After scoring 15 points in the third quarter against last season’s 7DAYS EuroCup runner-up, Derek Willis of Umana Reyer Venice walked off with the Round 7 MVP honor, and he’s confident that his third team in the competition aspires to great things this season as he said to Eurohoops just before the clash with his former team Joventut Badalona.

The last time Frutti Extra Bursaspor played a 7DAYS EuroCup game in Italy, it didn’t go well for Dusan Alimpijevic’s team. Virtus was at home, with its famous crowd, and the black-and-white team lifted the trophy in Bologna.

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Derek Willis, Reyer: ‘We can go as far as we want’ by Eurohoops

By coming out on top 79-71 in overtime against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on Tuesday, Gran Canaria maintained its 100% record at home and ensured a continued upwards trajectory in Group B.

Gran Canaria continued its rise in Group B

On Tuesday night, Gran Canaria and Buducnost VOLI Podgorica faced off at Gran Canaria Arena in a battle between the two teams at the top of Group B. Entering Round 8, the hosts were in second place and the visitors in first, yet Gran Canaria's 79-71 overtime win meant that it leap-frogged Buducnost to lead the way in the standings.

By coming out on top, Gran Canaria maintained its 100% record at home – it has won all four of its games at Gran Canaria Arena this season – and ensured a continued upwards trajectory by recording its second win in succession. Those back-to-back wins followed a surprise 75-72 defeat to Dolomiti Energia Trento in Round 6. But that proved a singular blemish. Since Round 2, Gran Canaria has been on a 5-1 run to rise in the standings. 

There have been some impressive wins in that run, but in the last two games, head coach Jaka Lakovic has led his players to victories over Turk Telekom Ankara and Buducnost, both of whom came into Round 8 with joint-best records of 5-2.

Gran Canaria - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica | Round 8 Highlights | 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup

Although Turk Telekom has the opportunity to climb above Gran Canaria and go into first place with a win over the London Lions this Wednesday night based on overall point differential, Coach Lakovic's side is one of the most in-form teams in the 7DAYS EuroCup and is giving its fans plenty of reason to dream.

Entering the 2022-23 season, Gran Canaria was viewed as one of the favorites to contend for the EuroCup title. There are still some aspects that need to be improved upon, but the last two wins and the way in which they came – clicking on offense in Ankara before showing grit and determination against Buducnost – should provide fans with even more confidence.

What's more, while Andrew Albicy and John Shurna both shined during the overtime period against Buducnost, and big men Khalifa Diop and Aleksander Balcerowski did so in regulation, the likes of AJ Slaughter, Vitor Benite and Damien Inglis can all play better than they did in Round 8. Gran Canaria seems to have found a way to keep winning, and that's a scary prospect for the rest of the teams in Group B.

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv entered the game against Slask Wroclaw without backup point guard Bar Timor, who averages 23 minutes and 3.0 assists per game. Then, late in the second quarter, J'Covan Brown was taken to hospital after a blow to the head that saw him lose consciousness on the floor.

And while the first thing on everyone's mind was Brown's well-being, he had 9 of Hapoel's 14 assists up to that point. The hosts did hold a comfortable 19-point margin, but there was uncertainty about how the team would react. Few could have imagined that by the end of the night Hapoel would end up with 33 assists, one shy of a EuroCup record.

Game Videos

"Once J'Cowan went down, we definitely wanted to win for him," said Jordan McRae who mostly took over the point guard position and finished with 7 dishes. "I played some point guard in my day, Xavier Munford played little point before, so we tried to play point guard as a team and tried to get things going."

In the end, each of the 11 Hapoel players in uniform dished at least 1 assist and seven players had multiple assists.

The mark of 33 assists shattered the club's previous season-high of 27 and came within a whisker of the EuroCup record of 34 set by Aykon Ted Ankara Kolejliler and Khimki Moscow Region in the 2013-14 campaign.

The team effort on ball movement led to Hapoel scoring 103 points, and winning by 30, a stylish way to snap a three-game losing streak, all while keeping J'Covan Brown in their thoughts.

Game News

Playmaker-less Hapoel flirts with assists record

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv v Slask Wroclaw (2022-12-13T17:30:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg missed a chance to chalk up its second successive win in Group B after falling short 85-80 at Dolomiti Energia Trento, as the home side took full advantage of turnovers and missed free throws by the visitors in a hotly contested clash.

 

Although Hamburg dominated the boards, racking up 34 rebounds to Trento’s 29, the German side sank only 10 of its 18 shots from the foul line while its opponent buried 17 from 18, gaining a decisive edge to celebrate its second win in eight games.

 

Hamburg, which dropped to a 3-5 record, also committed 19 turnovers while Trento had 11, with the teams tied on 19 assists each.

 

James Woodard led all scorers with 23 points, 11 of them in the first quarter, but Trento’s aggressive defense limited his contribution in the second half as Trento’s team effort proved too much for Hamburg.

 

Hamburg actually had more players with double digits in scoring (5) than Trento (4) but the visiting team’s role players failed to step up to the plate as they only netted 10 points between them.

 

The home team, in contrast, thrived from a productive supporting cast that chipped in with a combined total of 27 points to give Trento a lifeline win, which reinvigorated its hopes of reaching the knockout rounds.

Turnovers, missed free throws cost Hamburg

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2022-12-13T19:00:00.000Z)

Gran Canaria came away with a 79-71 overtime win at home to Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on Tuesday night, with forward John Shurna playing an important role in the victory.

 

After finishing the fourth quarter with 10 points, Shurna came to the fore with six points on 2 three-pointers to finish with 16. Yet, it was the timing of those triples that was the most important.

 

After Trae Bell-Haynes of Buducnost had gone 2-for-2 from the free-throw line to tie the game up once again, 68-68, with 2:52 minutes remaining, Shurna drained a three-pointer on the left wing to create a bit of daylight, 71-68. He then grabbed an important offensive rebound to help Gran Canaria wind down the clock a bit more.

 

Buducnost was coming back into the game, with Cameron Reynolds and Alpha Kaba scoring a combined 3-of-4 free throws to make it 74-71 with less than 50 seconds left. There was a bit of panic beginning to set in inside Gran Canaria Arena, but Shurna – Mr. Reliable in overtime – stepped up to hit another triple, which extended Gran Canaria's lead to 77-71 and all but confirmed the team's win.

Shurna was Mr. Reliable for Gran Canaria in overtime

Gran Canaria v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2022-12-13T20:00:00.000Z)

### Dolomiti Energia Trento head coach Emanuele Molin:

"For us it’s a big win because it’s kept us alive in the competition. We won three quarters of the four. It was a tough game because Hamburg did not give up anything. We were capable of leading the game for almost 40 minutes. That is important, it gave us confidence and the team played with great togetherness. Congratulations to my players."

### Veolia Towers Hamburg head coach Raoul Korner: 

"First of all, congratulations to Trento for winning this hard-fought battle. It was a close game and in the end, we probably ran out of gas a little bit. We got out of our sync and out of our structure a little bit, we made too many mistakes and when we get tired, we tend to make some turnovers. The team fought as hard as I can expect. We have to get our guys back healthy, that is the key for us."

### Dolomiti Energia Trento forward Mattia Udom:

"We knew we would have to fight and we knew it was going to be a tough game. We were missing some players but we showed what we can do and that we can play together. I am happy \[with\] my performance, but the biggest thing is the team win. That’s what we came here to do and that’s what we did.”

### Veolia Towers Hamburg forward Seth Hinrichs: 

"We implemented what we wanted to do to a large extent. But they ended up hitting some difficult shots in the fourth quarter. We didn't have enough in the tank to fight again. Still, I'm proud of how we fought. Especially after the Chemnitz game, it was another step in the right direction toward the basketball we want to play. Of course, it's never fun to lose, but we have to focus directly on our next task now."

Coach Molin, Trento: 'This win keeps us alive'

### Jaka Lakovic, Gran Canaria head coach

"For sure, the key in the end was that we scored some three-pointers. We had a bad percentage – it was time to make some. We had open shots that we didn’t make, and in the end, we made them. In the end, this decided the winner."

### Vlada Jovanovic, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica head coach

"It was a very good game. For most of the game, we led by a couple of points. At the end of the game, I think our defense was \[playing\] at a good level, but on offense we didn’t find good shots and we missed some open shots and free throws. What can I say?"

### John Shurna, Gran Canaria forward

"Obviously Buducnost was the top team in our group, so it was an important game. It wasn’t our best game, but we fought and stuck together in the difficult moments. We were fortunate to get the win in overtime."

Coach Lakovic, Gran Canaria: 'The key was that we scored some three-pointers'

### Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv Danny Franco:

"Very important for us, for the first time we had to get by without point guards. Everyone's mind was with J'Cowan, and I am happy we got behind that, and right now the most important is J'Cowan Brown's health. Before all the team's plans and game's plans comes a life, a human being. You can make a game plan but suddenly an \[accident\] like that happens. All my thoughts are with him, hope he is going to be fine. He is my man."

### Slask Wroclaw head coach Andrej Urlep:

"For us it was very hard for us. We had a hard game two days ago, we had a long trip yesterday, and in that last game two of our starters got injured so they did not play tonight. Congratulation to Hapoel, they showed really good basketball. They played really tough on the defensive end we had a lot of problems with our execution. We made some really bad decisions on offense, they punished us and Hapoel deserved this win."

### Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv guard Jordan McRae:

"We just played together as a team. Once J'Cowan went down, we definitely wanted to win for him. He is one of the leaders of our team. We had both of our point guards out, J'Cowan and Timor Bar. I played some point guard in my day, Munford played little point before, so we tried to play point guard as a team and tried to get things going."

Coach Franco, Hapoel: 'All my thoughts are with Brown'

Gran Canaria moved to the top of the Group B standings in the 7DAYS EuroCup on Tuesday night after edging past Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, 79-71, in overtime at Gran Canaria Arena. This victory improved Gran Canaria to 6-2, while Buducnost dropped to 5-3.

In a very tight game, the hosts relied on 16 points from John Shurna to come away with the win. Andrew Albicy also contributed 12 points for Gran Canaria, while Aleksander Balcerowski, Khalifa Diop and Nicolas Brussino all finished with 11. For Buducnost, Alpha Kaba had a team-high 14 points to go with 8 rebounds. Trae Bell-Haynes and Cameron Reynolds were the other Buducnost to get into double figures, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The first quarter saw Gran Canaria get off to a better start, opening an 11-5 inside the opening four minutes and 18 seconds. Buducnost soon responded and cut the gap to 12-9, but a three-pointer by Vitor Benite reopened the hosts' advantage, 15-9, with 2:32 remaining in the quarter. Yet, Buducnost fought back once again by going on a 0-8 run to take a slender lead, 15-17, with 21 seconds left. Miquel Salvo then hit a couple of free throws, so the score was tied at 17-17 after the first 10 minutes. It was a similar story in the second quarter, too, as Gran Canaria opened a lead as large as seven points, but Buducnost clawed its way back and managed to go into the break level, 36-36, following a pair of free throws from Bell-Haynes. 

The script flipped after halftime, though, as Buducnost came out hot and managed to lead for the entire quarter. After being tied at the end of the first, 17-17, and then again after the second, 36-36, a 12-15 margin in favor of Buducnost meant the visitors entered the last quarter with a three-point lead, 48-51. In the fourth, Shurna popped up with a three-pointer inside the first 45 seconds to level the scoreboard, 51-51. Shortly after, Buducnost did enough to retake the lead and keep it, thanks to Kaba and Reynolds, but Gran Canaria got itself level following a triple by Albicy with 3:19 left in regulation. Bell-Haynes scored a go-ahead two-pointer with 2:11 remaining, 62-64, yet Shurna hit back with one of his own 21 seconds later, 64-64. No more baskets were scored, so the game went to overtime. 

Kaba scored a nice turnaround jumper of AJ Slaughter early in the extra period to give Buducnost the advantage, 64-66. Brussino and Slaughter both scored two-pointers of their own to swing the momentum, before Bell-Haynes tied it up, 68-68, with a couple of made free throws. The contest began to get away from Buducnost in the final 2:36, as Shurna and Albicy hit a triple apiece to make it a six-point game, 74-68. Reynolds and Kaba both went to the line, going a combined 3-for-4, to make Gran Canaria sweat, 74-71, but Shurna appeared with another three-pointer to all but wrap up the win, 77-71 with 31.0 remaining. Bell-Haynes committed a turnover on the following play, and Diop went 2-for-2 from the stripe to wrap up a 79-71 victory for Gran Canaria.