### Group A: Spain finishes in first place, Belgium and Montenegro advance

Spain outlasted Turkey 69-72 in Tbilisi, Georgia, to finish atop Group A. It will meet Lithuania in the Round of 16 on Saturday. Willy Hernangomez paced the winners with 15 points and 7 rebounds and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv point guard Lorenzo Brown tallied 11 points and 7 assists. It was a back-and-forth contest that featured 15 lead changes. Turkey led 65-64 on a Furkan Korkmaz layup with 2 and a half minutes remaining, but Brown and Valencia Basket guard Xabi Lopez-Arostegui combined for the next 5 points as Spain held on. Cedi Osman led Turkey with 20 points and Korkmaz added 16.

Belgium punched its ticket to the Round of 16 with an 80-89 victory over Bulgaria, which ended the latter’s participation in the tournament. Bulgaria was down 11 at halftime and stormed back in the third quarter, but Belgium regained control, 60-66, by the end of the third and held on in the fourth despite the best efforts of the Bulgarians. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne guard Retin Obasohan led the Belgian attack with 25 points and Emmanuel Lecomte contributed 20. All-EuroLeague forward Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus produced 26 points and 13 rebounds for Bulgaria in defeat.

Montenegro claimed the fourth and final ticket to Berlin from Group A by beating 73-81 host Georgia 73-81 in the last game of the tournament in Tbilisi. Montenegro, which never trailed in the second half, enjoyed a game-high 22 points from Buducnost VOLI Podgorica guard Igor Drobnjak and 17 points and 9 assists from Kendrick Perry. Thaddus McFadden paced Georgia with 15 points and Sandro Mamukelashvili posted 15 points and 10 rebounds in defeat. Montenegro finished third in the group with a 3-2 record. Georgia was last at 1-4.

### Group B: Slovenia is first, Lithuania qualifies for Round of 16

Lithuania eliminated Bosnia and Herzegovina with an 87-70 victory in their win-or-go-home clash at Cologne Arena, home of the 2021 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Both teams finished the group stage with 2-3 records, but Lithuania advanced to the Round of 16 by virtue of the head-to-head result. Lithuania will face Spain in the next stage on Saturday. Panathinaikos Athens sharpshooter Marius Grigonis paced the Lithuanian attack with 16 points. Zalgiris Kaunas teammates Arnas Butkevicius and Ignas Brazdeikis added 13 points apiece as did center Jonas Valanciunas, who also collected 15 rebounds. Dzanan Musa of Real Madrid led Bosnia with 22 points. Lithuania led throughout the second half with the margin peaking at 22 midway through the third quarter. Bosnia rallied late, but the outcome was never in danger.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If &quot;don&#39;t celebrate too early&quot; was a basketball video. 😱<br><br>MONSTER POSTER FROM BUTKEVICIUS!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BringTheNoise?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BringTheNoise</a> <a href="https://t.co/3Rf0E0w3hD">pic.twitter.com/3Rf0E0w3hD</a></p>&mdash; #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroBasket/status/1567520769680502784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Slovenia topped Group B after defeating France 82-88 behind a monster game from former EuroLeague MVP Luka Doncic, who racked up 47 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. However, with the game on the line in the closing minutes, it was Goran Dragic who rose up. Dragic made 2 steals for layups that were sandwiched around an assist accounting for all the points in the final 90 seconds, breaking open a game that was tied 82-82. Slovenia improved to 4-1 and France fell to 3-2. Rudy Gobert scored 19 to lead France, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward Amath M’Baye contributed 13 points and 5 assists and Elie Okobo of AS Monaco added 11 points.

Germany wrapped up action in Group B with a 71-106 triumph over Hungary. Germany outscored its opponents in all four quarters, including by 12 in both the second and fourth quarters. Christian Sengfelder led the winners with 22 points, ALBA Berlin guard Maodo Lo scored 21 and former ALBA captain Niels Giffey added 19, while EA7 Emporio Armani Milan big man Johannes Voigtmann brought down 10 rebounds. Zoltan Perl scored 15 for Hungary, which bowed out of the tournament winless in five games.

The group stage came to an end for half of the teams at EuroBasket 2022 on Wednesday with four teams heading home. 

EuroBasket: Lithuania, Belgium, Montenegro advance

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse refreshed its roster and appointed Frederic Fauthoux as head coach for its third season in the 7DAYS EuroCup. 

Roster rundown: Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse

Bourg won six games in each of first two EuroCup campaigns and hopes to do much better. To that end, the club hired Fauthoux, who has been a player and an assistant coach in the EuroLeague, as head coach and brought in seven new players while keeping some of its stars from last season.  

### BACKCOURT

Opposing playmakers know they will have a tough time when they meet Bourg. Axel Julien enjoyed a strong debut in the EuroCup last season when he ranked among the competition’s top 10 in assists and made 46.1% of his three-pointers. Julien will share playmaking duties with rising star Hugo Benitez, who showed plenty of flashes of brilliance last season and, at age 21, is only getting better. Jordan Floyd is a scorer in a point guard’s body who could be a difference-maker in his first season in the EuroCup. Veteran combo-guard Frantz Massenat gives Fauthoux another ball-handler as well as a reliable shooter. Swingman James Palmer was a volume scorer in college and an all-around contributor in the Polish League last season. He should have a big role with Bourg. Small forward Maxime Courby started in three-quarters of his appearances last season and played an important role as a 3-and-D guy. The club has high hopes for 20-year-old Maxime Galin, who is not expected to have a big role yet this season. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Frantz vous présente le style 2022-2023 ✨<br><br>Une collab&#39; avec <a href="https://twitter.com/Nike?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nike</a> &amp; Ô Sports 🤝 <a href="https://t.co/4CaCGjUnBi">pic.twitter.com/4CaCGjUnBi</a></p>&mdash; JL Bourg Basket (@JLBourgBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLBourgBasket/status/1565707393161371648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### FRONTCOURT

Isaiah Mike, who was a teammate of Frantz Massenat last season at German club Chemnitz, will make his EuroCup debut in his third season as a professional. He will share minutes at power forward with Alexandre Chassang and Kevin Kokila. Chassang has three seasons of EuroCup experience and a good outside shot that can stretch defenses. Kokila, 20, comes off a strong season in the French second division and will look to use his rebounding skills to carve out a big role with Bourg. At center Bourg has two distinctly different players to share the bulk of the minutes. James Dickey is a defensive ace and a rim-protector. Pierre Pelos is a smaller player and a great shot-maker as well as a very strong rebounder. The bevvy of players at the 4-5 spots will allow Coach Fauthoux to be very creative at both ends of the floor. 

### PLAYER TO WATCH

Homegrown point guard Hugo Benitez is one of the top young guards in France and showed tremendous strides last season. He improved his shooting and raised his per-minute averages in scoring, rebounds and steals while cutting down on turnovers. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.4 was sixth-best in the EuroCup. At age 21, another similar jump is within reason and would place him among the best point guard in the competition. Also working in Benitez’s favor is the fact that he is surrounded by veterans in the backcourt with presumed starting point guard Axel Julien and veteran Frantz Massenat and he is coached by a former point guard. Altogether, it puts young Benitez in position to do something special this season.   

Watch the Game Highlights from JL Bourg en Bresse vs. Segafredo Virtus Bologna, 04/05/2022

Mincidelice JL Bourg-en-Bresse vs Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Highlights | Round 18

### OUTLOOK

Even though Bourg has several of its key players back from last season, the team comes into the 2022-23 campaign with a new head coach and a new look. On paper, the squad looks very promising with lots of young, promising players joining several established stars who remain. Bourg has depth that will cause lots of problems for some teams, too. After advancing to the Top 16 two seasons ago, getting to the eighthfinals and perhaps even more could be very much within reach this season.  

Last season's 7DAYS EuroCup finalist Frutti Extra Bursaspor registered its second preseason win by beating Enisey Krasnoyarsk 79-68 at Gloria Cup in Antalya, Turkey. Bursaspor led 43-31 at the break, and preserved the lead in the second half with Derek Needham leading the way with 19 points and 5 assists. Zach Auguste had 14 points and 7 rebounds while Omer Utku scored 13 with 5 assists.

### Tuesday's games:

Frutti Extra Bursaspor 79-68 Enisey Krasnoyarsk, Turkish Riviera Cup, Antalya, Turkey

Turk Telekom Ankara 71-75 Zenit St. Petersburg, Turkish Riviera Cup, Antalya, Turkey

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">🏀Hazırlık Maçı<br>✅Maç Sonucu<br><br>Frutti Extra Bursasporumuz 79 –68 Enisey Krasnoyarsk<br><br>Derek Needham 19 Sayı, 2 Ribaund, 5 Asist<br>Zach Auguste 14 Sayı, 7 Rb, 1 Asist<br>Ömer Utku Al 13 Sayı, 2 Rb, 5 Asist<br>Dudzinski 12 Sayı, 7 Rb 3 Asist<br>Anthony Clemmons 11 Sayı, 3 Rb, 3 Asist <a href="https://t.co/bxaO1vp6wZ">pic.twitter.com/bxaO1vp6wZ</a></p>&mdash; Frutti Extra Bursaspor (@BsBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BsBasketbol/status/1567225904417341443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Preseason: Bursaspor registers second victory

The final touches to the London Lions roster are being made ahead of the start of the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup season, with the team having announced the arrival of [Devon Van Oostrum](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/devon-van-oostrum/001971/). Last season, Van Oostrum (1.93 meters, 29 years old) played in the Spanish second division with Huesca and Melilla. During his time with Huesca, he averaged 12.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 20 games. Then, in the final part of the campaign, Van Oostrum recorded averages of 6.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 10 games for Melilla. The point guard has one year of experience in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, having suited up for Laboral Kutxa – now known as Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz – in the 2013-14 season, averaging 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds in a reserve role. Van Oostrum is currently representing Great Britain at the EuroBasket 2022.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">DEVON! ✍️ <a href="https://twitter.com/DevonVanOostrum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DevonVanOostrum</a> <br>We are thrilled to confirm the signing of GB International Devon Van Oostrum! 🇬🇧 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wearelondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wearelondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/londonlions?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#londonlions</a> <a href="https://t.co/D3tsISziTX">pic.twitter.com/D3tsISziTX</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1567165436076122113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Van Oostrum has 10 years of experience as a professional, which has seen him play in Spain, Croatia, England, Finland, Greece, North Macedonia, the Netherlands, and Lithuania. He began his career with CB Tarragona of Spain in 2011-12 before going on to represent fellow Spanish sides Caceres and Laboral Kutxa in the following two seasons. The 2014-15 campaign saw Van Oostrum split time between four teams in four different countries, as he played for Cibona of Croatia in the Adriatic League, Penas Huesca of Spain, Leeds Force of England and Kouvot of Finland. He then played a big role for Arkadikos of Greece in 2015-16 before having a largely limited role with MZT Skopje of North Macedonia, Koroivos of Greece, Den Bosch of the Netherlands, Prienai CBet of Lithuania, Zwolle of the Netherlands, Huesca and then Zwolle again. After returning to Huesca in the summer of 2021, he spent the majority of season with the team but then saw out the campaign with Melilla. Van Oostrum has been brought in by London to cover for the long-term knee injury suffered by fellow Great Britain guard Tarik Phillip.

London brings in Great Britain international Van Oostrum

Paris Basketball has secured the arrival of [Killian Malwaya](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/killian-malwaya/010026/) on a three-year contract. Malwaya (1.97 meters, 17 years old) joins from LCLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, with which he played seven games in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade and Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade Finals last season, posting averages of 17.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals. As a result of his performances in the ANGT Belgrade in February 2022, when he averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals, he was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Malwaya could make his 7DAYS EuroCup debut if he gets on the floor for Paris next season.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Killian est parisien 😈<br><br>Made in 77, la pépite de 17 ans <a href="https://twitter.com/KillianMalwaya?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KillianMalwaya</a> , meilleur joueur du Adidas Next Génération 2022 de Belgrade rejoint l’effectif Parisien pour les 3 prochaines saisons 🔥<br><br>Il disputera son premier match sous nos couleurs ce soir à Evreux 💥<br><br> 🖤❤️💙 <a href="https://t.co/nmdoNYS1RX">pic.twitter.com/nmdoNYS1RX</a></p>&mdash; Paris Basketball (@ParisBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball/status/1567119549555769346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Malwaya, a France international at under-17 level, has spent his entire career to date developing in the ASVEL youth system. On the European stage, he first appeared in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Valencia in 2019-20, doing so off the bench, before featuring in the same tournament one year later as a starter. In the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Valencia Finals, Malwaya started all three games, but it was in the 2021-22 season when he took a big step forward. He will now hope to continue his upwards trajectory with Paris, which also has a number of other exciting prospects on its roster.

Paris signs ANGT Belgrade MVP Malwaya

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime, is here!

[EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) is back! The popular game played by over 50,000 fans all over the world returns for the 2022-23 season, with new features and improvements, and brand new and bigger prizes to win! 

The EuroCup’s official fantasy game is proudly powered by [Ardu Prime](https://arduprime.com/), a registered financial company that provides result-driven investment services to its clients. This award-winning Forex and CFD broker has 20-plus years of experience in the financial markets. With offices in the heart of European capitals including Athens and London, Ardu Prime is a strong player in the industry and a reliable choice for traders and investors. 

[EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/) is available in more than 10 languages and may be played on a specially designed app for both [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fantasychallenge.euroleague.net&hl=en&gl=US) and [iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/euroleague-fantasy-challenge/id1581590467) devices, offering a very user-friendly and fun experience wherever you go!

New features added to the game include an improved pricing formula, a new stats section, enhanced design and mobile push notifications whenever a player on your Fantasy Challenge team is marked as injured or unavailable. Fantasy Challenge will also continue until the end of the 2022-23 EuroCup Finals, offering a competitive game throughout the entire season.

In addition to starters, the game counts the performance of head coaches, bench players, team captains and sixth men. There are many ways to set up both public and private leagues with the introduction of a "draft mode" alongside the classic mode.

The list of exciting prizes that can be won has expanded, too, with the addition of more than 40 game tickets, several Final Four VIP Tickets, EuroLeague TV subscriptions, dozens of official jerseys, basketballs and more!

Don’t wait, [PLAY NOW!](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)

The only preseason fixture that took place featuring a team from the 7DAYS EuroCup on Monday saw Lietkabelis Panevezys beat Nurnberg Falcons 92-71 in Panevezys, Lithuania. Jamel Morris was the leading scorer for Lietkabelis with 17, while Zeljko Sakicius, Mantas Rubstavicius and Paulius Murauskas also got into double figures with 15, 14 and 11 points, respectively. It was a dominant display from Lietkabelis, as it had an 11-point lead after the first quarter (31-20) and then extended its advantage to 19 points at halftime (54-35). Nurnberg was unable to contain Lietkabelis's offense, falling 26 points behind after the third quarter (78-52). Then, in the final quarter, Lietkabelis finished with a 92-71 victory. This win is Lietkabelis's second successive triumph in preseason, having beaten Gargzdai 92-81 on Sunday, August 28.

### Monday's games

<br>
**Lietkabelis Panevezys 92-71 Nurnberg Falcons**, Friendly game, Panevezys, Lithuania

Check out the preseason results of 7DAYS EuroCup teams from Monday, September 5.

Preseason: Lietkabelis adds another victory

### Group C: Croatia holds on, Greece outpaces Great Britain, Ukraine maintains 100% record

Croatia recorded its second win in a row on Monday afternoon after downing Estonia 73-70 in Milan. New Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana signing Karlo Matkovic led the scoring efforts for Croatia, finishing with 17 points. The team was also helped by a double-double from Dario Saric, while ALBA Berlin's Jaleen Smith put up 13 points, which included some crucial free throws in the dying embers of the game. The defeat will be a tough pill to swallow for Estonia, which for the second game in succession failed to make a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. Instead, the heave from Lietkabelis Panevezys's Kristian Kullamae was off target, so the team has now fallen to a 0-3 record. Maik Kotsar, a recent addition at Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, recorded 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the losing effort.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Life is easy when you have <a href="https://twitter.com/KarloMatkovic15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KarloMatkovic15</a> on the receiving end, right <a href="https://twitter.com/JaleenSmith0?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaleenSmith0</a>? ✈️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BringTheNoise?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BringTheNoise</a><br><br>📺 <a href="https://t.co/XA74Vl1szW">https://t.co/XA74Vl1szW</a> <a href="https://t.co/sO9gMn1PkI">pic.twitter.com/sO9gMn1PkI</a></p>&mdash; #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroBasket/status/1566768392886923264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Greece made it three wins from three on Monday evening, as it beat Great Britain 93-77 in Milan. Despite Great Britain's best efforts, it was unable to deal with the shooting of Greece and Olympiacos Piraeus guard Kostas Sloukas, as well as the dominance of Greece and Panathinaikos Athens center Georgios Papagiannis in the paint. Sloukas was on fire for Greece, going for 21 points on five-of-six from three and eight-of-10 overall, while he also dished out 5 assists. Papagiannis ended up with 17 points as he regularly exploited mismatches on the interior. Great Britain and London Lions guard Luke Nelson did all he could to help his team, going for 15 points in the first half to cut the deficit to three points at halftime, but Greece went to another level after the break en route to a convincing victory. Greece can now rest easy knowing that it is in the Round of 16.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🇬🇷 Kostas Sloukas is just getting warmed up 🔥<br><br>📊 21 PTS 5 AST 25 EFF as Greece get the win against GB &amp; advance to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a> Round Of 16! <a href="https://t.co/he9xsfgLYv">pic.twitter.com/he9xsfgLYv</a></p>&mdash; #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroBasket/status/1566856894408540165?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ukraine advanced to the Round of 16 on Monday night after beating Italy 84-73 in Milan to make it three wins from three games. The two teams went into the final quarter tied at 57-57, but Ukraine put its foot on the gas and outscored Italy 27-16 to come away with the victory. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk was Ukraine's leading scorer with 25 points, while Prometey duo Issuf Sanon and Ivan Tkachenko ended with 17 points apiece. Italy tried its best, with Anadolu Efes Istanbul's Achille Polonara recording 17 points and 7 rebounds, yet it is Ukraine who shone brightest in the final part of the game. There was not much expectation for Ukraine coming into the tournament, but their fairy-tale journey continues.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">MYKHAILIUK &amp; TKACHENKO CONNECT FOR THE FULL COURT ALLEY OOP 🤯🇺🇦<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BringTheNoise?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BringTheNoise</a> <a href="https://t.co/EaXxssLpJv">pic.twitter.com/EaXxssLpJv</a></p>&mdash; #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroBasket/status/1566889251991535616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Group D: Gran Canaria partnership aids Poland, Vesely leads Czechs to first win, Serbia too dominant for Finland

Poland ended Israel's 100% record in the EuroBasket 2022 after winning 85-76 in Prague on Monday afternoon. The victory for Poland was largely down to the performances of two Gran Canaria players, AJ Slaughter and 2021 EuroCup Rising Star Aleksander Balcerowski. It was Slaughter who gave Poland the impetus to record its second win from three games as he put the team on his back with 24 points, 5 assists and 0 turnovers. Then, Balcerowski stepped up in the fourth quarter and finished with 17 points, including an incredible one-legged three-pointer in the fourth quarter. Two Israeli players that feature in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, ALBA Berlin forward Yovel Zoosman and Partizan NIS Belgrade guard Yam Madar, put up 18 and 17 points, respectively, off the bench. However, it was not enough for Israel to win its third group game in a row.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">👀 Tips for guarding AJ Slaughter when he&#39;s hot: <br>1⃣ Get down<br>2⃣ Put hands together<br>3⃣ Pray<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BringTheNoise?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BringTheNoise</a><br>📺 <a href="https://t.co/XA74Vl1szW">https://t.co/XA74Vl1szW</a> <a href="https://t.co/waI7UCqcWh">pic.twitter.com/waI7UCqcWh</a></p>&mdash; #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroBasket/status/1566777755450060801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Czech Republic gave its fans something to cheer for on Monday evening, beating the Netherlands 88-80 in Prague. Czech star and new FC Barcelona signing Jan Vesely led the way with 24 points on nine-of-10 shooting, and he was aided by Martin Peterka's 20 points. The Czech Republic remained without recent Barca arrival Tomas Satoransky due to injury, however. It appeared as though it was going to be a convincing win for the Czech Republic at halftime as it led 50-27, but the Netherlands fought back to win the third and fourth quarters. While the Czech Republic managed to hold on to secure its first victory in the EuroBasket 2022, losing the second half 38-53 will cause head coach Ronen Ginzburg some concern. Nevertheless, the team is off the mark in terms of wins and will hope to finish the group stage in style.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">😤 There is absolutely no stopping Vesely: 𝟭𝟰𝗽𝘁𝘀 &amp; 𝟱𝗿𝗲𝗯 in the first half!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BringTheNoise?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BringTheNoise</a><br><br>📺 <a href="https://t.co/XA74Vl1szW">https://t.co/XA74Vl1szW</a> <a href="https://t.co/93VCzYmBk2">pic.twitter.com/93VCzYmBk2</a></p>&mdash; #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroBasket/status/1566823586295267328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Serbia maintained its perfect record at the EuroBasket 2022 on Monday night by beating Finland 100-70 in Prague. The second half was a close affair between the two teams, with just two points separating them, but it was in the first half where the game was lost for Finland. Heading into the break, Serbia was up 62-34. Serbia ended up having six players get into double figures, of which five play in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade's Nemanja Nedovic (14 points), Anadolu Efes Istanbul's Vasilije Micic (14), FC Barcelona's Nikola Kalinic (13), FC Bayern Munich's Vladimir Lucic (12) and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's Marko Guduric. Nikola Jokic also had 13 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists. With this win, Serbia has booked its place in the Round of 16.

EuroBasket: EuroLeague, EuroCup players come to the fore

Roster rundown: Turk Telekom Ankara 

There has been a lot of upheaval at Turk Telekom Ankara over the summer as it looks to improve upon last season's eighthfinals exit to Frutti Extra Bursaspor. Perhaps the most interesting change is the appointment of Erdem Can as head coach, with the 41-year-old bringing 10 years of experience as an assistant at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Utah of the NBA in the last decade. In particular, he spent seven years learning under the legendary Zeljko Obradovic while with Fenerbahce and together they reached five Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Fours and went on to win the title on one occasion. Coach Can should bring hunger and determination to Turk Telekom that sets it up well for the season ahead.

Watch the Game Highlights from Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. TURK TELEKOM ANKARA, 04/19/2022

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs TURK TELEKOM ANKARA - Game Highlights_5419661.mp4

### BACKCOURT

Given that Burak Gozeneli – a player who had a very limited role in 2021-22 – is the only remaining guard on the roster from last year's Turk Telekom team, there had to be several additions made during the off-season. At the point guard position, new signing Tony Taylor is expected to get the nod. He has EuroLeague and EuroCup experience from his time with PGE Turow Zgorzelec in 2014-15 and he joins from Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir after helping the team reach the 2021 Basketball Champions League championship game. Last season, Taylor averaged 11.8 points and 4.3 assists in 33 Turkish League games for Karsiyaka. Joining Taylor in the backcourt is Jerian Grant, who signed for the club from EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. He will be eager to build on that as he embarks upon his debut season in the EuroCup with Turk Telekom. The other two guards fighting it out for game time are Ridvan Oncel and Boran Guler. The former spent the last campaign with Galatasaray Istanbul and he returns to the EuroCup after representing Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul in the competition in 2020-21. The latter is set to feature in the EuroCup for the first time following his move from Socar Petkimspor.

### FRONTCOURT

A total of six new signings have been made for the frontcourt with wing Batuhan Acar being the sole survivor from last year's options. The 19-year-old is likely to once again have a small role as he has some more established names ahead of him in the pecking order. One of those is Axel Bouteille, who is a renowned three-point shooter with plenty of EuroCup experience from his time with Limoges and Unicaja Malaga. He averaged 10.0 points on 41.1% three-point shooting in 31 Spanish League games for Unicaja last season. Erkan Yilmaz played an important role for Bahcesehir Koleji in 2021-22 as it won the FIBA Europe Cup. During the team's European campaign, Yilmaz averaged 6.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 19.3 minutes on the floor. At the center position, there are a number of quality options set to battle it out for minutes. The first of those is Tyrique Jones, who was picked up by Turk Telekom following his league-leading rebounding numbers with Carpegna Prosciutto Basket Pesaro in Italy. As well as being dominant on the boards, Jones also averaged 13.1 points on 65.8% two-point shooting. He is set to appear in the EuroCup for the first time next season. On the other end of the scale, 36-year-old Semih Erden has joined Turk Telekom and brings a plethora of EuroLeague experience with him, having played 160 games in the competition for four clubs across 10 seasons. There is yet more know-how available to Coach Can in this position, as Emircan Kosut has arrived from fellow Turkish side Yukatel Merkezefendi. He was a member of the Darussafaka team that won the EuroCup in 2018 and he also played a total of 25 games in the EuroLeague over four seasons with Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Darussafaka. Last but not least, Turk Telekom brought in Nate Sestina from Yukatel Merkezefendi, where he averaged 9.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 30 Turkish League games during the 2021-22 campaign.

Watch the Game Highlights from TURK TELEKOM ANKARA vs. Hamburg Towers, 04/06/2022

Turk Telekom Ankara vs Hamburg Towers| Highlights | Round 18

### PLAYER TO WATCH

 One signing that stands out, in particular, is Turk Telekom's deal to bring in small forward Axel Bouteille. The 27-year-old has just over three years of EuroCup experience; he made his debut in the competition with Chalon in 2013-14, averaging just 4.0 minutes in four games, before going on to represent Limoges (2017-18 and 2018-19) and Unicaja (2020-21) in far bigger roles. In his last campaign in the EuroCup with Unicaja, Bouteille recorded averages of 12.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists, as well as a shooting percentage of 47.5% from three-point range. Having someone on your roster who knows how to find the basket is a luxury and Turk Telekom knows it can rely on Bouteille to do just that.

### OUTLOOK

 The 2021-22 EuroCup Regular Season saw Turk Telekom return to the competition after a three-year absence, with the team going on to finish with an 8-8 record – 6-2 at home and 2-6 on the road – before falling at the eighthfinals stage to Frutti Extra Bursaspor. Coach Can will be looking to follow on from the work done by previous head coach Henrik Rodl, who helped turn Ankara Spor Salonu into a fortress. It is on the road where the team needs to make a marked improvement, so it will be important that the experienced new additions display their leadership and look to silence home crowds where possible.