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Birgander's second chance changed Joventut

Joventut Badalona's tale of two halves in a 54-68 road win at ratiopharm Ulm on Wednesday was the same tale for Simon Birgander, its 25-year-old center.

Birgander lasted all of 4 minutes in the first half, getting 3 quick fouls and a ride on the bench as Ulm took a 35-30 halftime lead. He missed his only shot, committed a turnover, but took a rebound and blocked a shot.

"The first half was pretty rough for me," Birgander confessed after the game.

Birgander said he was surprised to start the second half, but came back well-rested and ready for action. 

He began by ripping rebounds, blocking another shot and scoring Joventut's first basket. But he was just getting started. With 2 more blocks, he anchored a defense that held Ulm to 2 points in the first 8 minutes of the third quarter, during which time Birgander collected 7 points and 7 rebounds as Joventut zoomed in front 37-46.

Simon Birgander Top Blocks, 2 Pts vs. ratiopharm Ulm, 11/23/2022

Simon Birgander super second half vs Ulm

He returned for the fourth quarter and resumed playing pick-and-roll with guards Pau Ribas, Kyle Guy and Andres Feliz, who fed Birgander for baskets or shooting fouls that saw his point total reach 11 points, while his rebounds reached 10 and he blocked a fifth shot. When he left the game with 5 minutes left, Joventut led 44-64 after having held Ulm to 9 points in 15 minutes. That amounted to a 25-point swing in the 15 minutes after Birgander rejoined the game.

"In the second half, I just tried to come out and do my best and try to help the team get better and better," Birgander said.

The four-year EuroCup veteran finished with a performance index rating of 22 in less than 18 minutes played. In most of those, he was the main defensive force as Ulm had its worst-ever scoring quarter (6 points) and half (19) in the club's 133 7DAYS EuroCup games to date.

The significance of the game was not lost on him. The victory avenged a still-painful upset when Ulm went down to Badalona last season and knocked out top-seeded Joventut from title contention in the single-elimination eighthfinals.

For Birgander and his many teammates, that was a lesson that has not faded as they now sit tied for first place in Group A, but are taking the long view.

"We have good chances. There are a lot of good teams that we have to beat first, and it's pretty hard because after the group stages, it's only one game," Birgander said. "And if you lose that, you're out, like last year we lost to Ulm in the eighthfinals. It's just hard to win those games."

Look back at all the action in the Regular Season Round 5 by checking out the best photos of the week!

EuroCup, The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 5

Regular Season Round 5 is already in the books. Check out the individual leaders in all main statistical categories.

 Round 5 individual highs: Kaba, Buducnost 16 rebounds 

Regular Season Round 5 is already in the books. Check out the individual leaders in all main statistical categories.

Jamel Morris of 7-Bet Lietkabelis Panevezys led all scorers in Round 5 with 25 points. Joe Young of Promitheas is EuroCup's top scorer this season with 23.4 points per game. 

Alpha Kaba of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica had 16 rebounds, a new career high that tied the Buducnost club record. Kaba improved his EuroCup-best average to 10.8 rebounds. 

Anthony Clemmons of Frutti Extra Bursaspor and Patrick Richard of U-BT Cluj-Napoca each had 8 assists, the most this week. J'Cowan Brown of Promitheas Patras leads the competition in assists with 6.8 per game.

Four players had 4 steals in Round 5: Josh Adams of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, Jeremiah Martin of Slask Wroclaw, Darion Atkins of Dolomiti Energia Trento and Miye Oni of London Lions. Martin tops the season steals charts with 2.8 per game. 

Simon Birgander of Joventut Badalona had 5 blocks, more than any other player this round. Birgander and Ismael Kamagate of Paris are this season's top shot-blockers with 2.2 per game. 

Round 5 also so as many as seven different players register double-doubles, all in points and rebounds: Kaba (17 points,16 rebounds), Arnoldas Kulboka of Promitheas (19, 12), Aleksander Dziewa of Slask Wroclaw (14,11), Birgander (11, 10), Dave Dudzinski (20,10) and Zach Auguste (19, 10) of Frutti Extra Bursaspor, and DJ Stephens of Prometey Slobozhanske (10, 10).

Round 5 individual highs: Kaba, Buducnost, 16 rebounds

Round 5 MVP: David Dudzinski, Frutti Extra Bursaspor

[David Dudzinski](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/david-dudzinski/010427/) shined for his Frutti Extra Bursaspor on Tuesday night with a career-best performance that led this team to an 80-89 road win over previously unbeaten Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, earning him his first MVP of the Round honor. Dudzinski scored 10 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, finishing the game having made 3 of 5 two-point shots and 4 of 5 threes. He pulled down 4 of his 10 rebounds in the fourth quarter and also dished 2 assists. His performance index rating of 28 was a personal best and the highest among players on winning teams in Round 5. This round's best PIR, 29, belonged to Alpha Kaba of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica and Aleksander Dziewa of Slask Wroclaw. Kaba collected 17 points plus 16 rebounds and 3 steals in a 74-77 home loss against Paris Basketball, while Dziewa had 14 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in Slask's 76-78 home defeat to Promitheas Patras. Rounding out the list of Round 5’s top performers are Xavier Munford of Hapoel Tel Aviv and Arnoldas Kulboka of Promitheas, each with a PIR of 27. Munford netted 24 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds in an 85-83 loss at Gran Canaria, while Kulboka had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists in a win over Slask.

David Dudzinski | Round 5 MVP | 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2022-11-22T18:00:00.000Z)

Congratulations to Andrea Sgrulletta, who is the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge winner for Round 5! Andrea's team LOLLO's TEAM posted a score of 196.5.

The team featured the following lineup: team captain Yoeli Childs of London Towers, Ismael Kamagate of Paris Basketball, Jerian Grant of Turk Telekom Ankara, Arnoldas Kulboka of Promitheas Patras and James Palmer Jr. of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse as starters; Axel Bouteille of Turk Telekom as the sixth man; Marco Spissu of Umana Reyer Venice, Kristian Kullamae of 7-Bet Lietkabelis Panevezys, John Petrucelli of Germani Brescia and Yigitcan Saybir of Frutti Extra Bursaspor as bench players; and Can Erdem of Turk Telekom as head coach. The prize for finishing first in Round 5 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2023-24 season!

Bugra Alpagut is the new leader atop the overall standings. His team The Defending Champs is ahead of everyone else with 829.00 fantasy points.

Trades are now open for Round 6. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

The first game in Round 6, Promitheas Patras vs. Turk Telekom, is scheduled to tip off on Tuesday, November 29 at 18:30 CET, and thus marks the next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 5 winner

Paris Basketball rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 74-77 on Wednesday night, but coming back from 10 points down in the final quarter was not the only deficit Paris had to overcome.

Paris used a 0-14 run to turn Buducnost's 65-55 advantage into its own 65-69 lead. Paris has done it despite being significantly outrebounded.

Buducnost pulled down 51 rebounds, second most this season and in club history, and had 15 offensive boards, compared to 42 rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds by Paris. The visitors also shot just 7-for-24 (29.2%) from long range, and missed more free throws than they made, shooting 18-of-37.

However, Paris battled through it all to register its third road win of its premier 7DAYS EuroCup season.

Game Videos

Game News

Paris overcame deficits to win in Podgorica

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Paris Basketball (2022-11-23T18:00:00.000Z)

It might have been a rollercoaster ride, but Gran Canaria pulled out a dramatic win over visiting Hapoel Tel Aviv. A.J. Slaughter's triple with 3.5 seconds to go lifted the hosts to an 85-83 victory.

It was probably only fitting that Gran Canaria won the game on a three-pointer, having made 16 of 38 attempts for the night. It improved Gran Canaria's season average to 13.4 triples per game, which is on-pace for a single-season record.

Slaughter, who leads the EuroCup with 4.0 triples per game, matched his average, having made 4 of 7 for the game. John Shurna also netted 4 triples, while Ferran Bassas and Vitor Benite knocked down 3 three-pointers apiece.

Hapoel had a fine shooting night of its own, going 9 for 19 (47.4%), however, it was not enough.

Three-pointers made the difference for Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria v Hapoel Tel Aviv (2022-11-23T20:00:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj-Napoja had to battle for 40 minutes, making adjustments to beat Germani Brescia 91-86 to improve to 2-3 in the standings. The biggest one had to do with Brescia's three-pointers.

At some point, Brescia was well on its way to setting an all-time 7DAYS EuroCup record for most three-point shots made. UNICS Kazan and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne share the record with 20 three-pointers each and Brescia had downed 12 at halftime in just 18 attempts (66.7%). Amedeo Della Valle and John Petrucelli had buried 3 apiece before halftime. Cluj had nailed 7 three-pointers, too, and trailed 49-51 at halftime.

Cluj made the adjustments required at halftime, contesting shots and rebounding the ball well. Brescia ended up setting a club record with 15 three-point shots made, but made only 3 of 12 (25%) after the break. Cluj outrebounded Brescia 31-25, allowing the visitors to pull down just 6 offensive rebounds. All that sent Cluj to its second victory in Group A.

Cluj stopped Brescia's three-pointers to win

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v Germani Brescia (2022-11-23T17:30:00.000Z)

It appeared as though Slask Wroclaw was going to record its first win in the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup on Wednesday night, but Promitheas Patras – and Anthony Cowan in particular – stepped up when it mattered most to break the hearts of the home fans at Hala Orbita.

 

In fact, prior to Cowan scoring a tough three-pointer in the final seconds of the game to put Promitheas ahead, 76-78, the Greeks had only led for one minute and 32 seconds – between 3:33 and 2:01 in the second quarter.

After entering the fourth quarter down 12 points, 62-50, Promitheas showed the level of character it needed to come away with the win and position itself at the top of Group B.

 

Slask had enjoyed the better of Promitheas for almost the entirety of the first 30 minutes, winning each of the first three quarters 18-14, 24-19 and 20-17, respectively, but the visitors flipped the script in the final period to win the quarter 14-28 en route to a two-point victory.

 

"\[It's a\] big win for us, especially coming off a little break. But it's a big win for us, especially coming to an away team – they had a great crowd – and we fought until the end," Cowan stressed after the game. "I'm definitely proud of my guys and definitely happy for the win."

Aside from Joe Young, Promitheas's leading scorer on the night, and a big shot by Cowan at the end, the player who kept the Greeks alive in the game was Arnoldas Kulboka. He was a constant threat for Promitheas, and he finished with two career-highs, which curiously came on the same play. With 2:19 to go in the fourth quarter, Kulboka grabbed his own rebound and converted a layup to level the score at 72-72. This play meant that he had scored his highest number of points in a game with 19, and also that he had recorded his personal best for rebounds with 12.

 

Promitheas was not at its best on Wednesday night, but it showed just enough to come away with its fourth victory from five games, which means it is one of three teams in Group B with a record of 4-1. Yet, with a difference of +30 in terms of points scored and allowed, it now sits at the top of the standings.

 

Next Tuesday evening, Promitheas welcomes Turk Telekom Ankara – one of the other 4-1 teams – to Dimitris Tofalos Arena in what should be a fascinating showdown between two of the most in-form teams in this year's EuroCup. It will not be easy against the Turk Telekom, but if Promitheas shows a similar level of grit and determination to Wednesday's win over Slask, it may find itself top of Group B after Round 6.

Promitheas showed grit and determination to go top of Group B

Slask Wroclaw v Promitheas Patras (2022-11-23T19:00:00.000Z)

A.J. Slaughter hit a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left on the clock to lift Gran Canaria to a thrilling 85-83 win over visiting Hapoel Tel Aviv on Wednesday night. Gran Canaria trailed 73-81 with less than 5 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but found a way to rally and then saw Slaughter hit a step-back triple, the team's 16th three-pointer of the night, to win it and improve Gran Canaria to 4-1, tied for the best record in Group A. Hapoel dropped to 3-2 in its first 7DAYS EuroCup season.

John Shurna was Gran Canaria's top scorer with 18 points and Damien Inglis had 14 points plus 7 rebounds. Slaughter finished with 12 points and Ferran Bassas and Vitor Benite each netted 10 in victory. Xavier Munford shined for Hapoel with 24 points. Jordan McRae had 17, J'Covan Brown netted 15 and Jaylen Hoard finished with 10 in a losing effort.

Gran Canaria stormed out of the gate with Shurna netting the first 7 points before Salvo's triple made it 14-4. Jordan McRae made a triple and sparked a 4-18 spurt, with Munford in the main role, scoring 13 points to put Hapoel up 23-24. But Ferran Bassas beat the buzzer to end the first quarter and then opened the second with a three-pointer. More threes, one from Slaughter and back-to-back from Shurna made it 40-27. McRae snapped the hosts' run, but Slaughter, Benite and Shurna went back-to-back-to-back within 65 seconds for a 51-34 lead. However, Hapoel closed the first half with a 1-9 run to make it 52-45.

The visitors scored the first 10 points of the third quarter with Munford and McRae each hitting 1 triple to put Hapoel in front. Gran Canaria responded with more threes, 1 each from Bassas and Benite, and took a 63-60 lead into the fourth quarter. Hapoel erased the deficit with close-range baskets from JP Tokoto and Jaylen Hoard before Brown strung together 9 points, including a pair of triples during a 1-11 run to put Hapoel up 73-81. But Gran Canaria started making defensive stops, while Inglis and Shurna kept the hosts' hopes alive. Inglis scored 6 points to get the hosts within 82-83 with 45 seconds to go. After another defensive stand, the ball went to Slaughter who nailed a game-winning step-back triple.

Slaughter's game winner lifts Gran Canaria over Hapoel

### Gran Canaria head coach Jaka Lakovic:

"I want to congratulate my players on the win. The game had two halves. In the first, we started very good, with very good defense, good rhythm. We found open shots and we made them. But I thought we pushed our breaks a little bit near the end of the first half and Hapoel punished us with individual quality, in one-on-one situations and we went into locker room only 7 points up. The second half was different. We got anxious, had doubts, and Hapoel used it to their advantage, got confident, started making shots. We did not execute on offense we were down, on our way to lose the game. But the players found a way to play defense again, and with a great shot from A.J. Slaughter, we won the game. We know A.J. can do that. He wanted the ball. It was a lucky win, but we will take it."

### Hapoel Tel Aviv head coach Danny Franco:

"It took us time to adjust to the Spanish tempo in the first half. Gran Canaria had over 50 points. In the second half, we made a much better defensive effort. An unfortunate loss, but we showed we can compete, even on the road against a very good team like Gran Canaria. The only thing we can do is look at the positive things of the game and try to fix the little details. Allowing offensive rebounds after free throws, small things eventually made the difference in a one-bucket game. But I am proud of my guys."

### Gran Canaria guard A.J. Slaughter

"My heart is still racing. It was a hell of a game. Give credit to them, they came here and played us really tough. Give credit to our team for not giving up and fighting back and finding the way to win at the end."

Slaughter, Gran Canaria: 'My heart is still racing'

Round 5 roll call: Veterans impact big wins

Tomislav Zubcic (22 points) Highlights vs. Hamburg Towers, 11/22/2022

Zubcic impresses for impressive London Lions

### Zubcic impresses for impressive London Lions

Arguably the most impressive win in Round 5 was that of London Lions, a 28-point drubbing on the road against Veolia Hamburg Lions. One of the team's many impressive performances was the one by veteran forward [Tomislav Zubcic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tomislav-zubcic/ljp/), who had a game-high 22 points in 26 minutes. That is tied for the second-best scoring performance in Zubcic's seventh season in the competition. He connected on 4 of 6 two- and three-pointers, the latter being his season-best. Zubcic's performance also included 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals for a performance index rating of 26.

Amar Gegic highlights vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, 11/23/2022

Gegic was everywhere for Paris

### Gegic was everywhere for Paris

Paris Basketball is three for three in EuroCup road games. The team from the French capital kept its perfect away record intact with a dramatic 74-77 win at Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. The key moment in the game was a 0-14 fourth-quarter run, which turned a 65-55 deficit into a four-point Paris lead. [Amar Gegic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/amar-gegic/004466/) was the key facilitator in that run, with a pair of steals that led to easy fastbreak layups, one of which was his own. Gegic scored 5 points during that key run, but also assisted for Dustin Sleva's corner triple and Ismael Kamagate's big dunk. Gegic finished the game with 11 points, second-most in his career, while also setting new career highs in rebounds (6), assists (4) and steals (2).

John Shurna (18 points) Highlights vs. Hapoel Tel Aviv, 11/23/2022

Shurna's fine shooting

### Shurna's fine shooting

[John Shurna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/john-shurna/006588/) had one of the finest shooting performances of his EuroCup career in the first half of Gran Canaria's win over Hapoel Tel Aviv. Shurna netted 16 of his team-high 18 points in the first half. He was the main reason that Gran Canaria played and shot the ball with unbelievable confidence and built a 17-point lead with 2 minutes to go in the first half. He was 4-for-5 from long range and 2-for-3 on two-pointers at that point. Hapoel did come back and Gran Canaria need to rally from 8 points down in the final 5 minutes to win. Shurna scored only another baseline jumper in the second half, but it came in the key moment, during his team's final 12-2 run to win the game.

Anthony Clemmons (18 points) Highlights vs. JL Bourg en Bresse, 11/22/2022

Clemmons ties career-high in assists

### Clemmons ties career-high in assists

Frutti Extra Bursaspor got back on the winning track with a road win over the previously unbeaten Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, and [Anthony Clemmons](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/anthony-clemmons/009565/) did a great job orchestrating Bursaspor's offense. Clemmons finished the game tying his career-high with 8 assists, half of which he dished in the fourth quarter. In 34 minutes on the floor, he scored 18 points, making all 3 of his two-point shots and also sinking 3 of 9 three-pointers.

Birgander s defensive party_7902165.mp4

### Birgander's defensive party

[Simon Birgander](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/simon-birgander/009682/) had his best game of the season and arguably one of the most complete ones of his career in Joventut Badalona's 14-point win at ratiopharm Ulm. Birgander had 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting, pulled down 10 rebounds, including 8 on the defensive end, and delivered a career-high 5 blocks, one shy of Joventut's club record. He did all of that in just 18 minutes on the floor as Joventut's defense held Ulm to just 54 points. Birgander now has 10 blocked shots in the last three games, which catapulted him into a tie for the league lead in that category with an average of 2.2.

Vintage Watt leads Reyer past Lietkabelis

### Vintage Watt

[Mitchell Watt](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/mitchell-watt/006332/) had another fine performance in what was the third straight win for Umana Reyer Venice, this time against the visiting 7-Bet Lietkabelis Panevezys. Watt played 31 minutes and scored a team-high 19 points, tied for his season best as he made 6 of 12 two-point shots. Watt also pulled down 8 rebounds and go to the free throw line 9 times, making 7 foul shots, also all his season-best marks. Watt was instrumental in Reyer's win with a +15 plus-minus in the 74-71 victory.

Jamel Morris led all Round 5 scorers with 25 points in a loss vs. Umana Reyer Venice, 11/22/2022

Morris was Round 5 scoring leader

### Morris was Round 5’s scoring leader

On the other side in that same game, Lietkabelis guard [Jamel Morris](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/jamel-morris/011931/) netted 25 points, more than any other player in Round 5. It is also the most points scored by a Lietkabelis player this season, a mark that Morris has improved upon in each of the last three games. He scored 21 points in Round 3, then 24 points in Round 4 before dropping 25 on Tuesday, improving his season average to 18.4 points. In doing so, he also set a club record by going perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season Round 5 is in the books, and it featured several big and impactful performances by seasoned veterans. Here are some of them.

News

Round 5 roll call: Veterans impact big wins

Article

Birgander's second chance changed Joventut

Article

EuroCup, The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 5

Article

Round 5 individual highs: Kaba, Buducnost, 16 rebounds

Stats

Round 5 MVP: David Dudzinski, Frutti Extra Bursaspor

Awards

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 5 winner

Article

Paris overcame deficits to win in Podgorica

Stats

Three-pointers made the difference for Gran Canaria

Stats

Cluj stopped Brescia's three-pointers to win

Article

Promitheas showed grit and determination to go top of Group B

Article

Slaughter's game winner lifts Gran Canaria over Hapoel

Game Report

Slaughter, Gran Canaria: 'My heart is still racing'

Article