Umana Reyer Venice was down 5-14 on its home floor to Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and couldn't buy a basket early on Wednesday when Michele Vitali entered the fray at Palasport Taliercio. 

Reyer's sharpshooters changed the first half

His first triple fell before the quarter ended to give his team a 19-17 lead. Vitale made a couple more without missing before halftime, by which time five Reyer players had hit bottom on 7 of 15 triple attempts for a 45-28 lead. Vitali would land his fourth one late in the game to finish with 16 points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

Post-Game Quotes: Reyer 76-68 Cedevita


### Walter De Raffaele, Umana Reyer Venice

"We need to say that we really faced a talented team. So they really had the talent to come back in the game every time, but honestly, this evening, my players really wanted to win this game. They showed the right face, attitude, with mistakes, but I think they showed something inside more than technique and that is something that we will bring with us."



### Miro Alilovic, assistant coach of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana

"In the match with Umana Reyer, we showed two different faces in our game. We can't be happy with the first half, as we let the opponent go to the main break with an advantage of 17 points. This is absolutely too much at this competitive level, it is very difficult to reverse such a difference. Nevertheless, the reaction of our players in the third quarter was very good. From minute to minute we reduced the difference, but in the end, our turnovers and our lack of concentration in offense cost us the victory."


### Michele Vitali, Umana Reyer Venice
"I think that the key was to keep believing in us in the tough moments in the third quarter when they came back and in the fourth quarter too when they were very close to us. We just kept trying to play our basketball on offense, on defense, and forget about the mistakes that we made and just keep going on. This is basketball, there will be a lot of mistakes and the key is how you react to the mistakes and we did in a good way today."



### Edo Muric, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
"We opened the match too sleepy and [allowed] too many easy baskets in the first half. We showed our character in the third quarter, got back into the fight for the win, and in the end, we were too tired and our rivals also hit some hard shots. Umana Reyer deservedly won. We are going back to work and we hope to record another victory on Saturday."


Jaka Blazic 2- Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Alessandro Scarpa - Reyer) - EC21

Hamburg Towers collected its first-ever 7DAYS EuroCup victory at Edel-optics.de Arena by dominating the second half to defeat Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 100-82 on Wednesday night. The result improved Hamburg’s record to 2-5 while dropping Lokomotiv to 5-2 and knocking it out of a share of first place. After trailing 41-50 at halftime, Hamburg dominated the third quarter 29-10, highlighted by a 16-0 run highlighted by Jaylon Brown’s 2 three-pointers. Lokomotiv had no answer after that. 

Hamburg stuns Lokomotiv for first win at home, 100-82

Jaylon Brown finished with a career-high 21 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting to lead the winners. Caleb Homesley added 20 points and 5 assists and Ray McCallum and Maik Kotsar scored 18 points apiece. Errick McCollum paced Lokomotiv with 27 points, Johnathan Motley paired 19 points with 9 rebounds and Stanton Kidd scored 10 in defeat. 

Eddy Edigin took a steal in for a layup to give Hamburg the early lead, but he missed on the next two possessions while Motley and McCollum got the visitors going. It was 2-10 by the time the hosts recovered with Jaylon Brown free throws. Motley scored twice on the offensive glass to establish a double-digit lead, 4-14, which prompted a Hamburg timeout. Jaylon Brown stepped up with a three-pointer and McCallum delivered a jumper to produce some momentum. Robin Christen’s triple drew Hamburg within 6, but it was 16-25 after Stanton Kidd netted Lokomotiv’s first three. McCallum made a three and a fifty bucket in the paint to get Hamburg within 23-28 after 10 minutes.

McCallum scored the first two baskets of the second quarter and then fed Justus Hollatz for a jumper that put Hamburg ahead 29-28. Motley scored twice and Stanislav Ilnitskiy drilled a three-pointer on a 1-9 response as Lokomotiv surged ahead. After a Hamburg timeout, Jaylon Brown and Homesley connected on back-to-back three-pointers to rally the hosts to 36-37. Kotsar’s steal and layup evened things at 41-41. Kidd converted a three-point play and Greg Whittington scored the final 3 points in a 0-9 run for a 41-50 Lokomotiv lead at the break. 

Homesley came out more aggressive in the second half, but he could not get his shots to fall. However, Jaylon Brown heated up and Kotsar’s alley-oop, followed by a Seth Hinrichs slam, made it 53-55 and resulted in a Lokomotiv timeout. Homesley tied it and then drilled a deep three to give the hosts the lead. Jaylon Brown added another long three that prompted another Lokomotiv timeout. Kotsar capped an 18-0 Hamburg run with a baby hook over Motley for a 64-55 lead. McCollum helped change things for Lokomotiv with a score at one end and a block at the other. Whittington added a three-point play, which also sent Edigin to the bench with 5 fouls. Kotsar shined with a steal that led to a Hollatz slam before he drew a charge from Whittington. McCallum’s free throws made it 70-60 through 30 minutes.

Maximilian Di Leo scored the first 5 points of the fourth quarter as the Lokomotiv attack shut down. Kostar threw down a monster slam on Motley to make it 77-62. McCollum sought to lead the Lokomotiv comeback with a layup and a jumper. However, Homesley’s triple extended the margin to 16. McCollum continued to attack the basket and score, though Hamburg often had an answer. The Lokomotiv guard's 7th free throw of the quarter made it 84-75 with 4 minutes remaining. Homesley responded with a three from the corner and Kotsar dunked again to keep the hosts comfortably in control. 

Hamburg Towers v Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar (2021-12-15T18:30:00.000Z)

Caleb Homesley - Hamburg Towers (Photo Marvin Contessi) - EC21

Hamburg Towers outscored Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 59-32 in the second half on Wednesday for an impressive come-from-behind win. No two players had a bigger say in the team’s second-half turnaround than Caleb Homesley and Maik Kotsar. The former was held to 3 points and made 2 turnovers in the first half, during which he compiled a PIR of negative-1. 

Homesley, Kotsar take charge in second half

Homesley came out aggressive for the third quarter with 4 shots in the first few minutes, but he only made 1 of them. From that point on, Homesley missed only 3 more shots as he scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half. His PIR was 18 in the third and fourth quarters. Kotsar, who had 4 points, 2 rebounds and a PIR of 0 at the break, produced 14 points, 5 rebounds and a PIR of 24 in the second half. 

Two major stats told the story of Hamburg Towers' victory over Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar on Wednesday. The hosts made 10 more three-pointers than the visitors! Hamburg shot 13 for 27 from downtown (48.1%), while Lokomotiv slumped to 3-of-20 shooting (15%). 

By the numbers: Three-pointers and turnovers tell the story

Complicating matters for Lokomotiv was the fact that it committed a season-high 19 turnovers, which were 6 more than the Towers. Hamburg also dished 20 assists to Lokomotiv’s 12. Between its poor outside shooting and many turnovers, Lokomotiv was in a tough spot. 

Jayson Brown - Hamburg Towers (Photo Marvin Contessi) - EC21

Post-Game Quotes: Hamburg 100-82 Lokomotiv


### Pedro Calles, Hamburg Towers
"We were not doing a bad job at all [in the first half] because if I don't remember wrong, the score was 41-41 and they ended the second quarter with a 9-0 run, so we were right there. So we had to make sure that the beginning of the third quarter was a positive run for us. I think we put the game into a rhythm, a tempo that [Lokomotiv] didn't feel so comfortable with and that rhythm played to our strengths. I don't know what this win means to the organization, but for me, it tastes very good. This season, the challenge that we have playing in the BBL, playing in the EuroCup, the traveling, to be capable to bring this win to the fans, to my players, to my staff and to my family, I am a very happy guy tonight."



### Evgeny Pashutin, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar
"We controlled the game for the first 20 minutes. We controlled the rhythm and played defense, Okay they scored more than necessary, but we were humble defensively... In the third quarter, the Hamburg Towers played with pressure. we have to learn how to play under the pressure. They denied everything. They played close to a foul every time. Every possession was fight, fight, make contact, fight, foul, no foul. And we needed to spread out. We didn't find our way offensively plus we had a lot of wide-open shots today that we missed. It's very tough to play like this. But I told the guys, even if we miss everything wide open today, we need to play defense. And not allow a big lead like this... Hamburg Towers deserved to win. They fought today and deserved to win."



### Jaylon Brown, Hamburg Towers
"We just continued to play hard. We knew they’re a great team and before halftime, they went on a 9-0 run and coach said it’s a game of runs and we knew we had to come out in the first couple of minutes and play hard and make a run of our own. We stuck to it and we had a great second half. Every game can be different. You like to make every shot you take, but I think was a good day for us, myself and the team. We did a great job, knocking down shots, being focused and prepared for this game. Coach always says we’ll celebrate every EuroCup win we get. It’s important to the club, they’ve never been in the EuroCup. It’s important to us. And this is a great team to play against and get a win at home."


### Caleb Homesley, Hamburg Towers
“For me, our defense stands out in the third quarter. We put on a lot of pressure and Kuban only got 10 points. We managed a run right after halftime and that was the game-changer for me. We keep talking about our defense. And I think the third quarter showed what we are talking about and where we want to go with our defense."


### Ray McCallum, Hamburg Towers
"It was a good team effort. Everybody stepped up. We had a couple guys go down, we were battling with some injuries. But we were focused, we stuck to our game plan in the second half, and we came out with a win. It is important to start a week with a win, especially so we get a good taste in our mouth so we can finish out the week strong. Monaco is a good team, so we will have to fight all game and be ready for them."




Johnathan Motley - Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar (Photo Marvin Contessi) - EC21

In a game of swings, Umana Reyer Venice bent without breaking to register a 77-70 victory over visiting Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana on Wednesday. Reyer improved to 3-4 in Group B while Cedevita fell to 2-5. 

Reyer holds on to stop Cedevita 76-68

Mitchell Watt led the winners with 17 points and was followed closely by Michele Vitali and Stefano Tonut with 16 each while Austin Daye added 10. Jacob Pulled had 14 points for Cedevita and Edu Muric 12, while Jaka Blazic had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Cedevita led 5-14 to start but Reyer used a 16-3 response to lead 21-17 after 10 minutes. A red-hot Vitali shot Reyer to double-digit leads that reached as high as 19 points before settling at 45-28 for the break. Cedevita turned the tables with a 10-24 third quarter and forged a series of ties in the fourth before Daye broked the last one and Watt led Reyer the rest of the way.

Andrea De Nicolao put Reyer up 2-5 with the game's first triple, but Ferrell downed Cedevita's first 5 points and Edo Muric the next 4 as the visitors went ahead 5-9. Alen Omic added a hook shot and Melvin Ejim a triple to Cedevita's advantage, forcing a Reyer timeout at 5-14. Austin Daye struck from deep and Tonut drove for a layup as the hosts steadied themselves. Tarik Phillip and Martynas Echodas kept it going with a pair of impressive layups and Daye supplied Reyer's first lead, 16-15, with an elbow jumper. Muric took it back for Cedevita briefly before Michele Vitale's triple and a jump-hook by Echodas gave Reyer a 21-17 lead after 10 minutes and eventually forged several ties but Mitchell Watt stepped up

Vitali and Echodas repeated the exact same shots for a 26-17 difference to start the second quarter. Blazic went coast to coast to stop Cedevita's drought, but a red-hot Vitali made it a 29-19 lead from long distance. Ferrell scored in close and assisted Omic, but Valerio Mazzola and Tonut picked up where Vitali left off, shooting triples, as the lead ballooned to 36-23. Tonut kept it rolling with the next 4 points while Reyer's defense forced tough shots on Cedevita. Pullen and Ejim combined on 5 points for Cedevita, but Tonut hit Reyer's seventh triple of the half for a 45-28 halftime lead.

A pair baskets by Omic and free throws from Jaka Blazic drew Cedevita within 49-34 early in the second half. Watt matched his first-half scoring with 4 points and Daye finished a break to restore Reyer's 17-point lead, but Muric responded with a triple and 3 free throws to suddenly make it 53-42. Blazic banked in triple to get the difference to single digits, 53-47, for the first time in almost 20 minutes. Victor Sanders steadied Reyer with a basket but Ejim at the free throw line and Pullen from way beyond the arc completed Cedevita's huge quarter with the visitors within 55-52 after 30 minutes.

Pullen went high of the glass for a layup to start the fourth quarter and hit 1 of 2 free throws to complete the comeback, 55-55. Watt kept Reyer from losing the lead until Austin drilled from the corner at 62-59. Watt dunked and De Nicolao hit free throws at 66-59 before Tonut converted a three-point play to make it 69-61. A pair of technical free throws after Cedevita head coach Jurica Golemac was ejected meant a new double-digit lead, 71-61. Pullen hit a triple but Vitali matched him and 2 scoreless minutes followed, leaving a 74-66 difference entering the final minute, enough for Reyer to finally wrap its hands around the victory. 

Stefano Tonut 2- Umana Reyer Venice (photo Alessandro Scarpa - Reyer) - EC21

Even as the rest of the Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar attack floundered in the second half on Wednesday, Errick McCollum continued to battle and try to lead an improbable comeback. He scored 15 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough against the red-hot Hamburg Towers attack. 

McCollum never stops scoring

McCollum made 10 of 12 two-pointers and all 7 of his free throws in addition to 4 assists and 3 steals to compile a performance index rating of 31. Those numbers helped him climb from fifth to third place on the competition’s all-time charts for performance index rating. McCollum now has a PIR of 1,495 in 79 career EuroCup games. He moved past Mire Chatman (1,464) and Sammy Mejia (1,488). 

Errick McCollum - Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar (photo Fedor Aebor - Lokomotiv) - EC21

Gran Canaria defeated Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 76-83 in the Montenegrin capital on Wednesday to climb into a share of the Group B lead. Both teams now have 5-2 records atop the group. 

Gran Canaria wins in Podgorica to move atop Group B, 76-83

Miquel Salvo and Nicolas Brussino led the winners with 15 points apiece and John Shurna and Dylan Ennis each scored 14 for Gran Canaria. Justin Cobbs led Buducnost with 18 points, Willie Reed added 16, D.J. Seeley 13, Edin Atic 11 and Vladimir Micov 10. A.J. Slaughter and Brussino fueled a 0-12 run which boosted the visitors' lead to 22-36 in the second quarter. Buducnost found a go-to guy in Reed, who brought his team within 41-49 at halftime. Salvo had 6 points in a 1-10 run that broke the game open, 42-59, soon after the break and Gran Canaria did not find much trouble the rest of the way. 

Micov got Buducnost going with a three-pointer and a fastbreak layup. Ennis struck three times from downtown for a 5-9 Gran Canaria lead. Cobbs found his first points and Zoran Nikolic scored down low, but Salvo buried a corner triple that kept the guests ahead, 9-12. Cobbs and Shurna traded layups and Chris Kramer boosted his team's margin to 11-16. Khalifa Diop took over with an alley-oop slam and Salvo added a jump hook in a 0-9 run that Kramer capped with a floater for a double-digit lead, 13-24. Reed dunked and got help from Cobbs and Atic to bring the hosts within 19-24 after 10 minutes.

Seeley buried a three-pointer early in the second quarter, capping a 9-0 run. Ennis scored in penetration and Slaughter added a triple, igniting a 0-12 run in which Brussino followed a jumper with a bomb from downtown to boost Gran Canaria's lead to 22-36. Ennis sank his fourth triple, but Seeley and Marko Jagodic-Kuridza brought Buducnost within 27-39. Brussino took over with a tip-in and Shurna sank a corner three-pointer to push the guests comfortably ahead, 29-44. Reed scored twice down low and Cobbs added a jump hook, but Shurna insisted from downtown for a 35-47 Gran Canaria lead. Reed followed a layup with a jump hook and Cobbs scored in penetration to give the hosts hope, 41-49, at halftime. 

Khalifa Diop rescued Gran Canaria with an alley-oop layup soon after the break and Salvo followed a three-point play with a bomb from downtown for a 42-57 score. Shurna downed a baseline jumper, capping a 1-10 run that broke the game open, 42-59. Micov buried a jumper and bettered Salvo's layup with a triple, giving Buducnost hope at 49-61. Oliver Stevic scored in the paint and Shurna kept Gran Canaria far ahead, 49-65. Stevic scored again and Brussino buried one from beyond the arc to make it 51-70. Cobbs and Donatas Tarolis brought Buducnost within 56-70 at the end of the third quarter.

Brussino found space for a wide-open triple early in the fourth quarter. Atic answered with a tip-in and improved on Salvo's driving basket with a three-pointer to bring Buducnost within 61-75. Seley buried back-to-back jumpers which prompted the visitors to stop the game at 65-75. Atic scored twice around the basket, but Khalifa Diop followed a layup with a dunk to give Gran Canaria fresh air at 69-79. After Brussino and Cobbs traded free throws, Reed followed a jump hook with a layup to make it 75-81 in the next-to-last minute. Cobbs split foul shots and Slaughter sealed the outcome with a five-meter jumper. 

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Gran Canaria (2021-12-15T18:00:00.000Z)

Dylan Ennis 3- Gran Canaria (photo Buducnost) - EC21