The all-Italian derby between Umana Reyer Venice and Germani Brescia was a one-way contest at Palasport Taliercio, especially in the last 25 minutes, as the hosts dominated on their way to a 90-64 win.

It was a perfect start for new Reyer head coach Neven Spahija, who became a 7DAYS EuroCup champion back in 2010 and registered his 36th win in the competition on Wednesday night at the 53rd attempt.

"Brescia did not play at their level, probably because we did not give them a chance by playing great defense," said Coach Spahija.

Reyer held Brescia to just 34.2% shooting on two-pointers and restricted the visitors to just 6 triples made on 27.3% accuracy. The hosts also tied a club record with 8 blocked shots.

What could please Coach Spahija, however, are the emotions that his players experienced on the floor.

"We had a lot of fun tonight," said center Mitchell Watt, who scored 22 points in under 23 minutes and also collected 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. "We played together, the ball moved great."

Reyer had a season-high 24 assists, just 1 shy of tying a club record. Jayson Granger and Andrea De Nicolao combined to deliver 13 of those 24.

Even more importantly, this win qualified Reyer for the playoffs and catapulted it into a share of the third-best record (8-7) in Group A, a position which carries a playoff home-court advantage with it.

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Reyer claims Italian bragging rights in Coach Spahija's debut

Umana Reyer Venice v Germani Brescia (2023-03-08T19:00:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca held on to secure an 87-83 win over Frutti Extra Bursaspor and keep its playoff hopes alive. Cluj took control in the first quarter, opened a double-digit lead and held it until 1:40 to go, when Bursaspor tied the contest at 79-79. However, a triple from Karel Guzman in the final minute made it 84-81 and helped Cluj hang on to the victory.

That was Cluj's 13th triple of the night, as the hosts shot 48.1% from behind the arc. That is the second-highest number of three-pointers that Cluj has hit in a game this season, and it is what kept it ahead of Bursaspor throughout the night and helped it overcome its 18 turnovers.

Cluj was outrebounded in the game 33-39 and missed 11 free throws, yet seven different players hit at least 1 three-point shot against Bursaspor, with six of them knocking down 2 triples apiece: Guzman, Kasey Shepherd, Stefan Bircevic, Jalen Jones, Leo Meindl and Patrick Richard.

Mistakes kept preventing Cluj from running away with the lead, as Bursaspor was able to stay in the game. However, the hosts used the three ball to pull out the victory and stay alive in a race for the playoffs, with 3 games left to go in the regular season.

Cluj hit threes to overcome mistakes against Bursaspor

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2023-03-08T17:30:00.000Z)

Gran Canaria (12-3), the leader in Group B of the 7DAYS EuroCup, ground out a hard-fought 94-88 home win over Dolomiti Energia Trento (2-13) after the Spanish side overcame a spirited challenge from its Italian opponents. While Granca remains at the top of Group B, Trento stays in ninth and needs a miracle to reach the playoffs.

Nicolas Brussino paced Granca with 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Vitor Benite and Damien Inglis netted 14 points each. Aleksander Balcerowski chipped in with 11 points for the home side and AJ Slaughter scored 10, underlining a balanced team effort. For Trento, Matteo Spagnolo stood out with a game-high 23 points. Diego Flaccadori also netted 17, while Toto Forray and Maximilian Ladurner scored 12 apiece.

Granca carved out a decisive 10-point lead in the first quarter, when its early onslaught engineered a 15-5 advantage and, although Trento staged a valiant fightback, the home team was 30-20 ahead at the end of the opening period.

High-scoring Granca surged ahead on the back of a barrage of fast breaks and sound long-range shooting, leaving the visiting team's defense in tatters. But Trento responded through Spagnolo and Flaccadori, slashing the deficit to 34-31 early in the second quarter before the home side moved up a gear again and pulled away to 53-44 at halftime, with Ferran Bassas nailing a buzzer-beating three-pointer which delighted the home crowd.

The action got scrappy and it became a low-scoring affair after the break, with both sides struggling on offense and shooting some air balls in quick succession, as Trento again reduced the arrears, 59-55, thanks to some rugged defending. However, Brussino came up big again, as he kept pulling the strings and helped his team pull away to 70-59 ahead of the final 10 minutes.

The writing was on the wall for the visitors after Benite sank a triple and the hosts followed that up with another easy basket to make it 80-66 midway through the fourth quarter. But, Trento continued to fight hard to keep the deficit down and was able to walk off the court with its pride intact.

Gran Canaria holds off Trento, 94-88

Gran Canaria v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2023-03-08T20:00:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg was compact on defense from start to finish as it grabbed a convincing 91-74 victory over Paris Basketball in Round 15 of the 7DAYS EuroCup on Wednesday night. Paris's star guard Kyle Allman missed out through injury and his team subsequently struggled on offense, scoring more than 20 points in just one of the four quarters. Hamburg improved to 5-10 with the win, while Paris dropped to 9-6. The hosts came closer to clinching a playoff spot, as it sits eighth in Group B, while Paris dropped to fifth.

Lukas Meisner stood out and led Hamburg with 26 points. Another four players reached double digits, as Yoeli Childs paired his 14 points with 9 rebounds, while Harrison Cleary added another 14 points and Anthony Polite tallied 13. Aamir Simms recorded 21 points and Juhann Begarin logged 13 for the losing team.

Meisner started hot, sinking 4 three-pointers as Hamburg grabbed a 17-11 lead. Paris didn’t score a single three-pointer in the first 10 minutes of play, shooting 0-for-6 from behind the arc. The hosts took a 23-19 lead into the second quarter, but Amar Gegic scored 5 straight points to reduce the deficit, 26-24.

Hamburg didn't take long to bring Meisner back onto the court and its forward soon netted his fifth three-pointer, with Christoph Philipps adding 2 points in transition as Hamburg took a double-digit lead for the first time in the game, 36-26. Yet, Paris bounced back to trim down the deficit, 46-41, after Simms netted from three-point land and Tyrone Wallace added 3 points of his own just before the break.

Meisner scored 2 free throws to take his tally to 19 points just after the interval, before Childs netted a two-pointer to stretch Hamburg’s advantage to 50-41. The hosts were more aggressive on defense and managed to hold Paris to 16 points in the third quarter. Polite, Cleary and Meisner scored a combined 3 three-pointers in succession to make it a 72-53 game in the third quarter, meaning there was almost no way back for the visitors. 

Paris didn’t give up and tried to cut the deficit in the fourth quarter, when it outscored Hamburg 17-12, but ultimately it was to no avail as the hosts grabbed a well-earned victory.

Hamburg stuns Allman-less Paris, 91-74

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Paris Basketball (2023-03-08T18:30:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona grabbed a convincing road win when it defeated Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse 65-86 at the Ekinox on Wednesday evening. The winners improved to 10-5 and continue fighting for first place in Group A. Bourg lost its fourth game in a row and slipped to 8-7. Ante Tomic led all scorers with 22 points. Kyle Guy followed with 21, Henry Ellenson 16 and Andres Feliz 10. James Palmer Jr. paced Bourg with 17 points.

 Joventut suffocates host Bourg, 65-86 

Joventut Badalona grabbed a convincing road win when it defeated Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse 65-86 at the Ekinox on Wednesday evening. The visitors led just by one at halftime, 39-40, but held Bourg to just 26 points in the second half to soar to the victory. Joventut avenged its 80-75 home loss against Bourg earlier this season to improve to 10-5 and continue fighting for first place in Group A. Bourg lost its fourth game in a row and slipped to 8-7.

Ante Tomic led all scorers with 22 points, to which he added 8 rebounds and 5 assists, good for a PIR of 31. Kyle Guy followed with 21 points on 5 three-pointers. Henry Ellenson provided 16 points and Andres Feliz chipped in 10. James Palmer Jr. paced Bourg with 17 points and 6 boards, as Jordan Floyd and Axel Julian contributed 10 apiece in the losing effort.

Palmer and Amida Brimah pushed the hosts to an early 11-8 advantage after 5 minutes. Joventut took charge when Tomic entered the court, as he immediately produced both scoring and assists to help his team finish the first quarter ahead, 20-21. Floyd took the reins with 5 points in a row at the beginning of the second to give Bourg a 25-21 edge, but it didn't last for long. Tomic took over again with 6 points in a 3-12 run that brought the visitors back in charge, 28-33. Bourg managed to steady itself thanks to Palmer, who showed up in offense to reduce the margin to 39-40 at halftime.

Things went the same after the break, as Bourg quickly earned a 43-40 lead, but Joventut struck back with a strong 3-12 run behind triples by Feliz and Guy, plus 6 inside points by Tomic. Julian and Palmer tried to revitalize the hosts, but poor percentages from behind the arc and 5 more points by red-hot Guy established a 52-59 score entering the last stanza. The final blow came soon after the last period started; Ellenson showed up with a three and a couple of two-pointers to establish a double-digit margin, 55-69, while Bourg was able to score only from the free throw line. With a solid difference between both teams, Joventut felt comfortable and found several ways to score through Guy, Ellenson and Tomic. They were good for a 21-point lead, 63-84, entering crunch time, that the home team could never repair. 

Joventut suffocates host Bourg, 65-86

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v Joventut Badalona (2023-03-08T18:30:00.000Z)

### Benka Barloschky, Veolia Towers Hamburg head coach

"We played a very good first half and the situation was very clear. We had to bring the same energy, we had to bring the same physicality into the third quarter. I’m extremely happy with the way we rebounded the ball on the offensive end, creating second chances, going for the second chances aggressively. It’s what we try to do. That was the plan and we executed the plan. I’m super happy about that. It's all about the guys. They put the work in during practice – we are working on one-on-one defense, we are working on short helps in the triangles – and it paid off tonight.

"I’m obviously super happy with the win. We said before the game that energy has to be the foundation \[for us\]. The energy was there, the fight was there. When the energy is the foundation, the game plan and the details have to be the cherry on top of the cake, and I’m very happy with the way we executed the game plan tonight. It was a lot about rebounding. We dominated the rebounds on both ends of the floor and that was very important. We want to play fast, so we have to stop teams and get rebounds. Paris is a very athletic team, a very big team. Controlling the balls like this was the key to the win tonight."

### Will Weaver, Paris Basketball head coach

"I don’t think we responded very well to their physicality. They did a great job of grabbing and holding and we didn’t respond well to it. But credit to them. This is a great venue, a great environment, a great city and we want teams to be this excited when they beat Paris. They’re obviously celebrating like they've won the championship, and they deserve to do so. They played well.

"I want to give credit to the intensity of Hamburg. They did an exceptionally good job on being the aggressors. There were a few moments that I didn’t like that were outside of the game; guys doing extracurricular stuff, which is not the part of the basketball that I think we all love. So, in that way I would love a little more intensity, but I also have to acknowledge that we were playing without two starters \[Kyle Allman and Axel Toupane\], and we were missing some of the energy required to play with the intensity we needed to play tonight."

### Lukas Meisner, Veolia Towers Hamburg forward

"It was a good feeling out there. We were just being aggressive from the very first second. I think we were the clear underdog team today and that’s how you’ve got to play. You’ve got to be aggressive; you’ve got to take the shots that the opponent gives you, and that’s what I did. I think we found our rhythm again regarding how we want to play. We were aggressive on defense, we went for the offensive rebounds, crashing the boards, and tried to get second chances. I think that we set the tone early and then we kept it up throughout the game."

Lukas Meisner, Hamburg: 'We set the tone early'

 Carles Duran, Joventut: 'Now it’s time to fight for the position' 

### Carles Duran, Joventut head coach

"It was a great victory against a very good team. My team played very serious game. In the second half we played very, very well, both on offense and defense. I’m only thinking about Cluj right now, but now it’s time to fight for position. Prometey has one more win than us, but if we win the next one, who knows, everything can happen. We have to try to play better and win our games."

### Frederic Fauthoux, Bourg head coach

"We lost against a better team. Of course, we need to talk because we didn't play with the energy a game like this requires from you in the second half."

### Ante Tomic, Joventut player

"It was a game of runs. We did our run at the end of the third, and they didn't come back. And that was it. We controlled from the defense, and our transition game made the difference today. It was a good game for us in every aspect, recovering our sensations after the Spanish King's Cup, having a good game on the road, and also stepping up in the qualification in the EuroCup."

Carles Duran, Joventut: 'It’s time to fight for position'

Vitor Benite, Gran Canaria: 'We grew today'

### Jaka Lakovic, Gran Canaria head coach

“Congratulations to the team for the win that keeps us in the race for the top spot in our group. I thought we started the game very well. Andrew \[Albicy\] with his aggressive defense and everybody else that followed showed us the way how we should play. But unfortunately, we didn’t continue with the same intensity and aggressiveness which brought us the result \[in the first quarter\]. It became a game and I am not happy about \[my players competing about\] who is going to score more points. This not the way we want to play or the way we want to win, so apart from the win we are going home \[realizing\] that we have to do much better.”

### Emanuele Molin, Dolomiti Energia Trento head coach

“Gran Canaria started really well, and after we fell behind it became very difficult to come back into the game. I think Gran Canaria had a big start defensively and put us in trouble quickly. They controlled the result, but we competed and, for me, that’s the most important thing. It’s a learning curve for my team.”

### Vitor Benite, Gran Canaria guard

"We started well but maybe we relaxed a little bit, so they came back. They have really talented players, they kept playing the whole game even when they were down by 9 or 10 points. Today the whole team made a great effort. Everybody scored, everybody passed the ball. It was a tough match but we grew today and we’ve got to keep doing that."

The London Lions  ground out a tough 76-83 win at Slask Wroclaw after Jordan Taylor and Miye Oni combined for 45 points to lead their team past the Polish side in an evenly balanced encounter on Wednesday. The winners improved to 7-8 in Group B's seventh place, while already-eliminated Slask fell to 1-14.

 Taylor, Oni lift London over Slask, 76-83 

The London Lions  ground out a tough 76-83 win at Slask Wroclaw after Jordan Taylor and Miye Oni combined for 45 points to lead their team past the Polish side in an evenly balanced encounter on Wednesday. The winners improved to 7-8 in Group B's seventh place, while already-eliminated Slask fell to 1-14.

Taylor racked up a joint career-high of 23 points and 7 rebounds while player of the game Oni posted a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Sam Dekker added 11 points and 6 rebounds for the Lions, who led for much of the contest and ran out worthy winners. Tomislav Zubcic added 12 points for the visitors, who had already qualified for post-season with games to spare. Lukasz Kolenda, Jeremiah Martin and new signing Vasilije Pusica scored 18 points each for Wroclaw. Artsiom Parakhouski netted 10 points for the home side.

A high-scoring first quarter saw London race into a 10-17 lead before Slask netted 5 unanswered points, but the visitors maintained their momentum and led 24-30 after 10 minutes on the back of 10 points from Oni. London was 5-for-7 from three-point range but the second quarter was a different story, as both teams started to struggle on offense.

London led 36-40 at halftime with Zubcic and Aaron Best taking over from Oni, while Taylor came to the fore after the break, enabling the visitors to keep Slask at bay in a hard-fought battle. The home side produced a 9-0 streak early in the third with Kolenda hitting a long triple, briefly jumping in the driving seat.

However, the Lions roared back and responded with a 12-4 run to turn the tables again and headed into the fourth quarter with a slender 61-62 advantage. The visiting team’s deeper roster made the difference in the final 10 minutes and they sealed the win when Taylor nailed a three-pointer to give London a 73-81 lead with 50 seconds left on the clock.

Taylor, Oni lift London over Slask, 76-83

Slask Wroclaw v London Lions (2023-03-08T17:45:00.000Z)