Bursaspor brings aboard swingman Thornwell

Frutti Extra Bursaspor added athleticism and versatility to its roster by signing swingman Sindarius Thornwell, the club announced Wednesday. Thornwell (1.93 meters, 27 years old) arrives from ratiopharm Ulm, where he averaged 10.5 points on 40.4% three-point shooting and 90.2% free-throw shooting, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 13 7DAYS EuroCup games last season. 

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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Welcome 🤝 Sindarius Thornwell <br><br>Kulübümüz, 1.93 boyunda 27 yaşındaki forvet Sindarius Thornwell ile anlaşma sağladı. <br><br>Thornwell&#39;e hoş geldin diyor, kendisine başarılı bir sezon diliyoruz 🐊 <a href="https://t.co/QUaCgnYSbK">pic.twitter.com/QUaCgnYSbK</a></p>&mdash; Frutti Extra Bursaspor (@BsBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BsBasketbol/status/1582709329840381958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Thornwell came to Europe for the first time to play for Ulm after spending the previous four seasons in the NBA with Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans and Orlando. He also played in the G-League for Agua Caliente and Rio Grande. Thornwell played college basketball at the University of South Carolina, which he led to the NCAA Final Four in 2017.

The London Lions made history on Tuesday night, defeating Dolomiti Energia Trento 80-75 at Copper Box Arena to become the first British team to win a 7DAYS EuroCup game since 2004.

 

It's been over 18 years, but the last win by an English team in the competition was one for the history books.

 

Brighton Bears downed Cholet Basket 112-103 in double overtime on January 27, 2004. Despite a 4-6 regular season record, Brighton was eliminated after this legendary game. What makes it so memorable is that guard Randy Duck led the winners with 49 points, which remains an all-time EuroCup record. He scored 12-of-23 two-pointers, 4-of-10 three-pointers and hit 13-of-17 free throws, while also adding 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 14 fouls drawn for a PIR of 45.

It took another outstanding individual performance for a British team to win a game, with Ovie Soko stepping up to the plate against Trento. The 31-year-old was unstoppable against Trento, finishing with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 9 fouls drawn for a PIR of 39.

"I'm just glad we could win, man," Soko said after the game. "This year is going to have a lot of ups and downs – we've got a lot of new players trying to be cohesive and come together – and this was a step in the right direction. We know we have a long way to go, but we'll just keep on plugging away."

Only one other British team has played in the EuroCup in the time between Brighton's last appearance and London's debut this season; Guildford Heat competed in the 2007-08 season but finished the regular season with a 0-10 record. It still holds the record for the biggest-ever loss in the competition's history, losing by 63 points, 116-53, against Joventut Badalona, which went on to win the title in 2008. Nine different Joventut players scored in double digits, and its team PIR of 173 is also the competition's all-time best.

Game Videos

No other British team played the EuroCup until this season, and London has arrived with aspirations of fighting for bigger goals. Despite being without its two main stars, Sam Dekker and Kostas Koufos, London registered its first win and is ready to fight for a spot in the playoffs.

 

"I'm just excited for our team, excited for the organization. Obviously we were down a few key bodies with Sam \[Dekker\] and Kos \[Koufos\] out, but the way these guys responded and came together," London head coach Ryan Schmidt said after the game. "It's just cool for British basketball to see the crowd in here and to do something for the first time in 18 years \[grabbing a win in the EuroCup as a British team\]. I'm just really excited for our players."

 

Without the pressure of having to get its first win, London hopes to keep building momentum when it goes on the road to face Gran Canaria in Round 3.

Game News

London ended Britain's 18-year EuroCup drought

London Lions v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2022-10-18T18:30:00.000Z)

After not making the 7DAYS EuroCup Playoffs last season, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse has opened the new campaign with two wins in as many games. On Tuesday night, Bourg registered its first road victory of the season, downing Umana Reyer Venice 73-79.

After holding to triumph in a high-scoring affair a week ago, Bourg prevailed on Tuesday thanks to its defense.

"I am very happy because my team played very good defense," Bourg head coach Frederic Fauthoux said after the game. "We had a goal tonight to put this team under 72 points. We allowed 73, and we won."

Bourg met its defensive goal despite falling behind 12-2 after 3 minutes, but over the next 9 minutes, the visitors' defense limited Reyer to a single three-pointer made and got back into the game.

In the third quarter, Jordan Floyd got it going, scoring 9 points to put Bourg ahead. Then James Palmer found his range, sinking 3 three-pointers late in the last 11 minutes. Palmer finished with 16 points and Floyd had 15.

What made coach Fauthoux even happier was that this win came three days after losing a French League game at home by 19 points.

"I am very proud of my team," he stressed after his team became the first in Group A with two wins.

Bourg nearly met its challenging defensive goal

Umana Reyer Venice v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2022-10-18T18:00:00.000Z)

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse continued its good start to the season by picking up its second win. Bourg defeated Umana Reyer Venice on the road 73-79.

Bourg did so after shooting just 14 three-point shots and making 6. It came a week after Bourg shot 28 triples in a Round 1 win against U-BT Cluj-Napoca. On this night, Bourg forced the issue inside, going 25-for-45 (55.6%). Bourg also forced 18 turnovers and picked up 12 steals in the process. Those were the keys in this low-scoring affair.

Key stat: Bourg went inside in road win 

Turk Telekom Ankara got its 7DAYS EuroCup season back on track in Round 2 by beating Veolia Towers Hamburg 83-88 at edel-optics.de Arena, with Tony Taylor marking his return to action by recording 25 points and 5 assists off the bench, having missed his team's opening-round defeat to Paris Basketball.

It did not take long for Taylor to make an impact for Turk Telekom. He entered the court with 5:47 to go in the first quarter and scored 8 points while also dishing out 1 assist, which ensured that his team ended the first 10 minutes with a one-point advantage. Another 10 points followed in the second quarter en route to a 38-44 halftime lead, as Hamburg struggled to stop Taylor from scoring points. He would go on to score a further 7 points and dish out 4 assists in the second half.

Taylor is back in the EuroCup this year after last appearing in the competition for PGE Turow in 2014-15, when he averaged 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 8 games. Now, at age 32, he has the experience and quality to guide this Turk Telekom team a long way in the 2022-23 EuroCup.

Taylor's return provides spark for Turk Telekom 

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Turk Telekom Ankara (2022-10-18T17:30:00.000Z)

### Ryan Schmidt, London Lions head coach

 

"I'm just excited for our team, excited for the organization. Obviously we were down a few key bodies with Sam \[Dekker\] and Kos \[Koufos\] out, but the way these guys responded and came together… We gave up 27 points in the first quarter, but they just chipped away at it. It's just cool for British basketball to see the crowd in here and to do something for the first time in 18 years \[grabbing a win in the EuroCup as a British team\]. I'm just really excited for our players.

 

"We needed this in a lot of ways. We're in a unique situation where we brought in 15 new guys – we didn't have a foundation, we didn't have a core – and we've got a bunch of guys we're trying to get come together as a team. When you have two of your best players, your starters and your focal points on both ends of the floor, out and you see contributions from everybody, it's more than pleasing as a head coach."

### Ovie Soko, London Lions forward

 

"I'm just glad we could win, man. This year is going to have a lot of ups and downs – we've got a lot of new players trying to be cohesive and come together – and this was a step in the right direction. We know we have a long way to go, but we'll just keep on plugging away.

 

"The team put me in that position \[to have a great game\]. We're trying to make it a habit to move the ball and play off each other, and that just comes with time. It's a different person \[who has the chance to succeed\] every game."

### Emanuele Molin, Dolomiti Energia Trento head coach

 

"I think the turnovers made a difference and the energy that the Lions played with was much more than we showed on the court. In the last quarter we paid for a bit of fatigue, having played the last game less than 48 hours ago, so we suffered with that."

Post-game quotes: London vs. Trento

### Turk Telekom rocks its first win

Turk Telekom Ankara has recorded its first victory of the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup season by beating Hamburg Towers away on Tuesday night, which takes both of their records to 1-1. Tyrique Jones was the standout performer on the night for Turk Telekom, recording a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double in the 83-88 road triumph, but he was also assisted by 25 points from Tony Taylor, who shone off the bench. Axel Bouteille and Erkan Yilmaz chipped in with 18 and 12 points, respectively, for Turk Telekom. Marvin Clark caught fire for Hamburg in the third quarter and scored 11 straight points en route to a team-high 23 points, but James Woodard was the only other Hamburg player to score a double-digit number of points with 13.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jones showing off with the Alley-Oop finish! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/2E3fKVSelu">pic.twitter.com/2E3fKVSelu</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1582451240922886144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

### Buducnost posts historic road victory

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica got into the Group B win column with a resounding 58-98 road win at Slask Wroclaw on Tuesday. It marked the biggest margin of difference for Buducnost in its 184 7DAYS EuroCup games to date. Buducnost broke open a close game by dominating the middle quarters 27-45 and then outscoring Slask 4-11 to start the fourth. Cameron Reynolds led the winners with 21 points, making 5 three-pointers, and 7 rebounds. Alpha Kaba added 16 points, Igor Drobnjak 13 and Kenan Kamenjas 10. The Buducnost defense limited Slask to one double-figure scorer, Jeremiah Martin with 17 points.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Like a sniper, I&#39;ve got my sights on you<br>Windscreen wiper, there ain&#39;t no spoiling my view<br>Silver bandolier, my profession&#39;s clear<br>Sharpshooter 🏹<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeOwnTheFuture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeOwnTheFuture</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zss4Ucbw1x">pic.twitter.com/Zss4Ucbw1x</a></p>&mdash; KK Budućnost VOLI (@KKBuducnostVOLI) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI/status/1582465063994081281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

### Bourg blasts off to 2-0 start

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse picked up its second win of the season, going on the road and downing Umana Reyer Venice 73-79 on Tuesday night in Group A. Bourg improved to 2-0 while Reyer dropped to 0-2. Isiaha Mike collected 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead Bourg. James Palmer scored 16 points and Jordan Floyd had 11 of his 15 in the second half in a victory. Mitchell Watt had 19 points and 3 blocks for Reyer, while Jayson Granger scored 15 in a losing effort.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Ils ont fait le boulot 💪🔥 <a href="https://t.co/lIDXHHQ1cw">pic.twitter.com/lIDXHHQ1cw</a></p>&mdash; JL Bourg Basket (@JLBourgBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLBourgBasket/status/1582465847192301568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

### Lions rise up for first EuroCup triumph!

The London Lions are off the mark in the 7DAYS EuroCup after downing Dolomiti Energia Trento at Copper Box Arena. Ovie Soko had an incredible night for London in its 80-75 victory, putting up a 22-point, 14-rebound double-double while recording a PIR of 39. London, which was without star signings Sam Dekker and Kosta Koufos, had several players step up and record double-digit scoring figures, including Vojtech Hruban, who went 5-of-7 from behind the arc, Tomislav Zubcic, Luke Nelson and Aaron Best. Drew Crawford and Diego Flaccadori had 17 points apiece for Trento in the losing effort.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What.A.Performance😱<a href="https://twitter.com/OvieSoko?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OvieSoko</a> was really doing it ALL as he finished with a double-double in a historic <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LondonLions</a> win! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/joN3QuBNxk">pic.twitter.com/joN3QuBNxk</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1582475169221660672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Game Center: London prevents road warrior sweep on Tuesday

The London Lions are off the mark in the 7DAYS EuroCup after downing Dolomiti Energia Trento at Copper Box Arena on Tuesday night.

Ovie Soko had an incredible night for London in its 80-75 victory, putting up a 22-point, 14-rebound double-double while recording a PIR of 39. London, which was without star signings Sam Dekker and Kosta Koufos, had several players step up and record double-digit scoring figures, including Vojtech Hruban, who went 5-of-7 from behind the arc, Tomislav Zubcic, Luke Nelson and Aaron Best. Drew Crawford and Diego Flaccadori had 17 points apiece for Trento in the losing effort.

Almost the entire game was incredible close as neither team was able to truly pull away once they got ahead, but in the final stages it was London who held its nerve to retake the lead and then hold onto it until the final buzzer. Trento, meanwhile, continues its wait for another EuroCup win, having lasted tasted victory in the competition on November 17, 2021.

London beats Trento to record first-ever EuroCup win 

### 

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica turned around a disappointing loss in its Round 1 home opener with a prolific rout of its host, Slask Wroclaw, in Round 2 on Tuesday.

The 58-98 final score amounted to the biggest victory in Buducnost's 184 games to date in the 7DAYS EuroCup. It's previous three best efforts were all home wins, the largest being an 89-56 decision over Steaua Bucharest in the 2015-16 season. 

The final 40-point difference for Buducnost also tied for the second-biggest win in EuroCup history by a road team. The only bigger road wins happened at least 14 years ago, with the widest margin for a team away from home at 45 points, by BK Ventspils over Eiffeltowers Nijmegen in the 2004-05 season.

Buducnost's 130 team performance index rating was the club's second-best ever and its high-water mark away from home. Its 19 offensive rebounds, paced by Alpha Kaba with 4, matched the team's second-highest total ever. 

Buducnost made club history in first win

Slask Wroclaw v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2022-10-18T18:00:00.000Z)