Name: U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs U18 Real Madrid I Day 2 Next Gen Munich Qualifier Highlights
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

U18 SC Derby Podgorica clinched its first victory of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament with an 87-64 win over U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna. Derby had a big 10-0 spurt in the final quarter to decide the game for a 1-2 record in Group B. 

Derby secures first victory in beating Virtus

U18 SC Derby Podgorica clinched its first victory of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament with an 87-64 win over U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna. Derby had a big 10-0 spurt in the final quarter to decide the game for a 1-2 record in Group B. Vladimir Komnenovic had 18 points as Derby’s top scorer and Vuk Tudorovic scored 12 points. Matteo Accorsi tallied 17 points for Virtus, which finished group play with a 0-3 record. 

Virtus led early on 2-6 and it was 6-14 and the first double digit advantage was 8-18. The Italian side moved the lead to 11 at 12-23 and the score was 15-26 after 10 minutes. Virtus continued its strong play in the second quarter and extended the advantage to 15 points at 17-32. Derby fought back into the game and was down just 40-42 at the break.  

Derby finally pulled back in front 43-42 but Virtus pushed back and was up 45-51 midway through the third frame. Derby put together a 15-1 surge and opened a 60-52 cushion and it was 62-55 going into the final 10 minutes. Virtus was still close and trailed 67-59 when Derby finished off the game for good with a 10-0 run.

Game News

Montenegro club will play for fifth place 

U18 SC Derby Podgorica v U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2025-01-18T17:00:00.000Z)

U18 Valencia Basket locked up a spot in the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament first place game after fighting past host U18 FC Bayern Munich 102-83 to remain undefeated. Pau Torrens and Nicolas Gomez both scored 17 points, Didac Cebolla had 15 points and 7 assists and Javier Viguer chipped in 14 points for the winners.

Valencia beats Bayern, books date in first place game

U18 Valencia Basket locked up a spot in the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament first place game after fighting past host U18 FC Bayern Munich 102-83 to remain undefeated. Pau Torrens and Nicolas Gomez both scored 17 points, Didac Cebolla had 15 points and 7 assists and Javier Viguer chipped in 14 points for the winners. Nikolas Sermpezis scored a game-high 27 points with 7 assists and Caspar Vossenberg added 21 points in the loss.   

Bayern went ahead 2-7 and it was 3-10 early on. Bayern worked its way back into the game and tied it 12-12. The biggest lead the rest of the first quarter was three points and the score was tied 23-23 after 10 minutes. The host side pushed the lead to 27-32 and it was 31-39 midway through the second quarter. Valencia went on a 12-1 spurt to go head 50-42, but Bayern punched back to go into the break down just 52-50. 

Valencia nosed ahead 59-53 and the cushion grew to 65-57. And Valencia was still in front 69-61 before Bayern finished the third quarter with a 4-12 spurt to tie the game 73-73 after three quarters. Valencia held Bayern scoreless for the first 3 minutes and pulled ahead 81-73. Bayern tried to get back into the game but could only close the gap to 83-77 the rest of the way.

Spanish side still perfect after three games, and is one victory from NextGen Finals.

U18 Valencia Basket v U18 FC Bayern Munich (2025-01-18T14:45:00.000Z)

U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs U18 Real Madrid I Day 2 Next Gen Munich Qualifier Highlights

U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna v U18 Real Madrid (2025-01-18T08:00:00.000Z)

U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki secured its first victory of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament by rallying back from 20 points down to beat U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 77-71. The Greek side was down 14-34 and took over the game with a 24-2 start to the fourth quarter, giving Aris a 1-2 record in Group A. Vassilis Pourlidas scored 26 points with 8 rebounds and Vasileios Kazamias added 24 points and 8 assists. Mark Morano scored 20 points to pace Cedevita, which dropped to 1-2. 

 

Cedevita scored 10 straight points and led 2-10 and a 0-13 run had the Balkan side ahead 7-23. The score was 9-23 after 10 minutes. Cedevita kept pushing and increased the lead to 20 points at 14-34. Aris started coming back and was only down 31-40 at the break. 

 

Aris got as close as three points at 42-45 only to see Cedevita extend the cushion out to 13 points at 47-60. And it was 49-60 after 30 minutes. Aris scored the first 12 points of the final frame and then after one Cedevita score, Aris poured in the next 12 points to lead 73-62 with 86 seconds left.

Greek team rallies from 20 points down to capture first win 

Aris shocks Cedevita with comeback win 

U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki v U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2025-01-18T12:30:00.000Z)

A very impressive individual performance in a big road win has allowed Carlik Jones of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade to earn Round 22 MVP honors with a career-high PIR of 37.

Round 22 MVP: Carlik Jones, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade

 A very impressive individual performance in a big road win has allowed [Carlik Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/carlik-jones/013369/) of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade to earn Round 22 MVP honors with a career-high PIR of 37.

 

Jones led Partizan to a 70-90 road win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan with 24 points – a joint personal best – on 9-of-11 two-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws, adding 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 6 fouls drawn for a PIR of 37, the highest in Round 22. He became the first Partizan player to earn MVP of the Round honors this season, and this is the 17th time a Partizan player has been MVP of the Round in the club’s history.

 

Two of his Partizan teammates were also among the four best individual performances in Round 22. [Sterling Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sterling-brown/012720/) had a career-best 26 points on 5-of-7 two-pointers, 4-of-6 three-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws, as well as 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 32. [Tyrique Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tyrique-jones/011981/) reached a PIR of 31, getting 22 points on perfect shooting: 9-of-9 two-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws. He also had 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block and 4 fouls drawn. [Filip Petrusev](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/filip-petrusev/011194/) of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade amassed a PIR of 32 in his team's 88-82 overtime home victory over AS Monaco. Petrusev finished the game with 29 points on 8-of-9 two-pointers, 2-of-2 three-pointers and 7-of-9 free throws, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 5 fouls drawn. [Toko Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) of Virtus Segafredo Bologna had a PIR of 30 in his team's 72-82 road victory over FC Bayern Munich to complete the top individual performances in this round. Shengelia posted 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks and 6 fouls drawn.

 

### Individual highs: TJ Shorts, Paris, 14 assists

 

Petrusev led all Round 22 scorers with 29 points. [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) of Olympiacos Piraeus is the competition's best scorer with 20.1 points per game.

 

Three players grabbed 9 rebounds in this round: Vezenkov, and Monaco duo [Jaron Blossomgame](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jaron-blossomgame/011231/) and [Alpha Diallo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alpha-diallo/011226/). Real Madrid’s [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) ranks first in rebounds with 7.7 boards per night.

 

[TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tj-shorts/012608/) of Paris Basketball dished 14 assists in Round 22, a new EuroLeague season high. [Tamir Blatt](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tamir-blatt/011193/) of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv is first overall with 7.63 assists per game; Shorts is right behind with 7.60 dimes per night.

 

[Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/) of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens had 4 steals, more than anyone else in this round. Bayern’s [Nick Weiler-Babb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-weiler-babb/010391/) is the EuroLeague's steals leader with 1.6 per game.

 

Four players had 2 blocks apiece in this round: LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne’s [Mbiya Paul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mbiya-paul/013377/), Virtus’s Shengelia, and FC Barcelona pair [Youssoupha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/youssoupha-fall/006568/) and [Chimezie Metu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/chimezie-metu/013379/). Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s [Vincent Poirier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/vincent-poirier/004887/) and Monaco’s [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) are tied for first place with 1.3 blocks per night.

 

TJ Shorts (11 points, 14 assists) was the only player to get a double-double in Round 22.

Partizan playmaker had the highest PIR in this round of action.

U18 Next Gen Team Munich clinched its second straight victory in the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament with a convincing 91-61 victory over U18 SC Derby Podgorica. NGM held Derby to just 5 points in the third quarter to move to 2-0 in Group B ahead of the final game in the group stage against U18 Real Madrid to decide which team plays in the first place game. 

Next Gen Team eases past Derby 91-61

U18 Next Gen Team Munich clinched its second straight victory in the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament with a convincing 91-61 victory over U18 SC Derby Podgorica. NGM held Derby to just 5 points in the third quarter to move to 2-0 in Group B ahead of the final game in the group stage against U18 Real Madrid to decide which team plays in the first place game. Guillermo Del Pino and Sten Markus Adamson both scored 15 points and all 12 NGM players scored at least 2 points and grabbed at least 1 rebound. Ognjen Brajovic led Derby with 19 points. 

The selection team conceded only one basket in the first nearly 5 minutes and led 7-2. The Montenegro side came back and tied the game at 11-11 was down 18-14 after 10 minutes. The advantage reached double figures for the first time at 27-16 and NGM had a 20-point gap at 36-16. And the score was 46-19.

The cushion fluctuated between 27 and 29 points in the first 2 minutes of the third quarter and Derby cut the deficit to 26 points. The lead grew to 30 points for the first time at 62-32 and NGM was up 74-34 late in the period and was up 78-36 after 30 minutes. The picture didn’t change in the final frame as Dogus Balbay’s team just kept pouring it on.

Selection team goes to 2-0 in Group B ahead of decisive game.

U18 Next Gen Team Munich v U18 SC Derby Podgorica (2025-01-18T10:15:00.000Z)

U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs U18 Valencia Basket | Day 1 Next Gen Munich Qualifier Highlights

U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v U18 Valencia Basket (2025-01-17T19:15:00.000Z)

Round 22 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague had something for everyone. Check out round's best plays and see who had the best of them!

Top 10 Plays | RS Round 22 | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

 Round 22 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague had something for everyone. Check out round's best plays and see who had the best of them!

Round 22: Top 10 plays

U18 Real Madrid remained undefeated in the Adidas NextGen Munich tournament with a comfortable 52-86 victory over U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna. The two-time reigning continental champion pulled away for good in the second quarter to move to 2-0 in Group B. Maximo Garcia-Plata and Ignacio Campoy both scored 13 points and Gildas Gimenez had 10 points. Virtus dropped to 0-2 despite Matteo Accorsi picking up 17 points. 

Real improves to 2-0 with comfortable win over Virtus 

U18 Real Madrid remained undefeated in the Adidas NextGen Munich tournament with a comfortable 52-86 victory over U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna. The two-time reigning continental champion pulled away for good in the second quarter to move to 2-0 in Group B. Maximo Garcia-Plata and Ignacio Campoy both scored 13 points and Gildas Gimenez had 10 points. Virtus dropped to 0-2 despite Matteo Accorsi picking up 17 points. 

 

Virtus failed to score for the first 2 minutes and fell behind 0-6. The Italians fought a good fight in the quarter, and were only down 11-13 and 15-17. Real however scored the final six points of the first quarter and led 15-23. Real’s first points of the second quarter made it a 10-point lead at 15-25. The Spanish side increased the margin to 12 points and then was only up 29-35. Real tallied the final 10 points of the first half to lead 29-45 going into the locker room. 

Real made it 29-49 in the early going of the third quarter and the lead steadily grew and expanded out to 37-63. Virtus finished the third quarter a bit more consistent on scoring and was down 43-67 after 30 minutes. After the advantage swelled to 43-73, Virtus managed to get the deficit to 24 points. Real pushed the lead back out to 49-84 to end any doubts.

Reigning champion has little trouble with the Italians

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 22nd winner in this season's EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge! Miroslav Svonja beat everyone else in Round 22 with his team '1992 copy paste', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 256.05.

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 22 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our 22nd winner in this season's [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Miroslav Svonja beat everyone else in Round 22 with his team '1992 copy paste', which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 256.05.

Miroslav had the following starting lineup: Carlik Jones of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade as team captain, then his Partizan teammates Sterling Brown and Tyrique Jones, Nigel Hayes-Davis of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Neal Sako of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. His sixth man was Marko Guduric of Fenerbahce. On the bench, Miroslav had Fenerbahce's Tarik Biberovic, Niels Giffey of FC Bayern Munich, Tamir Blatt of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. His team's head coach was Partizan play-caller Zeljko Obradovic..

The prize for finishing first in Round 22 is a free VIP Euroleague TV subscription for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Miroslav!

Marko Dukic and his team 'Kughat' remains the leader of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) overall standings with 3,777.19 points.

Trades are now open for Round 23, and all fantasy players are allowed unlimited trades.

The first game in Round 23 tips off on Wednesday, January 22, as Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade welcomes Paris Basketball at 20:30 CET. That game marks the next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become our next round winner!

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager. 

U18 Bayern Munich - U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana I Day 1 Next Gen Munich Qualifier Highlights

U18 FC Bayern Munich v U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2025-01-17T08:00:00.000Z)

Toko Shengelia may be 33 years old, but he is still one of the top power forwards in Europe and he was pivotal in Virtus Bologna beating FC Bayern Basketball in Round 22.

Virtus keeps building momentum with Bayern win – and Toko Shengelia key to it all

When you think of [Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/vir/) in recent years, [Toko Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) is one of the first players that comes to mind. On Friday night, he showed why with a stellar performance in a [72-82 win at FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/toko-shengelia-stars-as-virtus-stuns-bayern-at-sap-garden-72-82/) which keeps the Italian side’s faint play-in hopes alive.

Shengelia did a bit of everything for Virtus, posting 20 points, 6 rebounds, a season-high 6 assists and a joint season-best 2 blocks, which gave him 30 PIR, his best mark since Round 13 of last season. Despite his impressive individual display, he didn’t want any of the praise himself.

“I’m not the man of the match, I’m the player of the team of the match,” he told EuroLeague TV afterward.

Now 33 years old, the Georgian is one of the clear leaders at Virtus, yet he was appearing in just his third game since [Dusko Ivanovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/virtus-segafredo-bologna/vir/ivanovic-dusko/?season=E2024) – his former coach at [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/) – replaced [Luca Banchi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/banchi-luca/?season=E2024) in Bologna, having been out with an ulcer issue between Rounds 16 and 20.

“It was not easy \[to play against Bayern\], to be honest. I had just one full practice with the team,” Shengelia stated. “It’s not easy for me, it’s not easy for the coaches to give me the trust, but I want to thank them for this and thank my teammate for the trust as well. I’m out there, tired or not, and I’m trying to do my best. I’m really happy tonight that we got the win.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Have a good night 😏🧢 <a href="https://t.co/VXDKZewezs">pic.twitter.com/VXDKZewezs</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1880384452339331481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This victory, Virtus’s fifth in eight games under Coach Ivanovic, was also notable as the Italian outfit had suffered three straight road defeats after winning at Baskonia in the Montenegrin’s first game in charge back on December 12.

Virtus remains in 16th position in the standings with a 7-15 record, yet with Shengelia showing that he is still among the best power forwards in Europe, the Black V’s supporters can still dream. Bayern currently occupies 10th spot, the final place for the play-in, with a 12-10 mark, so Virtus will be looking to use this Round 22 as momentum and have a strong finish to the season.

The Georgian forward is thriving in his role as a leader

FC Bayern Munich v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2025-01-17T19:30:00.000Z)

Youssoupha Fall and Juan Nunez paved the win to a big victory as FC Barcelona beat Anadolu Efes in Round 22.

Barcelona found new go-to guys in Round 22 win over Efes

[FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/) overcame a slow start to [beat Anadolu Efes Istanbul 90-80](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/barcelona-stops-efes-for-fourth-straight-win-90-80/) at home in Round 22. A balanced offense, good hustle and great efficiency inside the rim allowed Barca to grab its 13th win and remain in playoff territory.

Barca had 6 players in double figures. [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) led the way with 15 points. Its three centers made the difference in the paint, as [Chimezie Metu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/chimezie-metu/013379/), [Jan Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/) and [Youssoupha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/youssoupha-fall/006568/) all scored in double digits, with the three big men combining for 34 points on 16-of.18 two-pointers (87.5% 2FG). Fall was the first player in the game to reach double digits, and all three made sure Barca always had a reliable scoring reference in the paint.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">PARTIDÀS, YOUSS!!! 💪 <a href="https://t.co/QZLtVhuqWz">pic.twitter.com/QZLtVhuqWz</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1880371931792433559?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

All of them allowed Barcelona to finish the game with a 72.5% two-point shooting percentage, hitting 29-of-40 attempts inside the arc. It is Barca's best two-point shooting percentage this season: its highest until now was 66.7% in Round 11 against FC Bayern Munich. The club's all-time record came in a 90-66 home win against Rytas Vilnius on November 22, 2012, hitting 27-of-33 two-pointers (81.8% 2FG).

[Juan Nunez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/juan-nunez/010106/) did not set any career high but had arguably his best game of the season with a truly all-around performance. He finished the game with 11 points on 5-of-6 two-pointers, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal, no turnovers and a PIR of 17. 

Juan Nunez of FC Barcelona did not set any career-high but arguably had his best game of the season with a truly all-around performance against Anadolu Efes Istanbul. He finished the game with 11 points on 5 of 6 two-pointers, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal, no turnovers and a PIR of 17.

Nunez does it all against Efes

The Spanish guard helped Barca finish the game with 29 assists, a new season high- It previously had 27 assists in Round 2 against ALBA Berlin. Efes had 18 assists and as many as 14 turnovers. Barca also won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Efes 30-21.

After the game, Nunez highlighted Barca's defense as the biggest key to this victory, and pointed to the club's next immediate goal.

"Efes is a great team. They have great talents but we played great defense. I think they scored 80 points which for us is really important. We have to keep that mentality in defense," Nunez said. "My performance is not the important thing. It's about winning on Sunday and qualifying for the Spanish Cup."

Youssoupha Fall and Juan Nunez paved the win to a big victory 


FC Barcelona v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2025-01-17T19:45:00.000Z)

Baskonia's starters accounted for 67 points, but also 19 rebounds and 19 assists, in a confidence-boosting win over reigning EuroLeague champion Panathinaikos BC. 

Baskonia starters shined against the defending champions

On Friday night, [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/) proved once again just how dangerous it can be. Despite missing team captain [Tadas Sedekerskis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tadas-sedekerskis/007230/), and despite [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) still out of his groove on his first game back after missing the last two weeks of action, Baskonia controlled things for all but 40 minutes in [a 91-77 win over Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/baskonia-holds-off-panathinaikos-91-77/).

Baskonia had multiple double-digit leads in the first half and throughout the second, before the Greens got within 82-77. But Baskonia kept the visitors scoreless for the final 3 minutes and 18 seconds to claim a big win.

“We have great talent in this team and a great potential,” said [Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/timothe-luwawu-cabarrot/012080/), who paced the team with 20 points and 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. “If we play like this, we can play eye-to-eye against anybody, we can win against anybody.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="eu" dir="ltr">🔵🔴 GURE MUTILAAAK 🔵🔴<br><br>💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://t.co/263cranjn8">pic.twitter.com/263cranjn8</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1880365587010138534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Satisfaction with the performance also came from head coach [Pablo Laso](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/bas/laso-pablo/), who confirmed he was very happy with not only this game but also the performance on Tuesday in an overtime loss against Olympiacos Piraeus.

“We were able to play concentrated for 40 minutes,” Laso said. “Basketball was not fair the other day \[against Olympiacos\], we played well but lost at the end. Today, we stayed the same way and got the victory.”

In addition to Luwawu-Cabarrot, Baskonia got big nights from [Chima Moneke](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/chima-moneke/012201/), who finished with 18 points, [Kamar Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kamar-baldwin/012597/) with 15 points and 7 assists, [Trent Forrest](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/trent-forrest/013367/) with 12 points and 5 assists, and [Donta Hall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/donta-hall/011196/) with 11 points.

All but Hall were Baskonia’s starters. [Khalifa Diop](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/khalifa-diop/008072/), who started the game, had 2 points, which means Baskonia starters accounted for 67 points, but also 19 rebounds and 19 assists. Moneke and Luwawu-Cabarrot each had a +23 when on the floor.

Chima Moneke and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot combined for 38 points in a 91-77 ein over Panathinaikos.

Chima Moneke and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot combined for 38 points vs. Panathinaikos

It all led to a much-needed win, which came after three consecutive losses, but each of those were by just 2 points or fewer.

“Winning is always important. When you win, it looks like everything is good. But as a coach, you probably have to be critical with your team even if you win. But at the end, winning always gives you that push that any team in any sport needs,” Laso claimed.

Baskonia now holds a 9-13 record, still in 15th place in the standings, but with an eye on moving up.

“Every game matters,” Moneke reminded us in his EuroLeague TV interview after the game. “We know our position is not the best, but we believe in ourselves, we will keep fighting. There are 12 games left and this year is super close, so we are not gonna give up.”

Only three games out of the play-in places, and only four games behind the teams tied for fourth place, Baskonia indeed still has plenty of time to catch up. If the team plays like it did on Friday night, there could be many more celebrations for Baskonia and its fans in the final three months of the regular season.

Pablo Laso's men remained in the race for postseason places with an emphatic win over Panathinaikos

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-01-17T19:30:00.000Z)

KK Crvena zvezda got back to winning ways with a huge 88-82 overtime home defeat of AS Monaco, as Filip Petrusev and Isaiah Canaan combined for 49 points to put behind them Wednesday’s tough 91-96 loss against the visiting Fenerbahce Beko.

Crvena Zvezda leaned on Petrusev, Canaan to bounce back against Monaco

[Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/red/) got back to winning ways with a huge [88-82 overtime home defeat of AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/crvena-zvezda-forces-monaco-into-submission-in-overtime-88-82/), as [Filip Petrusev](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/filip-petrusev/011194/) and [Isaiah Canaan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/isaiah-canaan/010612/) combined for 49 points to put behind them Wednesday’s tough 91-96 loss against the visiting Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

A fired-up Petrusev racked up a career-high 29 points to go with 6 boards, replicating a vintage performance from the reverse fixture in the principality, when Zvezda also came out on top, 90-98, with the versatile big man posting 25 points and 7 rebounds.

Livewire guard Canaan added 20 points on Friday, including a clutch layup which forced overtime before draining a three-pointer on Zvezda's opening play in the extra session which gave the galvanized Serbian team the lead for good, 79-76.

The rollercoaster swung one way and then the other, but Zvezda found an extra gear in the home stretch to keep its postseason ambitions alive, as [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/) also stood out with 15 points and 5 boards.

Petrusev heaped praise on Zvezda’s fervent 20,000 home crowd which carried the home side from start to finish, having also highlighted the team’s mettle and fighting spirit to prevail in the face of adversity.    

“A great team victory as it was really a dogfight,” Petrusev said in his postgame comments. “We showed character as the crowd pushed us, all 20,000 of them showed their love for us. Monaco are offensively really talented and we did a great job stopping their main players, especially the three guards. Much better defense than the last game \[against Fenerbahce\] and that was the key to victory.”

Canaan added: “The mindset was to play tougher defense and we showed at times that we can be a really good team.”

Monaco’s pack leader [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) had put the visitors in the driving seat in the final minute when he sank a trademark layup to give them a 74-76 lead but missed on the buzzer after Canaan had tied the score. James, who scored 14 points, was 0 of 7 from downtown and [Elie Okobo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/elie-okobo/011212/) also struggled all night as he was held to a mere 6 points on 1-of-8 shooting from the floor.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GAME. SET. MATCH. 💪🏻😤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreTheTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreTheTeam</a> <a href="https://t.co/L8VIv62HWb">pic.twitter.com/L8VIv62HWb</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1880371223500361868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Zvezda’s aggressive hustle and half-court pressure generated 11 steals and the visitors simply ran out of steam in overtime, as their firepower dried up in the wake of the Serbian side’s ironclad defense.

The outcome was a gratifying for Zvezda’s head coach [Ioannis Sfairopoulos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/red/sfairopoulos-ioannis/?season=E2024) as it gave him some bragging rights over Greek compatriot [Vassilis Spanoulis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/spanoulis-vassilis/?season=E2024), who bemoaned his team’s momentary defensive lapses which allowed the hosts to force the final twist.

Sfairopoulos could not stress enough the magnitude of the result, which kept Zvezda in a cluster of five teams on a 13 wins heading into the final third of the regular season.   

“It was a very important game for both teams, especially for us after losing our last home game,” a delighted Sfairopoulos said courtside. “Congratulations to the players as it’s one of the most important wins of the season for us.”

The duo excelled in a fervent atmosphere to put the home team back on track 

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v AS Monaco (2025-01-17T19:00:00.000Z)

Alen Smailagic scored 19 second-quarter points to tie a EuroLeague record, but it wasn't enough for Zalgiris Kaunas to win as they lost 98-86 at Fenerbahce Beko.

Fenerbahce flipped the script to spoil Alen Smailagic's record game

Things did not look good for [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) in Round 22. At halftime, [Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/zalgiris-kaunas/zal/) led 34-47 at Ulker Sports and Event Hall and [Alen Smailagic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alen-smailagic/011051/) seemed to be everywhere.

[Ignas Brazdeikis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ignas-brazdeikis/011983/) was Zalgiris's X-factor in the first quarter, getting a backdoor layup and a pair of three-pointers in the opening minutes. Brazdeikis averaged 3.6 points in the previous five games but had reached double digits midway through the first quarter, allowing Zalgiris to get a 17-20 lead after 10 minutes. Once Brazdeikis cooled off, Zalgiris found new answers on offense through an unstoppable Smailagic.

It was a second-quarter performance for the ages. Smailagic buried a couple of jumpers and went on to strike three times from beyond the arc to make it a double-digit game, 26-37. Smailagic also added four free throws and after a brief time on the bench, he returned to get a driving layup.

He scored 19 points, matching the best scoring mark in a second quarter since play-by-play started to be tracked in the 2007-08 season. Only one other player scored 19 points in the second quarter since 2007, as [Elijah Bryant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/elijah-bryant/009846/) of [Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/ist/) did so against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade last season. It is also a Zalgiris record for most points in any quarter, previously shared by [Lukas Lekavicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/lukas-lekavicius/003210/), [Marcus Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marcus-brown/aht/) and [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/) with 16 each. Smailagic's career high was 16 points, and he got 19 alone in an electric second quarter.

What happened, then? Fenerbahce found its own go-to guy in [Tarik Biberovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/tarik-biberovic/006961/) and also got the defensive answers it needed in the fourth quarter, using a small lineup featuring [Bonzie Colson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/bonzie-colson/009783/) and [Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) around the baskets. 

Hayes-Davis had eight points in the fourth quarter, while Biberovic scored all of his 15 points in the second half. Added to his great defensive effort, Colson had several key plays down the stretch: a block, a buzzer-beating three-pointer and a wild put-back dunk that sealed the outcome in the penultimate minute.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Marko 10’dan geri sayıyor ve Ülker Spor ve Etkinlik Salonu inliyor! 💛💙<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/lwba9anH7u">pic.twitter.com/lwba9anH7u</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1880349527653380262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Zalgiris led 62-68 after 30 minutes, hitting 13-of-22 two-point shots (59.1% 2FG) and 11-of-20 three-pointers (55.0% 3FG), as well as getting 15 assists and just 6 turnovers. In those opening three quarters, Fenerbahce had 11 assists and 10 turnovers. 

The visitors were limited to 2-of-8 three-pointers (25%), 4 assists and 5 turnovers in the fourth quarter, while Fenerbahce hit 5-of-7 shots from beyond the arc (71.4%), adding 5 assists and 3 turnovers. Taking better care of the ball when it mattered also made the difference down the stretch. Smailagic finished the with 24 points, 6 rebounds and a PIR of 25.

In a postgame interview, Hayes-Davis revealed part of coach Sarunas Jasikevicius's speech at halftime.

"A tale of two halves. In the first half we got down, they were beating us in all the loose balls. We made at least 30 plus mistakes against our rules and against our scouting report," Hayes-Davis said.

"And Coach let us hear one of the strongest words: soft. You never want to be called soft as a player and as a man, and Coach was saying we were all soft. And we responded. We did a great job of responding to that statement. 

"We went out there, the crowd was behind us and we were able to fight. We were fighting a lot harder. We got to loose balls, rebounded the ball and guys made some really, really big shots. And we got the win."

Zalgiris struck first but the hosts rallied to win the game


Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Zalgiris Kaunas (2025-01-17T17:45:00.000Z)

Virtus Bologna caused quite the surprise on Friday night by downing FC Bayern Munich 72-82 at SAP Garden, which is just the second time the German team has lost at home in 11 games this season. 

Toko Shengelia stars as Virtus stuns Bayern at SAP Garden, 72-82

Virtus Segafredo Bologna caused quite the surprise on Friday night by downing FC Bayern Munich 72-82 at SAP Garden, which is just the second time the German team has lost at home in 11 games this season. Dusko Ivanovic’s charges have now won four of their last six games to improve to a 7-15 record, while Gordie Herbert’s troops have lost four of their last five games and dropped to a 12-10 mark.

Toko Shengelia was at his usual best, posting a team-high 20 points to go with 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks, while he got help from Matt Morgan with 13 points and Isaia Cordinier with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Andrejs Grazulis was Virtus’s other double-digit scorer, netting 10 points. Bayern’s Devin Booker was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points, while Shabazz Napier, who suffered an injury in the fourth quarter and eventually had to go back to the locker room, had 14 points and Niels Giffey chipped in with 11 points.

Game Videos

Booker started the game red hot, scoring 8 points as Bayern raced out to a 10-2 lead. Things worsened for Virtus when Booker’s three swelled the lead to 15-4, but Shengelia, Momo Diouf and Cordinier all helped trim the gap to 16-10 before Shengelia reappeared to make it a four-point ballgame at 16-12. Cordinier’s wing three and a couple of free throws pulled Virtus within one point, 18-17, then Morgan ended the first quarter with a three to make it 18-20.

Andreas Obst restored Bayern’s advantage with a three, 21-20, but Morgan and Shengelia wrestled back the lead for Virtus at 23-25. When Booker scored a fast-break layup to tie the score at 25-25 almost seven minutes into the period, Bayern was winning the quarter 7-5. In the final two minutes before halftime, Marco Belinelli hit a couple of threes and made two free throws to give Virtus a 32-35 advantage at the interval.

It was then the turn of Virtus to start creating some separation, with Rayjon Tucker and Shengelia joining forces to set a 32-40 score. Bayern soon responded with a 5-0 run courtesy of Giffey and Booker, 37-40, but Grazulis and Cordinier were next to shine as Virtus went 39-48 ahead. Carsen Edwards, who was scoreless through the first 23 minutes of the contest, scored four points in an 8-2 run that made it interesting at 47-50, yet the visitors kept finding points inside. A couple of layups by Cordinier and Shengelia arrived before Achille Polonara ended the quarter with a reverse slam to give Virtus a five-point lead, 52-57, entering the final frame.

Napier started the fourth quarter in the best way possible from a Bayern perspective by hitting an off-balanced jump shot from mid-range, but he seemed to do himself some damage and went to the bench. A three-point play by Morgan gave Virtus breathing room at 54-61, then shortly after Edwards picked up his fourth foul and had to go to the bench, which meant Napier had to return. The Bayern guard hit a sidestep three to make it 57-61, but immediately clutched his side and grimaced in pain. Daniel Hackett, Morgan, Polonara and Alsessandro Pajola combined to give Virtus a 12-point lead at 59-71, but a 10-0 run capped by an Edwards three cut it to 69-71 with 2 minutes to play. In the end, though, Shengelia kept finding ways to get to the line as Virtus went on to win 72-82.

Matt Morgan and Isaia Cordinier also had impressive performances for the visitors

FC Barcelona big man Chimezie Metu spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Anadolu Efes in Round 22 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Chimezie Metu: 'It's only up from here for us'

FC Barcelona big man Chimezie Metu spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team beat Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 22 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.