Jaron Blossomgame of ratiopharm Ulm earned 7DAYS EuroCup Round 4 MVP honors with a performance index rating of 35 in his team's double-overtime road victory against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.

Round 4 MVP: Jaron Blossomgame, Ulm

Blossomgame led Ulm to a 96-101 win with 26 points on 5-for-6 two-point and 5-for-9 three-point shooting. He also downed his only free throw while adding 11 rebounds, an assist, 3 blocks and 4 fouls drawn for the highest PIR of the round. In the same double-overtime instant classic, Jaka Blazic of Cedevita had 26 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, a career-high 5 steals and 8 fouls drawn for a PIR of 31. Jerai Grant of Promitheas Patras led his team to its first EuroCup win of the season with a PIR of 29. Grant had 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 fouls drawn in Promitheas's 83-80 overtime win against Frutti Extra Bursaspor. Mitchell Watt of Umana Reyer Venice, Thomas Klepeisz of Ulm and Gediminas Orelik of Lietkabelis Panevezys, each with a PIR of 28, completed the top individual performances in Round 4.

### Individual highs: David Dudzinski, Bursaspor, 16 rebounds

Orelik was this round's top scorer with 31 points in a home loss against Hamburg Towers. Johnathan Motley of Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar is currently the top scorer through four rounds, averaging 22.5 points. David Dudzinski of Frutti Extra Bursaspor led all rebounders in Round 4 by pulling down 16 against Promitheas. Vince Hunter of Boulogne Metropolitans 92 is the competition's best overall rebounder at 9.3 per night. Nikola Radicevic of Lietkabelis was the only player to record double digits in assists this week, getting 12 against Hamburg. Andrew Albicy of Gran Canaria, Codi Miller-McIntyre of MoraBanc Andorra and Darius Thompson of Lokomotiv each average 7.5 assists to tie for first place in this category. Three players – Blazic, Derek Needham of Bursaspor and Aleksa Avramovic of Partizan NIS Belgrade – collected 5 steals each in Round 4. Albicy and Needham are tied atop the steals rankings (2.5 spg.). Victor Arteaga of Andorra had 4 blocks against Partizan to lead this round's standings. Octavius Ellis of Turk Telekom Ankara (2.3 bpg.) ranks first overall in blocks. Nine players got a double-double in this round. Three of them play for Ulm: Blossongame (26 points, 11 rebounds), Klepeisz (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Cristiano Felicio (13 points, 10 rebounds). Hunter, Radicevic, Dudzinski, Miller-McIntyre, Zach LeDay of Partizan, and Zach Auguste of Cedevita also recorded respective double-doubles in Round 4.



Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v ratiopharm Ulm (2021-11-10T19:00:00.000Z)

After struggling offensively, MoraBanc Andorra used a bevy of highlight-reel plays to take the momentum and surge ahead for a statement win over previously unbeaten Partizan. 

Dunk party fired Andorra to statement win

Early in the second half of MoraBanc Andorra’s home meeting with Partizan NIS Belgrade on Wednesday night, things looked pretty bleak for the men from the principality.

Andorra had suffered a miserable second quarter, seeing a 16-10 lead turn into a 16-24 deficit with a run of more than 6 minutes without scoring a single point as nine consecutive field goal attempts were missed. And when the second half got underway with Andorra failing to score from the field for more than 2 minutes, Coach Ibon Navarro must have been starting to fear that his team would be unable to find the necessary offensive production to turn the game around.

But then, out of nowhere, came an explosion of spectacular plays, totally changing the mood of the contest and swinging the momentum heavily in Andorra’s favor.

The assault started with a show-stopping play on defense as Amine Noua raced back and rose high to swat a shot from Zach LeDay against the backboard and that moment not only got the fans on their feet but also seemed to serve as inspiration for the Andorra players.

Oriol Pauli produced the first big offensive play by making a superb crossover dribble to give himself an uncontested route to the basket for a two-handed jam, before Codi Miller-McIntyre decided to join the fun with a fierce slam of his own after a steal at mid-court.

The dunk party was only just starting, as Andorra proceeded to produce the game’s two biggest highlight-reel plays – first with Miller-McIntyre sending the cutting Pauli high to the rim for a perfectly executed alley-oop which tied the game at 34-34. Then came a brutal explosion of power as Moussa Diagne received a bounce pass from Clevin Hannah and took off from somewhere in the Pyrenees for an astonishing one-handed slam.

David Jelinek obviously hadn’t read the script as he had the cheek to score two non-dunks, but Victor Arteaga soon restored the previous routine with two more slams before Miller-McIntyre added another full-speed transition slam to bring the third quarter to an end with Andorra leading 48-40, having turned an 8-point deficit into an 8-point lead in 8 minutes.

Andorra’s third-quarter explosion saw them record exactly the same number of points – 24 – that they had managed in the whole of the first half, and that was even more notable for the fact that 14 of those points were highlight-reel dunks all of which could easily fit into the top 10 plays of the week.

Seeing so many spectacular plays in quick succession is a real rarity, and in truth, it was bizarrely out of keeping in a game that was largely marked by both offenses misfiring with no other such moments to get excited about. But it was very much welcomed by the home team, which used the flurry of dunks as a springboard for an important victory over the previously unbeaten visitors.

MoraBanc Andorra v Partizan NIS Belgrade (2021-11-10T19:00:00.000Z)

With one star injured and another having an off-night, sixth-man Lukas Meisner rose to the challenge to lead Hamburg Towers to their first-ever EuroCup victory.  

Next man up Meisner leads in Hamburg's first-ever EuroCup victory

Hamburg Towers showed some major character in collecting its maiden victory in the 7DAYS EuroCup. Not only did the German team get the job done on the road, but they won despite missing one of their top performers.

Center Maik Kotsar was limited to just 11:40 minutes due to a shoulder injury, but Hamburg still prevailed 96-100 at Lietkabelis Panevezys to move to 1-3 in Group A. Lukas Meisner rose to the challenge in collecting 20 points with 4 three-pointers, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal for a performance index rating of 25. He combined for 18 points and 7 rebounds in his first three games in the competition.

“We had a couple of people hurt so we just stepped up and made the right plays and got the win,” said Meisner, who is playing in the EuroCup for the first time as well.

And about helping his team win its first EuroCup, he said: “It’s history. That’s what we wanted for the team and organization. It’s just great to have this first win. We had good performances before, but this feels way better.”

Hamburg, which was playing in the German second division in 2018-19, showed its grit in a 97-106 Round 1 loss at home to Partizan NIS Belgrade. Pedro Calles’s men struggled in Round 2 in a 73-56 defeat against Joventut Badalona. And then Hamburg fell 91-97 versus MoraBanc Andorra in Round 3.

Not only was Kotsar out for the second half, but Caleb Homesley also wasn’t producing to his level. After going for 21 and 22 points in his first two games, he finished with 10 points.

Helping out Meisner was Robin Christen, who scored 13 points, including the game-securing free throws with 7.4 seconds left. He was held scoreless in the first two games of the EuroCup campaign and then had 7 points versus Andorra.

Meisner had two periods in the game where he also took it over for stretches. He scored 6 straight points in the third quarter to carry Hamburg from down 3 points to up 3.

Then in the fourth quarter, Meisner drained 3 three-pointers in a 7-22 surge in building an 80-92 lead with less than 4 minutes. And the rest of the team did just enough to fend off a late comeback attempt.

“I want to congratulate my players for the historic win, for history for this organization. We had an important player, Maik Kotsar, out in the second half. But they knew it and stepped up and found a way to get the W,” Coach Calles summed up.

Lietkabelis Panevezys v Hamburg Towers (2021-11-10T17:00:00.000Z)

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

Post-Game Quotes: Gran Canaria 78-49 Bourg


### Porfi Fisac, Gran Canaria
"We started the game really well with a lot of energy and along the game, we played with a great effort in our defense, in our pick-and-roll defense in particular. I didn't expect a game like this. They missed a lot of situations with good shots and it was not a logical, regular game. We were solid on our pick-and-roll defense but it is true that they missed a lot, especially in the first quarter. They always trailed after that, but what is important for me is that even when it looked like as we slowed down at some point due to our adjusted rotation, we kept playing physical all game long. It is early in the season and the EuroCup is very different this season, with a longer regular season. A lot of things will happen, but for us, it was an important win. Due to our injuries, some players had to step up and they did it."


By the numbers: Joventut racks up 26 assists 

What's more important about this night, however, was that half of Joventut's team had a fine night passing the ball, with six different players dishing at least 3 assists. Veterans Pau Ribas and Ante Tomic led the way with 5 assists apiece, while Guillem Vives had 4 assists. Andres Feliz, Vladimir Brodziansky and Derek Willis each had 3 assists. 

Joventut Badalona v Turk Telekom Ankara (2021-11-09T20:00:00.000Z)

Gran Canaria had a shorter rotation available in its Round 4 showdown against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse but managed to be strong at both ends, sharing the ball and forcing its opponents to low shooting percentages.

By the numbers: Gran Canaria stellar at both ends

Gran Canaria made 23 of 33 two-pointers; its percentage (69.7%) was its best in the competition since November 2017. Bourg was limited to just 14-of-36 two-point shooting (38.9%) and 4-of-20 from beyond the arc (20.0%). Gran Canaria finished the game with 24 assists, twice as many as its opponents, who only recorded 12.

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse had a rough start in its Round 4 game against Gran Canaria. After 10 minutes, Gran Canaria led 21-3 and all of Bourg's points came from the free-throw line with Maxime Courby, Calvin Harris and Eric Mika each making a foul shot. 

Bourg held without field goals in first quarter

Bourg missed all of its 8 two-pointers and its 4 shots from downtown. It also committed 6 turnovers and had a team PIR of -10. Only Mika (4) had a positive PIR, while seven Bourg players had negative PIRs. Bourg never recovered and ended up registering a 78-49 loss. 

Gran Canaria overcame injuries and recorded its third consecutive win in Group B by downing Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse 78-49 at home on Wednesday. Gran Canaria improved to 3-1 in the standings while Bourg dropped to 1-3. 

Gran Canaria thrashes Bourg at home, 78-49

Dylan Ennis led the winners with 19 points, Ilimane Diop added 11 and Chris Kramer and Artem Pustovyi each scored 10 for Gran Canaria, which was without John Shurna, Nicolas Brussino and Oliver Stevic. Eric Mika and Calvin Harris led Bourg with 7 points apiece. Ennis had 15 points in the opening 6 minutes to help Gran Canaria on an early 21-1 run. Gran Canaria held a 21-3 margin after 10 minutes, boosted it to 36-17 at halftime and then again to 57-28 at the end of the third quarter, enough to seal the outcome long before the final buzzer. 

Ennis got Gran Canaria going with 10 unanswered points, including back-to-back triples and a layup. Pustovyi added a put-back basket that prompted Bourg to call timeout at 12-0. Kramer scored off a steal to cap a 14-0 opening run. Pustovyi scored again and Ennis added a fast break layup and a three-point play for a 21-1 Gran Canaria lead. Harris and Mika brought Bourg within 21-3 after 10 minutes. 

Mika hit free throws early in the second quarter and erased A.J. Slaughter's jumper with a dunk. Harris downed a jumper and Mika scored down low to cause Gran Canaria to stop the game at 23-11. Ilimane Diop rescued the hosts with a layup and a three-pointer and got help from Ennis to make it 30-13 lead. Miquel Salvo took over with an off-balance layup that Rasheed Sulaimon bettered with a three-pointer. Salvo and Ilimane Diop boosted Gran Canaria's margin to 36-17 at halftime. 

Axel Julien buried a jumper right after the break, but he didn't find much help around. Meanwhile, Kramer followed a floater with a layup in an 8-0 run that broke the game open, 44-19. Harris followed a layup with a jumper, but Bourg only managed to trade baskets. Pustovyi hit a jump hook and followed Slaughter's three-pointer with a fastbreak layup that made it 55-23. Pierre Pelos sank a corner triple and Hugo Benitez added a jumper to bring Bourg a bit closer, 57-28, after 30 minutes

Javi Lopez buried a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, but Alexander Chassang did better with back-to-back jumpers. Pelos hit his second three-pointer only for Ilimane Diop to answer with a put-back layup for a 62-36 Gran Canaria lead. Nothing changed in the final 6 minutes, as Gran Canaria did not find much trouble to cruise to a well-deserved win. 

Joel Parra was not only Joventut's top scorer in Wednesday's victory over Turk Telekom, it was his best EuroCup game. This 21-year-old forward had 17 points and 8 rebounds, all on defense, and also dished 2 assists. All of those were career-highs as was Parra's performance index rating of 22. 

Pivotal performer: Parra sets career-highs 

Parra also seemed to have done it with ease. He looked confident shooting the ball from all ranges. His 7-of-9 two-point shooting included layups and a dunk, but also a long jumper. He nailed a corner triple, which was his last point of the game, with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. Parra did not score in the fourth quarter, which was also the quarter Joventut struggled offensively the most. This was the third game this season in which he scored 13 or more points. 