


Promitheas Patras boosted its hopes of gaining home-court advantage in the 7DAYS EuroCup Playoffs after an impressive 89-93 win at the London Lions on Wednesday, with the Greek side’s playmaker Anthony Cowan lighting up the spectacular clash with career-highs of 26 points and 11 assists for a career-best PIR of 34.
The outcome lifted Patras to 10-6 while the Lions, who are also assured of a playoff berth, dropped to 7-9 as they threw away a 10-point lead they built in the first quarter after the visitors turned the game on its head with a 20-2 run in the third period.
Arnoldas Kulboka racked up 14 points and 7 rebounds for Promitheas, Joe Thomasson scored 13 points and Michalis Tsiarelis added 10. At the other end, Tomislav Zubcic equaled his career high of 24 points to go with 9 rebounds, Sam Dekker amassed 19 points and 8 rebounds, and Miye Oni posted 15 points for the hosts.
London dictated proceedings in the first quarter and carved out a 25-15 lead, with Zubcic and Dekker carrying the home team’s effort. The hosts hit 4 three-pointers and had as many blocks in the opening 10 minutes, but the visitors found its rhythm in the second quarter thanks to a barrage of offensive rebounds.
Patras totaled 22 boards in the first half and 11 of them were offensive, while London racked up 6 blocks and had 12 assists to the visiting team’s 11. Cowans led the second-quarter charge by Promitheas as he finished the first half on 10 points, while Zubcic netted 14 for London.
The second period served up a plethora of spectacular dunks at both ends, with Aaron Best delighting the home fans after he completed a Jordan Taylor alley-oop pass in midair, but George Conditt quickly responded by rocking the rim with a monstruous one-handed slam several seconds later.
Promitheas seemed to find two extra gears after the break, as it turned a 55-51 deficit early in the third quarter into a 57-71 lead, scoring almost at will during that run. Cowan mixed long-range shots with piercing runs through London’s defense for easy layups, and the home team had no reply for the 25-year-old point guard.
Having trailed by 10 points or more for much of the fourth quarter, London staged a valiant late comeback which fell short, as Thomasson sank a pair of free throws to give Patras a 4-point lead and the hosts then failed to score on their last possession.
Cowan was again instrumental in the final 10 minutes, as he hit several tough shots in crunch time with the shot clock down to just a few seconds, as London threatened to force a final twist. In the end, Promitheas ran out worthy winners and got sweet revenge for a 67-77 home defeat by London in the reverse fixture.