By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Defending champion Dreamland Gran Canaria fittingly marked the first win on the road in Round 1 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup.
The team coached by Jaka Lakovic overcame a slow start with a dominating display to take down Aris Midea, 82-66, in Thessaloniki’s Nick Galis Hall.
Experienced guard A. J. Slaughter dropped 21 points, including 4/5 from beyond the arc. Andrew Albicy beat the buzzer with a key three-pointer at the end of the third quarter to boost five free throws in an eight-point outing. The team captain added five assists, five steals, and two rebounds. Roberto Gallinat packing a game-high 22 points was not enough for the hosts.
Giannis Ioannidis, a winner of eight domestic league championships as the head coach of Aris, passed away earlier Wednesday. A moment of silence dedicated to the legendary coach occurred before tipoff.
Undermanned Besiktas gets a huge win
Apart from ruling out injured Matt Mitchell and Egehan Arna, Besiktas Emlakjet suffered an early exit as Derek Needham broke his nose, but escaped Palau Olimpic De Badalona with a 63-62 victory versus Joventut Badalona.
Struggling with 2/8 attempts, Leyton Hammonds was wide open to sink the game-winning midrange shot with 2.9 seconds remaining. Wrapping up the back-and-forth fourth quarter, the team coached by Dusan Alimpijevic got the job done in defense to seal the win.
Besides Hammonds ending up with eight points, Yigit Arslan scored 13 points, Berkan Durmaz posted a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds, Jonah Mathews threw in nine points, and Berk Ugurlu combined his nine points with seven assists. Andrew Andrews finished with ten points for Badalona.
London Lions enjoy winning opener
The rest of the teams playing at home went up to 1-0, including the London Lions rallying past Umana Reyer Venice, 76-69, in Copper Box Arena.
Debuting in a continental competition, Donte Grantham exploded for 23 points and pulled down seven rebounds. The former Clemson standout fueled the comeback win after his side trailed by 11 points midway through the third period.
In a similar fashion from a 14-point deficit, Buducnost VOLI prevailed, 76-65, over 7bet-Lietkabelis in Podgorica’s Moraca Sports Center. JaCorey Williams and McKinley Wright IV tallied 13 points apiece.
Protecting home court
Leading from start to finish, both U-BT Cluj-Napoca and Prometey launched their respective campaigns with a win.
The reigning champions of Romania’s Liga Nationala nearly squandered a 27-point advantage but pulled away once more in the fourth quarter to defeat Turk Telekom, 80-71, in BTarena.
Karel Guzman made 5/6 from the field to share a team-high 14 points with Bryce Jones Jr. Also, D. J. Seeley added 12 points. On the opposite end, Tyrone Wallace went for 18 points.
Prometey’s lead peaked at 23 points and settled in a 97-77 victory against Veolia Towers Hamburg in Arena Riga. Marcus Keene paved the way with 19 points.
In the last game of Round 1, JL Bourg defeated Slask Wroclaw, 90-74, in Ekinox on Thursday. Hugo Benitez went for 19 points alongside five assists and three steals. On the opposite end, Dusan Miletic posted a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Three teams protecting home court opened the 2023-24 edition of Euroleague Basketball’s second-tier club continental competition on Tuesday.
EuroCup Round 1
Group A
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv – Cedevita Olimpija 100-73
Paris – Wolves 105-78
Prometey – Veolia Towers Hamburg 97-77
Joventut Badalona – Besiktas Emlakjet 62-63
London Lions – Umana Reyer Venice 76-69
Group B
ratiopharm Ulm – Dolomiti Energia Trento 80-70
U-BT Cluj-Napoca – Turk Telekom 80-71
Aris Midea – Dreamland Gran Canaria 66-82
Buducnost VOLI – 7bet-Lietkabelis 76-65
JL Bourg – Slask Wroclaw 90-74