Boulogne Metropolitans 92 took charge in the second half and held on to beat MoraBanc Andorra 81-74 on Tuesday night at Palais des sports Marcel-Cerdan. The hosts trailed by 9 early in the third quarter before Lahaou Konate scored 7 in a 9-0 run as Metropolitans outscored Andorra 46-30 over the final 18 minutes. 

Metropolitans outlast Andorra, 81-74

Vince Hunter scored 16 and blocked 3 shots to lead Metropolitans, which ended a two-game skid and improved to 4-4. Keith Hornsby added 14 points and 4 assists, Will Cummings netted 12 points and David Michineau had 11. Drew Crawford paced Andorra with 15 points, Clevin Hannah scored 12, Codi Miller-McIntyre tallied 11 points and 5 assists and Oriol Pauli contributed 10 points. The loss ended Andorra’s modest two-game winning streak and dropped its record to 5-3. 

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Hornsby opened the scoring with a layup, but it was the only basket in the first 2 minutes. After a pair of early turnovers, Miller-McIntyre broke the ice for Andorra with a second-chance triple. Hornsby stayed focused with another score and an assist to Miralem Halilovic. A three by Hannah had Andorra within 9-8 after 5 minutes. Hunter stepped up to extend the Metropolitans’ advantage to 14-10. A Crawford triple trimmed the deficit again and Pauli’s layup pushed the visitors in front, 16-17. After free throws by Bandja Sy, Gal Mekel beat the first-quarter buzzer with a three from midcourt to make it 18-20.

Tomer Ginat made his first basket after returning from injury to tie the game on the first possession of the second quarter, but a Mekel-to-Pauli alley-oop and a basket-plus-foul by Nacho Llovet prompted a timeout by the visitors. Conor Morgan added a three-pointer for a 20-27 lead. Sy got to the line twice more to make it 24-29 midway through the quarter. Andorra responded with a three by Hannah and a layup by Miller-McIntyre to claim a double-digit lead. Threes by Michineau and Hornsby drew Metropolitans within 30-36, which prompted a timeout for Andorra. Michineau capped an action-packed final minute of the half with a fadeaway jumper to make it 35-40. 

Baskets by Crawford and Moussa Diagne kept Andorra in control early in the second half. Metropolitans turned things around through Konate who scored the last 7 points of a 9-0 run that evened the score at 44-44. The visitors were held without points for more than 5 minutes before Llovet scored on the offensive glass. Cummings drained a go-ahead three for the hosts and Konate dunked for a 49-46 lead. After an Andorra timeout, Crawford made a three from the corner to tie it. Cummings and Hannah swapped triples and Cummings penetrated to make it 54-52 through three quarters.

Victor Arteaga dunked an alley-oop pass from Miller-McIntyre to briefly give Andorra the lead. Ginat scored at the other end and Cummings darted through the visitors’ defense to make it 59-56. Michineau’s steal and slam stretched the lead to 5, but Andorra soon tied it on Crawford’s third three of the night. Tony Crocker beat the shot clock with a three for his first Metropolitans points. The lead continued to switch hands with Noua putting Andorra ahead with a second-chance score before Crocker drilled a three-pointer. Michineau made it 69-65 with 4 minutes remaining. Hornsby made it 72-67 with a three. Pauli and Miller-McIntyre had the visitors back within 1. Clutch baskets by Hornsby and Hunter kept the hosts in charge. Free throws by Hannah made it 76-74 with 23.9 seconds to go and Hunter countered with free throws to make it a two-possession lead with 17.0 left. Miller-McIntyre missed a three and Hunter capped the victory with a three-point play. 

Boulogne Metropolitans 92 v MoraBanc Andorra (2021-12-21T19:15:00.000Z)

Vince Hunter - Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (photo Olivier dAlmeida - Metropolitans) - EC21

Although Lahaou Konate started at small forward for Boulogne Metropolitans 92, he put together a rather unremarkable first half. Konate did not attempt a shot over the first 20 minutes of game action, during which he played neatly 8 minutes. 

Konate emerges as Metropolitans’ difference maker

That changed in a big way in the third quarter when he put the team on his back to score 9 of his team’s 19 points. With MoraBanc Andorra up 35-44 early in the third, Konate stepped up with 7 points in a 9-0 game-tying run. He later threw down an impressive slam to make it 49-46. Even though the game was decided in the fourth quarter, Metropolitans would not have been in the discussion if not for Konate’s big quarter. 

Lahaou Konate - Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (photo Olivier dAlmeida - Metropolitans) - EC21

This is what the protagonists of the game had to say after such a close deal down the stretch.

Post-Game Quotes: Bourg 82-86 Buducnost


### Aleksandar Dzikic, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica

“We were very tired, but played all 40 minutes through mistakes, we made mistakes, maybe we shouldn’t let them come back when we were up by like 15 but it is what it is. We were very tired, so my players will get two days off, for sure. I feel tired, dead tired, so I’m going to celebrate right now.

“We have been playing with this group for too long and we are missing our guys. I agree that if you are up by 15 or 18 you should try to control the game, but they raised the level, full-court pressure defense, some turnovers, and at the end it was close. This a tough place and some teams will lose here, for sure.”



### Laurent Legname, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse
“It was a good reaction, but like I said at halftime, at this level you cannot play without energy for 4 minutes or 5 minutes. Being down by 18 points was too far for us to come back. We made a good reaction, my players never gave up but it’s not enough.”



### Justin Cobbs, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica
“I think in the second half we gave too many open threes and that’s what they do, they shoot the ball well. They got a lot of pace and pick-and-pop and they shoot the ball well. I think we got a little bit too comfortable, we got a big lead, and we let them come back and reach us. Any game on the road is tough. We got another one on the road, so now it’s time to rest and get ready for the ABA league. We got a break in the EuroCup so we got to rest and get ready.”


Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2021-12-21T19:00:00.000Z)

Jacorey Williams - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg) - EC21

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica bounced back from its home defeat against Gran Canaria in Round 7 and escaped from the Ekinox with a valuable 82-86 road win against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse on Tuesday night. The visitors built an 18-point lead early after the break, but Bourg came back and made it a one-possession game, 68-70, in the last period. 

Buducnost beats Bourg on the road, 82-86

Justin Cobbs came to the rescue, scoring 11 of Buducnost's last 16 points to pave the way for the win. Cobbs was the guests’ top scorer with 24 points, to which he added 6 assists for a PIR of 31. D.J. Seeley followed him with 21 points and as Willie Reed posted 15 points and 8 boards to help Buducnost improve to 6-2. Alexandre Chassang had career-highs in points (15) and PIR (20 to set the tone for Bourg, which dropped to 2-6. Maxime Courby also netted 15 points to achieve his career-best, while C.J. Harris, Rasheed Sulaimon and Maxime Roos contributed 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively in defeat. 

Both teams had slow starts on offense until Cobbs and Seeley contributed 4 points apiece to give the visitors an early 5-10 edge after 4 minutes. Buducnost looked much more comfortable than Bourg playing low tempo and it proved right when Seeley hit from downtown to make it 7-15. Roos and Courby stepped up to launch a 9-2 run that brought the hosts within 1 point right before Chassang made it all square, 19-19, from behind the arc. A three-point play by Cobbs helped the visitors keep the lead at 21-22 at the end of the first quarter.

Back-to-back triples by Suad Sehovic and Seeley increased the margin to 23-28. Axel Julien tied it again from the same place, but a put-back slam by Reed and 3 points from the line by Seeley prevented Bourg from completing the comeback. Vladimir Micov followed with a short jumper that set the difference to 28-35 and forced a Bourg timeout. Pierre Pelos finished a 4-minute scoring drought with a triple, but Reed answered with 8 points in a row that built a double-digit lead, 31-43, in a blink of an eye. Cobbs and Micov joined in from the foul line to cap a 0-11 boost that sent the game to the locker rooms with a 31-46 margin for the visiting side. 

Even though Sulaimon tried to heat his team up after the break with 5 consecutive points, Buducnost found a timely answer from Seeley, who contributed 8 of his own to allow his team to dig it even deeper, 39-57. Chassang showed up inside to try to avoid an early sinking, as Buducnost turned over 3 consecutive possessions that opened the door for Bourg to get within 50-59 with an 11-2 run. Reed cooled it down with a floater, but that would be the last field goal by the visitors until the end of the quarter, which Bourg exploited to stay in the hunt, 55-64, entering the last stanza.

The hosts continued the rally through Chassang, who first drained a three and then stole a ball to grant Suleimon an easy layup that made it 63-66 with 8 minutes remaining. Another bucket by Chassang reduced the difference to 68-70, but Buducnost didn’t panic. Cobbs connected from downtown and Marko Jagodic-Kuridza scored inside for a 68-75 edge midway through the last quarter. The hosts struck again with Chassang inside and Harris outside to reduce the deficit to 73-75 with 3 minutes to go, but Cobbs stabbed a dagger on Bourg’s back by scoring 8 points in a row that froze the comeback, 75-83. Micov followed with a three-point play entering the last minute which made it 78-86 to seal the outcome. 

Dennis Seeley - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg) - EC21

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica’s head coach Aleksandar Dzikic had to expect the best of a shorthanded rotation, as he counted on only eight players for this game, as he did in Round 7 against Gran Canaria at home. 

Buducnost wins in eight against eight

Unlike that game, Buducnost escaped with a victory and most of the credit must go to the magic trio formed by Justin Cobbs, D.J. Seeley and Willie Reed. They combined for 60 of the visitors' total 86 points (69.7%), and for 75 of Buducnost’s 97 total PIR (77.3%). On the other side, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse also had to limit its rotation to eight players and - even though the team enjoyed balance with five players scoring in double-digits, it proved not enough to claim a third home win in a row. 

Willie Reed - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg) - EC21

Despite trailing by double-digits at halftime, 31-46, and 39-57 midway through the third period, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse never gave up and managed to make a terrific rally that threatened the outcome. Two of the players who had the most to do with the comeback were Alexandre Chassang and Maxime Courby, who stepped up in the second half to lead the hosts. 

Chassang and Courby shine in defeat

The former scored 13 points in the second half for a total of 15, his best in the competition, while the latter netted 10 of his total 15 points after the break, also registering a career-high. Chassang also added personal bests in defensive rebounds (6), assists (4) and PIR (20), while Courby reached a new high in assists, too, with 4. 

Justin Cobbs proved once again that he is even more dangerous when the game goes to the wire. He took over when things got most dangerous for Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, as the hosts managed to come within 63-66 early in the fourth quarter after erasing an 18-point deficit.

Cobbs turns the lights off on Bourg

It was then that the guard showed up to score 13 points in the last 8 minutes, keeping his team calm enough to avoid losing the lead. First, he dropped a couple of free throws, then assisted Vladimir Micov for a 66-70 edge. And when Alexandre Chassang made it a one-possession game on the following play, Cobbs exploded, draining back-to-back triples, and following with 3 free throws and a jumper that all but put the game on ice. 

Justin Cobbs - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg) - EC21

It was perhaps no surprise to see the home team enduring offensive struggles, as Promitheas came into the game averaging a EuroCup-low 73.0 points. 

Late flurry made the difference

The home team’s best chance of winning the game was defense, and for 35 minutes that was the case as the game stayed tight and low-scoring. But then a 0-15 run in less than four minutes, helped by a series of baskets with fouls, allowed the visiting team to accelerate away for the victory as the Reyer defense held firm at the other end.

Promitheas Patras v Umana Reyer Venice (2021-12-21T17:30:00.000Z)

Kendrick Ray - Promitheas Patras (photo Patras) - EC21

Umana Reyer Venice used a late explosion to overcome Promitheas Patras 68-78. A low-scoring first half saw Promitheas take a series of small leads without ever being allowed to feel comfortable. Promitheas opened the second half with a 10-0 burst, but Reyer fought back with its own 0-10 run to go ahead 51-52 with ten minutes left. It stayed close in the fourth quarter until Reyer produced a 0-15 run in three minutes to seal the win. 

Reyer produces late burst to down Promitheas, 68-78

Mitchell Watt bagged a double-double for Reyer with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Victor Sanders and Michael Bramos also scored 13, and Jeff Brooks added 12. Jerai Grant led the hosts with 19 points, Kendrick Ray scored 17 and Dimitris Agravanis had 14. Promitheas drops to 2-6 while Reyer improves to 4-4.

Promitheas made a fast start behind 5 points from Grant including a layup-and-one. Jeff Brooks and Tarik Phillip got Reyer on the board but Grant was on target again to make it 9-4 midway through the first. Michele Vitali, Ray (twice) and Phillip all struck from deep in a flurry of three-pointers, keeping Promitheas ahead at 15-10. Mitchell Watt’s first basket made it 16-12 at the end of the first. Bruno Cerella scored Reyer’s first 6 points of the second quarter, but Ray and Nikolaos Gkikas kept the host in front, 22-18. After a slow spell of scoring, Nikolaos Rogkavopoulos’s tip-in and Ray’s threeball were answered by free throws and a three-point play from Watt, and a fastbreak score by Bramos gave Reyer its first lead, 27-28. Grant hit straight back and Abdul Gaddy added a long two, making it 31-30 at the break.

Agravanis opened the second half with a three-point play, before Grant scored twice and Agravanis made another three-point play to cap a 10-0 burst. Sanders finally got the visitors moving with 5 points in a row, before Valerio Mazzola and Sanders added another couple of three-pointers to make it 46-41. Bramos scored inside and Mazzola added a triple for a 46-48 lead after a 0-10 run. Dario Hunt inside and Gkikas from deep responded for Promitheas, and Agravanis beat the buzzer to make it 54-52 after three quarters. Agravanis scored twice early in the fourth quarter, but Brooks bettered that with three scores for a 59-59 tie. Then Bramos launched Reyer’s explosion with a three-pointer, before Sanders added a layup, Bramos hit a threeball-and-one, Watt and Vitali also scored with fouls and it was all over.

Michael Bramos - Umana Reyer Venice (photo Patras) - EC21