Gran Canaria managed to escape from the Copperbox Arena with a 57-60 win over the London Lions in a game that went down to the line in the last quarter. The visitors had to wait until the last play to celebrate their qualification to the playoffs after Sam Dekker missed a contested three-point shot that turned into an airball. 

But that was not the end many could have expected after watching the first three quarters, as Gran Canaria enjoyed a game-high 35-48 lead midway through the third quarter and was up 43-53 with 9 minutes remaining. But London managed to turn the game upside down with a remarkable defensive effort, allowing just 2 field goals after to make it a one-possession game in the last seconds. 

Fortunately for the visitors, all the work done before proved to be enough to retain the advantage. John Shurna, the last one to make a field goal for the visitors in that last quarter, looked happy to have been able to save the day in the end: "It wasn't the prettiest of all games but we stuck together and found the way to win. It’s a good atmosphere here in London and we were fortunate we came out with the victory."

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Gran Canaria shined early to win in London

London Lions v Gran Canaria (2023-01-24T19:30:00.000Z)

One could have been forgiven for thinking that U-BT Cluj-Napoca was at home against Umana Reyer Venice whereas it was in fact a road game for the Romanian side, roared on throughout the contest by a sizeable contingent of fans who made the trip to Italy.

Cluj came close to staging a stunning upset as it erased an early 18-point deficit to take a 72-71 lead in the fourth quarter, but the visitors were eventually undone by Reyer’s three-point shooting.

The hosts hit 12 of 21 shots from long range, with Derek Willis making 4 of 6 while Marco Spissu netted 3 of 5. Cluj, which connected on only 2 of 7 from downtown in the first half when Reyer was 7-for-11, finished 7-for-18 from three-point range and was also outrebounded 29-26.

Having committed 5 turnovers in the opening quarter, Cluj took good care of the ball for the remainder of the contest as it finished on 11 turnovers to Reyer’s 16.

The visitors had the upper hand inside the arc as they made 22 of 38 shots while Reyer managed 18 of 36, but superior long-range artillery turned out to be the decisive factor that swung the thrilling clash the home team’s way.

Nonetheless, Cluj received a standing ovation from the club's fans after the game for a valiant effort and its head coach Mihai Silvasan praised his players for a sterling performance. 

"I am proud of my players the way we fought in the second half and the way we looked like a team," he told the post-game press conference. "We wanted to win this game and this is going to be our mentality. We will fight in each game to reach the playoffs and for sure that is our goal."

His Reyer counterpart Walter De Raffaele was relieved the home team was able to hold on: "This was a very important game against a team which showed a new face with three very good players," he said. "It was a tough game, we were ahead throughout and we fought all evening, which is the most important thing. Honestly, I think we didn’t have a great day today as we allowed too many points, but this can happen and we responded. We got something from everybody."

Willis, Spissu silenced the vocal Cluj fans

Umana Reyer Venice v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2023-01-24T19:00:00.000Z)

In what became a defensive battle, Gran Canaria pulled out a valuable road win from the Copperbox Arena when it defeated London Lions 57-60 on Tuesday night. Despite enjoying a double-digit lead after 30 minutes, the visitors were limited to just 9 points in the last period and had to wait till the last second to seal the win from the line. 

John Shurna led the winners with 13 points, followed by Nicolas Brussino and A.J. Slaughter, who contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Sam Dekker paced London Lions with 18 points and 6 rebounds and Kostas Koufos posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. Gran Canaria improved to 10-2 and secured its spot in the playoffs, while London slipped to 5-7 with its third straight home loss.

The visitors started strong on defense and only allowed a fastbreak dunk by Dekker in the first 4 minutes to build a 2-8 lead. Even though Koufos provided 5 quick points to push the home team ahead, 9-8, Gran Canaria reacted in style, securing the rim, and controlling the boards to finish the first quarter ahead 11-17. 

It was 15-21 in the beginning of the second quarter, with both teams exchanging turnovers and missed shots. Ferran Bassas took advantage of a technical foul called on Taylor to score from the line and later added another bucket to bring his team up 17-26. The guests tried but couldn’t escape because of a below-par shooting. Even though Mo Soluade ended a 17-minute drought from behind the arc to help London find some scoring momentum and trim the difference to 3 points, Shurna showed up from the corner to close the first half with a huge buzzer-beating three that established a 26-32 edge for Gran Canaria. 

A technical foul on the London bench and back-to-back three-pointers by Brussino and Slaughter helped the visitors amass a double-digit difference, 26-39, early in the third quarter. Despite Dekker’s efforts to bring his team back to the game, no one else joined and Gran Canaria found no problem to maintain a safe margin, 40-51, after 30 minutes. 

The scenario radically changed when the game resumed, as the home team geared up defensively and the visitors collapsed on offense. A double technical foul on Damien Inglis helped London reduce the gap to 50-55 midway through the last quarter, helping the local fans feel the game again. John Shurna showed up to drill a tough three that made it 50-58, but that would be the last field goal for Gran Canaria in the last 4 minutes of the game. As such, London managed to come back and get as close as 57-58 when Dekker made a layup with 5’ seconds remaining. The visitors managed to get the ball then to Brussino who took charge from the line to secure the outcome.

Gran Canaria secures playoff berth with 57-60 triumph in London

### Gran Canaria head coach Jaka Lakovic: 

"It was a tough game, we were solid defensively but in offense were under par. We had poor percentages shooting from the field even with the open shots, we couldn’t break the game and in the end, it came down to the wire and we were a little bit lucky. We were a little bit more experienced and we took the win, but we have to do better. London came back strong, they got a push from its fans, but we stayed good, solid, especially protecting the defensive rebound and managed to squeeze out the win."

### London Lions head coach Ryan Schmidt: 

"It’s a tough loss. They are a really good team. We weren’t good for three quarters. I love our will, our fight but offensively we were rushing too much, we panicked in our attack at halftime, and we should have had better composure. The third quarter was similar to the first half, but the fourth I recognize it was better. But against a team like this, you cannot make mistakes for three quarters and expect to win the game."

### Gran Canaria forward John Shurna: 

"It wasn’t the prettiest of all games but we stuck together and found the way to win. It’s a good atmosphere here in London and we were fortunate we came out with the victory. It feels good \[to qualify for the playoffs\] but there is still a lot of work to do and the playoffs are a long way away so I hope we can continue to improve and be at our best on playoff time."

Jaka Lakovic, Gran Canaria: 'We were a little bit more experienced'

Umana Reyer Venice improved its record to 7-5 and stayed firmly on course to reach the EuroCup playoffs after it ground out a 95-90 home win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca thanks to sound three-point shooting throughout the rip-roaring contest. Cluj dropped to 4-8 after wiping out an 18-point deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

Derek Willis paced Reyer with a game-high 19 points, Mitchell Watt scored 16 and Marco Spissu contributed 15 points and 8 assists, including a clutch three-pointer late in the game. Jayson Granger added 12 points for the home side. Leonardo Meindl and Andrija Stipanovic netted 15 points each for Cluj, Stefan Bircevic and Shepherd Casey scored 13 apiece, Patrick Richard amassed 12 and Emanuel Cate added 10 for the visitors.

A fast start was essential for Reyes as it raced to a 9-2 lead and extended it to 21-10, netting 3 of 5 shots from three-point range in the first quarter, with Cluj able to slash the deficit to 25-17 after the opening 10 minutes despite committing 5 turnovers.

Reyer appeared to be out of sight after its advantage soared to 37-19 midway through the second with long-range shots raining in from all angles. Willis and Spissu were particularly lethal from beyond the arc, as the home side nailed 7 of 11 long-range shots by halftime.

Stipanovic kept Cluj afloat with a soft touch in Reyer’s paint, having scored 11 points in the first half, but the visitors still had a mountain to climb as they trailed 38-49 at the interval and hit only 2 of 7 shots from downtown.

Reyer pulled clear 52-38 early in the third but having slowed down in offense, Cluj clawed its way back into the game and gradually reduced the deficit with patient possession and strong defense. The visitors drew level at 67-67 late in the third quarter.

It was a rollercoaster in the final 10 minutes as Cluj grabbed its first and only lead of the night when it nosed ahead 72-71 with 7:48 left on the clock, before Reyer replied with a 9-0 run which turned the tide again.

Cluj refused to roll over and hit back with an 8-0 push that left the game all square at 80-80. Vital three-pointers from Willis and Spissu gave Reyer an 89-82 advantage and the home team never looked back.

The Romanian side fought hard to stay in the match and pushed the hosts all the way, but cool free-throw shooting saw Reyer come away with a vital win in its quest to reach the playoffs.

Reyer edges Cluj 95-90 behind long-range spree

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv got 3 three-pointers from Xavier Munford in a 10-0 run to finish the game in beating Turk Telekom 84-82 on Tuesday night. Despite that good run, Hapoel had only made 6 of 18 three-pointers (33.3%) before then. What kept Hapoel in the game – and even gave it a big second-quarter lead – was Hapoel’s play in the paint.

The hosts' success up front was no given. Hapoel was without backup center Idan Zalmanson, forward J.P. Tokoto and swingman Jordan McRae due to illness, leaving the team with only eight rotation players. On top of that, starting center Chinanu Onukaku was called for 3 fouls in the first 5 minutes of the game and fouled out in just over 15 minutes of game time.

Hapoel overcame all those obstacles to outrebound Turk Telekom 37-31 and to make more shots inside – at better percentages – than the visitors. Hapoel shot 25 for 46 (54.3%) on two-pointers compared to Turk Telekom's 13 for 29 (44.8%). What’s more, Hapoel had almost twice as many second-chance as its opponent, 13-7.

Jaylen Hoard played a key role with 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting plus 9 rebounds. Onuaku added 7 boards and Munford 6. The game’s top rebounder was Tyrique Jones with 12 for Turk Telekom, but the rest of his frontcourt mates contributed little on the boards.

Where Turk Telekom had success was from the perimeter; it made 16 of 36 threes (44.4%) led by Jerian Grant (6 of 8) and Axel Bouteille (5 of 11), but it was not enough in the end.

Hapoel’s play in the paint was critical in beating Turk Telekom

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv v Turk Telekom Ankara (2023-01-24T18:00:00.000Z)

### Umana Reyer Venice head coach Walter De Raffaele:

"Absolutely the best way to celebrate and restart. We knew that it was going to be a tough game but we played tough too. We know that EuroCup is tough, but the attitude was great for 40 minutes so congratulations to my players.

"It was a tough game, we were ahead throughout and we fought all evening, which is the most important thing. To go 2-0 against this team is very important. Honestly, I think we didn’t have a great day today as we allowed too many points, but this can happen and we responded. We got something from everybody.”

### U-BT Cluj Napoca head coach Mihai Silvasan:

"We played really well in the second half but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. We played against a really good team and if you give them a small advantage in the beginning, it’s hard to come back. But in the end, I am proud of the way we played and we won’t give up.

"Congrats to the home team from Venice for winning this game, I think it was a really nice game to watch with a lot of points. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t manage to complete the comeback and stay mentally tough after we took the lead."

### Umana Reyer Venice forward Derek Willis:

"We had a rough past week so I think coming here and getting a good win at home was important. At this time of the year, everybody is trying to make the playoffs and stay in a good rhythm, so I am glad we came away with a win."

Walter De Raffaele, Reyer: 'Our attitude was great'

### [Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv 84-82 Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/hapoel-vegan-friendly-tel-aviv-turk-telekom-ankara/U2022/116/)

Hapoel made it five wins in a row by rallying past Turk Telekom 84-82 on Tuesday night at Shlomo Group Arena. The visitors erased a 15-point deficit to lead by as many as 9 in the fourth quarter, but Xavier Munford drained a pair of threes in the last 33 seconds to lift Hapoel. The result left both teams with 8-4 records in Group B, though Turk Telekom remains ahead in the standings thanks to its 12-point win over Hapoel in Round 3. Munford finished with a career-high 33 points, while Axel Bouteille paced the visitors with 27.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/xaviermunford?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@xaviermunford</a> calls it GAME😱<a href="https://twitter.com/HapoelTLVBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HapoelTLVBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/v843PxHlYf">pic.twitter.com/v843PxHlYf</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1617974973477572608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Umana Reyer Venice 95-90 U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/umana-reyer-venice-u-bt-cluj-napoca/U2022/115/)

Reyer improved its record to 7-5 and stayed firmly on course to reach the playoffs after it ground out a 95-90 home win over Cluj thanks to sound three-point shooting throughout the rip-roaring contest. Cluj dropped to 4-8 after wiping out an 18-point deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Derek Willis paced Reyer with a game-high 19 points, Mitchell Watt scored 16 and Marco Spissu contributed 15 points and 8 assists, including a clutch three-pointer late in the game. Leonardo Meindl and Andrija Stipanovic netted 15 points each for Cluj.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">❤️‍🔥 Una bellissima partita al Taliercio, la vinciamo NOI 🔥<br>Avanti leoni 🦁 <br>Fino alla fine!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Reyer150?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Reyer150</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DaysEurocup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DaysEurocup</a> <a href="https://t.co/5bkROJEKv8">pic.twitter.com/5bkROJEKv8</a></p>&mdash; Reyer Venezia (@REYER1872) <a href="https://twitter.com/REYER1872/status/1617993763531685889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [London Lions 57-60 Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/london-lions-gran-canaria/U2022/118/)

In what became a defensive battle, Gran Canaria pulled out a valuable road win from the Copperbox Arena when it defeated London 57-60. Despite enjoying a double-digit lead after 30 minutes, the visitors were limited to just 9 points in the last period and had to wait till the last second to seal the win from the line. John Shurna led the winners with 13 points, followed by Nicolas Brussino with 11. Sam Dekker paced London Lions with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Gran Canaria improved to 10-2 and secured its spot in the playoffs, while London slipped to 5-7 with its third straight home loss.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🏀 Final:<br><br>⚫️ London Lions 57<br>🐥 Gran Canaria 60<br><br>🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VamosGranca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VamosGranca</a> <a href="https://t.co/241FmBFoVB">pic.twitter.com/241FmBFoVB</a></p>&mdash; CB Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1618000433448120321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Game Center: Gran Canaria is first to playoffs; Hapoel, Reyer win at home

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv edged Turk Telekom Ankara 84-82 on Tuesday night at Shlomo Group Arena for its fifth straight win. It was a seesaw game that saw the visitors erase a 15-point deficit to lead by as many as 9 in the fourth, but Xavier Munford scored 3 threes in a 10-0 closing run to win it. The result left the two teams even for the second-best records in Group B at 8-4, though Turk Telekom remains in second place by virtue of its 12-point victory over Hapoel from their Round 3 game in Ankara.

Munford finished with a career-high 33 points for the winners, who were without Jordan McRae, J.P. Tokoto and Idan Zalmanson due to illness. Jaylen Hoard added 17 points and 9 rebounds for Hapoel. Axel Bouteille scored a career-high 27 on 5-of-11 three-point shooting, Jerian Grant netted 24 points and Tony Taylor tallied 13 points and 7 assists in defeat.

Hapoel dominated the paint early with 3 tip-in baskets, but soon was left without starting center Chinanu Onuaku who was called for 3 early fouls. Back-to-back threes by Taylor and Grant put the visitors up 8-12. Hapoel came back through Hoard and Munford to lead 20-15 after 10 minutes.

Threes by Munford and Gil Beni saw the lead increase to double-digits early in the second quarter and it reached 32-17 on a second-chance score by Hoard. Bouteille scored 6 in a 0-8 run to revive Turk Telekom.  Then Grant had 8 points in a 0-9 run and a three by Taylor made it 39-37 at the break.

Onuaku scored twice as Hapoel opened the second half with 7 straight points, but Turk Telekom kept it close thanks to threes by Taylor and Bouteille. Munford heated up again to give Hapoel some breathing room and the hosts held on for a 65-57 lead through three quarters.

Grant and Bouteille led a 0-9 start to the fourth quarter that gave Turk Telekom its first lead since the first quarter. After Onuaku fouled out, Bouteille drilled a triple for a 67-74 lead with 5 and a half minutes remaining. The margin peaked at 9, but a late Hapoel charge made it 81-82 on a Munford three with 31.2 seconds remaining and Munford struck again with 5 seconds left with the game-winner. Turk Telekom nearly tied it through Grant, but his jumper came a tenth of a second after the buzzer.