A EuroCup champ last season, had his best game yet with Granca on Wednesday
Mehdy Ngouama was Gran Canaria's X-factor against Reyer

Dreamland Gran Canaria recorded an 84-80 victory over Umana Reyer Venice in the EuroCup Eighthfinals thanks to Mehdy Ngouama, who paved the way with an outstanding first-half performance.
Gran Canaria did not enter the game in the best physical condition. Star guard Caleb Homesley was slowed down by a knee injury, missed a Spanish League game over the weekend and made an effort to help his team in this do-or-die game. Fortunately for Gran Canaria, Ngouama was able to deliver, surprising fans and experts alike with his energy and all-around game.
Ngouama was simply unstoppable once he entered the game early in the first quarter. He quickly got a three-point play and soon added another layup-plus-foul to put Gran Canaria ahead, 15-11. Ngouama still had time to hit a floater and a bomb from downtown to reach 11 points in the first quarter, giving his team a 25-16 lead.
He was far from done. Ngouama buried a three-pointer early in the second quarter and provided one of the biggest highlights of the season, getting a steal and dunking over Reyer playmaker Tyler Ennis. The visitors quickly called a timeout, but Ngouama still had time to hit an off-balance shot over Mfioundu Kabengele. At halftime, Ngouama had 18 points, matching his career-high, and Gran Canaria had full control of the game, 46-39.
Gran Canaria head coach Jaka Lakovic opted for more experienced players in the second half, in which Ngouama played less than 4 minutes. Even so, he ended up leading his team in scoring with 18 points in just 16 minutes, making 5 of 6 two-pointers, 2 of 4 three-pointers and 2 of 2 free throws, as well as getting 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 fouls drawn for a team-high PIR of 21. Until now, Ngouama had struggled to adjust to his new team. In five EuroCup games, he had averaged 4.8 points on poor shooting (25.0% 2FG, 30.8% 3FG), 1.8 rebounds and a PIR of 1.4.
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Another shooting guard, Joe Thomasson, stepped up with the game on the line. The game was tied at 72-72 when Nico Brussino hit a floater in the lane. Thomasson made the difference with a five-meter jumper and a bomb from downtown which gave his team the cushion it needed to control the game until the final buzzer.
"I'm feeling great. First of all, congratulations to Reyer. They had a great run during the EuroCup season. I'm really proud of the team. We had some ups and downs, but now we are moving up. We now have another challenge and will be ready for the next one," Ngouama said after the game.
Ngouama is one of seven EuroCup champions on Gran Canaria's roster. He lifted the trophy with Paris Basketball last season. If Gran Canaria wins the title, Ngouama would be the second player in competition history to win consecutive EuroCup titles with different teams. Edu Hernandez-Sonseca is the only player on this list, having won the EuroCup with Real Madrid in 2007 and Joventut Badalona in 2008.
"I expect to get my back-to-back Eurocup championships, so I am still on the run to get it, but we will see! We just got to stay ready, go step by step, one game at a time and we will see," Ngouama added.