After a run of 18 straight wins, the Spanish side finally fell on its sword at ratiopharm arena.
Ulm ends Gran Canaria’s winning streak with OT victory, 103-99
ratiopharm Ulm grabbed a hugely impressive 103-99 win over Dreamland Gran Canaria in overtime to snap the Spanish side’s 18-game winning streak in the BKT EuroCup. The German side is now the only team that has beaten the reigning EuroCup champion in the 2023-24 season. It was a tight game at the ratiopharm arena, but Ulm went on a 7-0 run in overtime to seal its fifth home victory. The guests improved to an 8-3 record, while Gran Canaria dropped to 10-1.
LJ Figueroa paced Ulm with 19 points and Juan Nunez added 17. Thomas Klepeisz, Karim Jallow and Trevion Willams recorded 15 points each. Nicolas Brussino led Gran Canaria with 13 points, while Ferran Bassas and John Shurna scored 12 apiece. Ethan Happ netted 11, with Sylven Landesberg and Ben Lammers adding 10 each.
Game Videos
A back and forth start
Pierre Pelos opened the scoring from beyond the arc but Jallow responded with a triple of his own. Nunez and Pelos exchanged baskets before a Happ bucket was followed by a Jovan Kljajic three-point play for a 5-10 Gran Canaria lead. Jallow took his tally to 7 early points with back-to-back dunks and Nunez drove to the basket to put Ulm ahead, 11-10. Bassas and Happ responded on the other end to bring Gran Canaria back in front, 13-14. Then, Jallow and Shurna, who returned to action after recovering from an injury, exchanged triples before Miquel Salvo drilled one of his own, making it 18-20.
Gran Canaria stepped up late to lead at halftime
The guests took a 20-24 cushion into the second quarter, but Figueroa nailed a triple before slamming home a dunk in transition to give Ulm a 1-point lead. Klepeisz netted back-to-back triples, but Bassas scored from behind the arc to bring Gran Canaria within 34-31 midway through the second quarter. Brussino opened his account with a three-pointer and Roko Prkacin sank a bucket in transition to tie the game, 36-36. Shurna’s second triple of the night was followed by a Nunez layup before Nicolas Bretzel scored a bucket to make it 42-39. Landesberg scored 5 five points to inspire Gran Canaria to a 0-7 run and then netted a triple from the corner to give his team a 44-49 lead heading into halftime.
Ulm flipped the script
Klepeisz hit his third triple of the game and Nunez scored an open layup to bring Ulm within 51-52. Then, AJ Slaughter scored a basket and completed a three-point play to give the Spanish side a 51-57 cushion. Yet, Ulm went on a 9-0 surge to take the lead again, before Salvo hit 2 free throws to end the German team’s momentum and tie it at 59-59. A Pacome Dadiet triple was followed by a Figueroa basket in transition for a 64-59 Ulm cushion.
Gran Canaria forced an extra period
A Shurna triple just before the third-quarter buzzer brought Gran Canaria within 68-66. Landesberg hit a long two-pointer and Lammers made a basket on the break to put the guests ahead 68-70 early in the fourth quarter. What followed was an exchange of blows, with Albicy hitting a triple to tie it, 75-75. A Williams put-back was followed by a Lammers jumper, but Nunez then attacked the basket and took his tally to 10 points, 80-77. Lammers dunked off a Brussino bounce pass before the latter drilled a triple to put Gran Canaria ahead again, 80-82. Williams made a couple of free throws and then scored a basket for an 84-83 Ulm lead with 01:51 left on the clock. The Ulm center took his tally to 13 points to make it 86-83, but Brussino hit a big three-pointer to tie it. Nunez didn’t manage to sink a floater in the last possession and the game went to overtime.
Ulm held its nerve in overtime
Figueroa nailed a triple in transition, Klepeisz hit 2 from the line and then Nunez got his sixth basket of the night for a 7-0 Ulm run, 93-86. Bassas hit a triple, but Jallow and Williams responded with a bucket each, 98-91. Then, Nunez went 3-of-3 from the charity stripe to make it 101-93 with less than a minute to go and practically put the game to bed, despite Gran Canaria’s last attempt to fight back.