over with an alley-oop layup that Joventut took its first lead of the game, 62-61.

The hosts soon extended their lead to 70-64, but Wolves regrouped and a rain of three-pointers put the visitors in charge, 81-85, with over 2 minutes left. That's when the veterans stepped up to save the day. DeShaun Thomas sank a three-pointer, Ante Tomic converted a jump hook and later 2 high-pressure free throws that tied the game at 88-88 with 3.6 seconds left in regulation.

Game News

Pau Ribas opened the overtime period with consecutive shots from downtown and scored 8 of his 17 points in overtime. Thomas also had 4 critical points in the extra session. Vladimir Brodziansky led six Joventut players in double digits. Ribas had 17, Thomas 16 and Tomic 10.

Wolves have been unlucky lately, losing in double overtime against 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys in Lithuanian League action before this game. The team is now looking forward to playing its first-ever EuroCup home game against Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul next week. On the other hand, Joventut had a 1-point win, a 1-point loss and an overtime victory until now. Next stop: on the road against Umana Reyer Venice.

Game Videos

Joventut Badalona had to battle hard to beat Wolves Vilnius 107-98 at home in overtime for its second win of the EuroCup season.

Gran Canaria stepped up late in Trento

It looked like it was going to be a pleasant night for reigning EuroCup champion Gran Canaria. At the end of the first quarter at Il T Quotidiano Arena, the visitors led Dolomiti Energia Trento 20-31 having displayed astonishing shooting accuracy.

Gran Canaria had made 10-of-11 shots from the field in the first 10 minutes, including 6 triples on 7 attempts, with Nicolas Brussino and Sylven Landesberg ruling on the perimeter. The former had scored 12 points, going 4-of-4 from downtown, as the latter had 13 points without having missed a shot.

Despite that uncomfortable scenario, Trento refused to accept a blowout. The hosts locked in on defense and stepped up their rebounding, giving up just 31 points over the next 20 minutes. A 9-0 run led by Mattia Udom granted Trento its first lead of the game, 64-62, entering the last period.

"We had a good start of the game, but after that, we gave life to Trento for coming back. In the second quarter, we allowed too many offensive rebounds and second-chance points," Dream Gran Canaria head coach Jaka Lakovic stressed in the press conference. "We took a 10-point difference again, but they came back to the game again and for us, this is not acceptable."

Gran Canaria started the fourth quarter trailing also in PIR, as Trento ruled 79-57 thanks to 11 offensive rebounds and to only 9 turnovers against Gran Canaria’s 16. Even with average shooting from downtown (6 of 18), Trento seemed to have very good options to clinch its first win of the season.

Instead, Gran Canaria took the court with great focus and renewed energy. An 8-0 run in less than 3 minutes to open the period returned a 64-70 lead to the guests, who never looked back. Even though Trento tried to fight back, another 0-10 run in the last 2:30 sealed the outcome for the visitors.

In that last quarter, Gran Canaria managed to lock down its defensive board and didn’t allow any offensive rebounds to its opponent. In addition, it took great care of the ball, with no turnovers against Trento’s 4. Once those problems were fixed, Gran Canaria came back to take full control of the game and the stats could not reveal anything but that. In the last quarter, the guests recorded a PIR of 33, while Trento ranked just 3.

"The team responded well," Lakovic acknowledged. "In the fourth quarter, we played great defense and took defensive rebounds that decided the game in our favor. We are happy but we have to improve."

After Trento rallied to take the lead at the end of the third quarter, Gran Canaria turned the game on its head. 