Name: Magic Moment of the Night: Pustovyi dunks with force!
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Nelson Weidemann and Ben Saraf both came to the fore in the closing quarter to allow ratiopharm Ulm to beat Joventut Badalona on Tuesday night in the EuroCup.

Ulm’s Weidemann, Saraf stepped up late to beat Joventut

Despite Joventut Badalona trying to impose its low-tempo game on ratiopharm Ulm, the hosts were in control from the tip and maintained the lead throughout regulation. Yet, Joventut stayed close, with Devon Dotson nailing a triple from deep to beat the third-quarter buzzer-beater and bring his team within 59-52. Enter Nelson Weidemann and Ben Saraf, both of whom came to the fore in the closing quarter to allow Ulm to clinch its second consecutive victory.

Weidemann and Saraf netted 13 points each, scoring all but 2 of Ulm’s 28 points in the last quarter. Joventut pushed for a comeback, with a Dotson triple and an Ante Tomic basket trimming the deficit to 64-60 with 7 minutes remaining. Yet, Weidemann responded by drilling one from beyond the arc to extend Ulm’s lead to 9 points and forced Joventut head coach Daniel Miret to call a timeout.

Weidemann, Saraf step up in 4th to beat Joventut

The visitors reacted, with Tomic adding another 3 points to his tally, but it was time for Saraf to step up. The 18-year-old guard scored a bucket that was followed by a three-pointer and Ulm restored a 74-66 lead with 4 minutes to go. When Kassius Robertson reduced the difference to 4 points in crunch time, an audacious Saraf drove to the basket, netted the layup, drew a foul and converted from the charity stripe to extend Ulm’s lead to 7 points and practically put the game to bed.

“A solid team game for us overall,” Ulm head coach Ty Harrelson said in the post-game press conference. “It’s nice to be able to take care of the home court. Credit to our players who stick to the plan and trust what we are doing here.”

Game Videos

The prodigious guard stood out for the second game in a row after recording a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists in Ulm’s season opener against Trefl Sopot. This time, he combined his 13 points in the last 6 minutes of the game against the Spanish side with 2 assists that led to 2 Weidemann triples which offered Ulm a cushion in their bid to clinch the home victory.

Having improved its record to 2-0, Ulm is now set to play three tough road games in a row at Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius, Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul and Dreamland Gran Canaria. Yet, Weidemann and Saraf – despite his young age – proved on Tuesday that Ulm’s roster boasts several players with a strong personality to carry their team on their shoulders when most needed.

Game News

The guard duo combined for 26 fourth-quarter points

ratiopharm Ulm v Joventut Badalona (2024-10-01T17:00:00.000Z)

Pustovyi spins and pulls off a two-handed monster dunk! 

 Magic Moment of the Night: Pustovyi dunks with force! 

Pustovyi spins and pulls off a two-handed monster dunk!

Magic Moment of the Night: Pustovyi dunks with force!

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius (2024-10-01T17:45:00.000Z)

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv had to wait till the last minutes of the game on Tuesday before wrapping up an 89-84 win over Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius at Samokov Arena. 

Hapoel survives Wolves rally to clinch first win, 89-84

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv had to wait till the last minutes of the game on Tuesday before wrapping up an 89-84 win over Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius at Samokov Arena. Despite dominating 59-45 right after the intermission, the hosts saw Wolves return to the game and take a 73-77 lead with 7 minutes to go. Patrick Beverley showed up then with 11 points in a 15-5 run that turned the tables and fueled Hapoel to the victory.

Jonathan Motley paced Hapoel on offense with 16 points, 6 boards and 6 assists, followed by Beverley and Tomer Ginat with 14 points apiece. Ish Wainwright provided 13 points and Joe Ragland had 11 for the winners. Tre’Shawn Thurman led all scorers with 29 points - including 5 three-pointers, while Anthony Cowan chipped in 11 and Garrison Brooks produced 10 in the losing effort.

The hosts showed up with remarkable poise, scoring in each of their three first offenses to build a 7-0 advantage in less than 90 seconds. On the other side, Wolves needed 4 free throw attempts to score for the first time in the game. Hapoel kept finding easy points inside through Motley, but the visitors reacted strongly with back-to-back triples by Daniel Baslyk to even things 13-13 midway through the first quarter. Wainright and Bar Timor pushed Hapoel ahead 18-13 right before both teams shifted to their second units, which slowed the scoring pace a little bit. Ragland took over then to allow the hosts to finish the first period leading 26-20.

With its star Cowan scoreless so far, the visitors survived thanks to an incredible offensive spurt by Thurman, who erupted with a block and 11 points in a row - including three shots from behind the arc - to keep the visitors close, 35-33, after 14 minutes. But Hapoel prevented the opponent from completing the rally playing with patience in offense and gearing up in defense. A three by Timor after a great ball movement and a couple of fastbreaks to rapidly recover control, 46-37. Despite Cowan finally making a couple of buckets, Ginat and Wainright fueled Hapoel to a double-digit advantage at halftime, 53-41.

Hapoel started the third quarter the opposite it did the first; missing all offenses in the first 90 seconds. A free throw by Wainright broke the trend to keep the hosts comfortably in charge, 54-45. Beverly’s first three returned a 12-point lead to Hapoel, but the hosts’ woes from the free-throw line stopped them from digging it deeper. Thurman struck back again from deep, scoring 9 points in a row to bring Wolves within 60-53. Andrews joined then, forcing Hapoel to call for an urgent timeout with the margin reduced to just 5 points. Despite Ragland’s efforts to get the home team going, Wolves kept rocking, this time using Blazevic inside, to make it 66-65, soon after. The rally continued, as a four-point play by Thurman finished the third quarter with a 69-69 tie on the score.

Things got even worse for the hosts early in the last period when Matas Jogela and Cowan exploited Hapoel’s turnovers to combine for 8 points and put Wolves ahead for the first time in the game, 73-77. An off-the-glass three-pointer by Beverley started a shooting contest that finished when the visitors stopped the game still leading 79-80 with 5 minutes to go. Wolves had to call for another timeout just 2 minutes later, when Beverley returned the lead to Hapoel with a three. The American guard turned into an unstoppable force at that moment on both ends, hitting another one and stopping Cowan in defense to help Hapoel build an 86-80 edge entering the last minute. Wolves' efforts to come back again proved useless then, with Beverley hitting twice again from the line to seal the outcome.

The visitors blew a 14-point advantage and trailed 73-77 in the fourth before taking charge late

ratiopharm Ulm-Joventut Badalona | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana picked up its second victory in as many games of the BKT EuroCup by fending off Umana Reyer Venice 87-82 at home. 

Cedevita fights past Reyer 87-82, improves to 2-0 

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana picked up its second victory in as many games of the BKT EuroCup by fending off Umana Reyer Venice 87-82 at home. Devin Robinson and Jaka Blazic both scored 17 points and Aleksej Nikolic added 12 points and 5 assists - plus 2 free throws to ice the game with 7.3 seconds left. Reyer fell to 1-1 despite Tyler Ennis flirting with a triple-double as he collected 23 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists while Mfiondu Kabengele chipped in 14 points and 13 rebounds. 

“It feels good. It’s EuroCup and we’re competing, a tough competition. It’s a great feeling. We just have to keep pushing, but this one was a big one for our home fans to show that we are here to play,” said Robinson, who added 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the victory. “I wish we would have finished his game earlier. It was tough. It was up and down. It was a fight. This game is about ups and downs and highs and lows, but you can’t give up. That’s what we showed tonight.”

Davide Moretti opened the scoring with a three-pointer for the visitors. A steal and dunk by Rok Radovic gave Cedevita its first lead, 7-5, and his three-pointer made it 12-9. Moretti and Jordan Parks both hit triples and Reyer led 15-17. Devante Jones drained a long ball at the other end as Cedevita finished the quarter on a 6-0 surge for a 21-17 lead.

Jones added another score to push the cushion to 23-17. Reyer however forced a couple of turnovers and scored 7 straight points to move back ahead 23-24. DJ Stewart started taking charge for the hosts with 5 points in a run of five lead changes for a 32-29 advantage. Reyer had the stronger finish to the first half with Ennis converting a three-point play and Kyle Wiltjer and Davide Casarin both knocking down three-pointers in a 7-15 run to send the visitors into the locker room up 39-44.

Kabengele started dominating early in the second half with three baskets as the Reyer cushion grew to 42-50. Blazic answered with back-to-back three-pointers - the first one pushing him into eighth place on the EuroCup’s all-time scoring list as he passed Sammy Mejia’s 1,214 points - to make it 48-51. Reyer followed with the next 6 points to establish the biggest lead of the game at 48-57. Cedevita was unfazed with a 10-0 surge thanks to back-to-back triples from Robinson for a 58-57 lead. Reyer nosed back ahead and led 60-61 after 30 minutes.

Wiltjer’s triple to start the final period increased the gap to 4 only to have Cedevita respond with the next 7 points for a 67-64 advantage. Blazic’s four-point play had the hosts up 73-66 with 6 minutes to play. Reyer trimmed the deficit to 2, but Blazic converted a big three-point play for a 78-73 margin with under 3 minutes to go. Stewart threw down a big dunk for an 84-77 Cedevita lead with 20 seconds left. The visitors gave Cedevita a scare in the closing seconds with a three-pointer by Aamir Simms and layup from Ennis to pull within 2. But Nikolic iced the game with free throws with 7.3 seconds to go. 

The Slovenian side becomes first to 2 wins in Group B

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Umana Reyer Venice (2024-10-01T18:00:00.000Z)

Derek Ogbeide collects the ball and moves it ahead to DJ Stewart for the massive dunk. 

Magic Moment: Stewart with the massive dunk! 

 Derek Ogbeide collects the ball and moves it ahead to DJ Stewart for the massive dunk. 

Tyler Ennis gets past his man and tosses it up to Mfiondu Kabengele, who does a good job catching it and throwing down the alley-oop.

Magic Moment: Kabengele finishes tough alley-oop!

Aleksej Nikolic feeds the pass to the rolling Derek Ogbeide, who throws down the big dunk.

Magic Moment: Ogbeide with the big stuff!

 Aleksej Nikolic feeds the pass to the rolling Derek Ogbeide, who throws down the big dunk.

ratiopharm Ulm celebrated its second victory of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by beating Joventut Badalona 87-83 at Ratiopharm Arena on Tuesday. 

Ulm beats Joventut, 87-83, for second straight win

ratiopharm Ulm celebrated its second victory of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by beating Joventut Badalona 87-83 at Ratiopharm Arena on Tuesday. The hosts were in control of the game from the off and managed to maintain their lead throughout. Following its first win on home soil this season, Ulm now has a 2-0 record, with Joventut dropping to 1-1.

Nelson Weidemann paced Ulm with 17 points and Ben Saraf added 15, with the two Ulm guards scoring 13 apiece in the last quarter. Alfonso Plummer registered 13 points and Isaiah Roby added 10. As for the visitors, Ante Tomic had 18 points, Kassius Robertson recorded 17, Devon Dotson netted 16 and Artem Pustovyi scored 12.

Justinian Jessup started where he finished off last week against Trefl Sopot by drilling a triple to open the scoring, but Joventut responded with baskets from Yannick Kraag and Dotson to take a 3-4 lead. A Philipp Herkenhoff triple was followed by Guillem Vives’s first bucket of the game, but Isaiah Roby put Ulm back in front by hitting 2 free throws, 10-8. Then, Herkenhoff completed a three-point play before youngsters Michael Ruzic and Noa Essengue exchanged triples to make it 18-13. Ulm’s 17-year-old forward finished the first quarter with a three-point play of his own and the hosts extended their lead to 25-17 heading into the second quarter.

Tobias Jensen opened his account from inside before Plummer nailed back-to-back triples to give Ulm a 33-19 cushion. Round 1 MVP Tomic responded with two baskets inside, but Nicolas Bretzel and Jensen netted on the other end, with Ulm maintaining a 37-23 lead midway through the second quarter. Yet, Kraag’s bucket off an offensive rebound was followed by a Robertson three-point play to trim the deficit to single digits, 37-28. Then, Tomic, Pustovyi and Robertson netted a basket each before Roby drilled a triple, with Ulm leading 43-36 at the break.

Ulm went on a 7-0 run to kick off the second half, as a jumper from Saraf was followed by 5 points from Jessup to extend their team’s lead to 50-36. Joventut was held scoreless for almost 3 and a half minutes before Robertson scored a bucket from inside and then hit 2 free throws to reduce the deficit to 51-40. Yet, Ulm replied with Marcio Santos and Plummer knocking down a triple each for a 57-42 lead. But Pustovyi responded with 7 points and Dotson drilled a triple from deep to beat the third-quarter buzzer-beater, 59-52.

Dotson sandwiched triples around a Weidemann three-point play before Tomic and the Ulm guard traded baskets from inside to make it 66-60. Tomic made 3 of 4 from the line to respond to another Weidemann three-pointer before Robertson nailed one from deep to reduce the deficit to 71-66. What followed was an exchange of blows from behind the arc before a Tomic three-point play kept Joventut within 77-72 with 3 minutes to go. Then, Robertson nailed a layup, but Saraf responded with a three-point play on the other end to extend Ulm’s lead to 81-74 and practically finished the game.

Ban Saraf came alive late to keep Ulm perfect on the season

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem got its first BKT EuroCup win, not only this season but in nearly seven years as it downed 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 74-94 on Tuesday night. 

Jerusalem hit from downtown in long-awaited win

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem got its first BKT EuroCup win, not only this season but in nearly seven years as it downed 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 74-94 on Tuesday night. Jerusalem returned to the competition this season for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign, and its last win came against none other than Lietkabelis, a 93-81 decision in November 2017 in Jerusalem.

On this night in Lithuania, Jerusalem's most dangerous weapon was its three-point shooting. The team finished the game making 12 triples on 25 attempts, good for 48.0%. Those threes came from five different players, most of all from Yovel Zoosman, who was 5 for 6 in the game, but 4 for 4 in the first half. It was his long-range daggers that got Jerusalem back to the game after falling behind by 13 points in the opening quarter.

In the second half, however, it was Chris Johnson and Speedy Smith who stepped up to the plate. Both players hit twice from long range in the final two quarters, with Johnson hitting a buzzer-beating shot to end the third quarter and make it 56-60. Then, Speedy Smith hit three-pointers on each end of a 2-12 run which turned a 62-62 score into a 64-74 Jerusalem advantage and paved the way to its first Group B win.

It leaned on the threeball to grab a Round 2 win

Jerusalem lit it up from deep to frustrate Lietkabelis again... seven years on

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (2024-10-01T16:00:00.000Z)

7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys-Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Dotson beats the third-quarter buzzer from deep!

Magic Moment: Dotson hits a buzzer-beating triple!

 Dotson beats the third-quarter buzzer from deep!

Bahcesehir College Istanbul romped to an 87-66 win over its more fancied city rival Besiktas Fidabanka Istanbul for a second successive BKT EuroCup win, having returned to the competition for the first time in three years.

Bahcesehir blows away Besiktas in Istanbul derby, 87-66

Bahcesehir College Istanbul romped to an 87-66 win over its more fancied city rival Besiktas Fidabanka Istanbul for a second successive BKT EuroCup win, having returned to the competition for the first time in three years.

Marko Simonovic led Bahcesehir’s effort against his former club with 14 points, scoring 12 in the fourth quarter. Sehmus Hazer, who also joined Bahcesehir from Besiktas, added 13 while Jaleen Smith, Tyler Cavanaugh and Tai Odiase chipped in with 12 each. Mateusz Ponitka netted 11 points in a free-flowing team effort which forced Besiktas on to the back foot in the final three quarters.

At the other end, Conor Morgan stood out for below-par Besiktas with a game-high 15 points. Emanuel Terry scored 13 and Kelan Martin added 12 for the visitors, who were stifled out on offense and overran defensively by a rampant home side.

It was a first-ever meeting between the two sides in the EuroCup and Bahcesehir showed the makings of a team capable of winning the competition after dominating the contest throughout, apart from a brief spell in the first quarter.

The home team scored the opening 6 points of the game before Besiktas hit back with a 0-11 run which saw the visitors edge ahead on the back of some fine shooting by Needham. That, however, was as good as it got for last season’s semifinalist, which got outplayed in every department from there on.

With Bahcesehir winning the opening period 23 -21 and then nosing ahead 30-27 early in the second, the host pulled away thanks to an 11-0 streak as Cavanaugh hit a pair of successive three-pointers before Smith also netted from downtown off the glass.

Bahcesehir led 47-32 at halftime and kept its feet firmly on the gas after the break, with Montenegrin forward Simonovic hitting top gear in the fourth on offense after being a defensive pillar in the opening 30 minutes.

Besiktas guard Derek Needham fizzed out after a bright start to the game and finished the game on a mere 9 points in the wake of aggressive Bahcesehir defense, which forced the visitors to take a barrage of tough shots from both inside and outside.

The less heralded team of the two Istanbul rivals in the EuroCup produced a masterclass performance from start to finish 

Bahcesehir College Istanbul v Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul (2024-10-01T16:00:00.000Z)

Magic Moment: Pustovyi dunks with force!

 Pustovyi spins and pulls off a two-handed monster dunk!

Hapoel Jerusalem used a huge fourth quarter to pull away to a big 74-94 road win over 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys on Tuesday night at Kalnapilio Arena.

Hapoel Jerusalem runs away late to sink Lietkabelis, 74-94

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem used a huge fourth quarter to pull away to a big 74-94 road win over 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys on Tuesday night at Kalnapilio Arena. Jerusalem moved to a 1-1 record, while Lietkabelis dropped to 0-2 in Group B action.

Lietkabelis opened the game with a 23-10 lead, but Jerusalem erased the deficit by early in the second quarter and spent the majority of the game in front. Then, in the fourth quarter, the visitors ran away, scoring 34 points and allowing just 18. 

Jared Harper paced Jerusalem with 23 points and 5 assists, while Yovel Zoosman scored 16 of his 20 points, on 5-of-6 three-point shooting, in the first half. Justin Smith scored 15 and Chris Johnson added 12 points in the victory, with each player also pulling down 7 rebounds. For the hosts, Dovis Bickauskis scored 13, and Georgios Kalaitzakis and Oleksandr Kovliar had 12 points apiece in the loss.

Kovliar opened the scoring for the hosts before they started feeding its big men and scored in transition as Lietkabelis jumped in front 9-3. Jerusalem looked to get going through Khadeen Carrington, but Marko Pecarski’s third bucket of the night made it 15-8. After a timeout, back-to-back threes by Kovliar and Martynas Varnas extended the margin to 13. But Zoosman made his third three-pointer of the quarter to revive Jerusalem, which trimmed the gap to 25-18 after 10 minutes.

Zoosman then drilled a three and stole the ball before scoring a layup early in the second, which was followed by Justin Smith’s three-point play to complete a 0-15 run as Jerusalem took a 25-26 lead. The two teams started trading buckets, and leads, but Jerusalem had a strong finish to the half. A basket from Johnson before 5 points from Carrington, including a triple, fueled a half-ending 0-11 run to give the visitors a 36-44 halftime lead.

Jerusalem extended its advantage to double digits right away in the third, but Kalaitzakis nailed a pair of threes to cut the margin to 46-49. A corner three from Johnson restored a 48-56 lead, but 5 points from Bickauskis, including a triple of his own, helped cut it to 56-57 before Johnson ended the quarter with a buzzer-beating corner three, making it 56-60 after 30 minutes.

At the start of the fourth, a three-point play from Gabrielius Maldunas and a fast-break triple from Mantas Rubstavicius tied the score at 62-62. However, shortly after a Speedy Smith's triple started a 0-9 run which also saw Justin Smith and Harper contribute, another three from Speedy Smith extended it to 66-76 with 5 minutes left. The hosts never threatened again, and Jerusalem scored the final 11 points in the last 2 minutes of the game, ending with a big win.

The Israeli side grabbed its first win in the EuroCup this season

Jerusalem runs away late to sink Lietkabelis, 74-94

Thurman first denies Marcus Foster with a high-flying block, then finishes on the other end with a nice post move

Magic Moment of the Night: Pustovyi dunks with force!

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup

ratiopharm Ulm-Joventut Badalona | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup

Magic Moment: Stewart with the massive dunk!

Magic Moment: Kabengele finishes tough alley-oop!

Magic Moment: Ogbeide with the big stuff!

7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys-Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup

Magic Moment: Dotson hits a buzzer-beating triple!

Magic Moment: Pustovyi dunks with force!

Magic Moment: Thurman operates in both ends!

Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup