


In a high-scoring, fun-to-watch game, Gran Canaria qualified for the 2023 7DAYS EuroCup Semifinals by downing Paris Basketball 104-74 at home on Wednesday. Gran Canaria advanced to the semifinals for the third time in club history, following previous appearances in 2015, 2016 and 2021. It will have the home-court advantage in its game against Joventut Badalona next week.
Damien Inglis led the winners with 23 points on 11-of-14 two-point shooting. John Shurna added 17, Olek Balcerowski had 16 and A.J. Slaughter got 15 for Gran Canaria. Juhann Begarin led Paris with 18 points. Tyrone Wallace scored 13, Aamir Simms 12 and Ismael Kamagate 10 for the visitors, who finished their first EuroCup campaign with an 11-9 record.
Shurna followed a jumper with a bomb from downtown and soon added a three-point play for an 8-4 Gran Canaria lead. Begarin stepped up for Paris and got help from Jeremy Evans and Gauthier Denis to bring the visitors within 17-16. Shurna and Andrew Albicy each sank a three-pointer for a 23-20 Gran Canaria lead. Begarin joined forces with Wallace and Kamagate to put the visitors ahead, 29-30. Ferran Bassas struck from beyond the arc to fix the score at 32-30 after 10 minutes.
An unstoppable Inglis stepped up early in the second quarter. Miquel Salvo and Bassas each downed a triple for a 49-36 Gran Canaria margin. Paris went on a 0-7 run that Denis capped with a three-pointer. Slaughter ignited the crowd with 8 quick points and Inglis helped the hosts to a 61-48 advantage at halftime.
Shurna got Gran Canaria going again with a backdoor layup, as Paris was held scoreless for 3 minutes. Simms followed a three-pointer with a fastbreak dunk, but Shurna and Albicy kept Gran Canaria comfortably ahead, 70-54. Inglis hit a jump hook and Slaughter added a four-point play to break the game open, 76-56. Bassas's up-and-under, buzzer-beating layup boosted the hosts' lead to 82-60 after 30 minutes.
Inglis remained a dominant force early in the fourth quarter and Salvo dunked in traffic to seal the outcome, 89-68, with 7 minutes left. Little changed after that, as Gran Canaria cruised to a well-deserved victory.