By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
After 40 minutes of ferocious battle, Besiktas prevailed over Venice 74-68, to improve their score in the BKT EuroCup Group A to 4-1, while the Italian side fell to 1-4.
For most of the match, teams changed the lead, but the hosts took over in the final minutes of the third quarter, to take a 67-56 advantage in the first minutes of the final period, and fought of the final push from the guests in the dying moments.
Matt Mitchell led the winning team with 15 points, Leyton Hammonds and Derek Needham followed with 13 each, while Angel Delgado was two rebounds shy of a double-double with 12 points. Jonah Matthews was also in double digits, scoring 11 points. Marco Spissu had 15 points for Venice, while Kyle Wiltjer added 10.
Paris Basketball started the season in BKT EuroCup with a bang, winning five games in a row. The last team to fall in front of Tuomas Iisalo’s squad is Prometey, with the French team winning 96-79 in Arena Riga, with talented Nadir Hifi leading the way with 20 points.
Mikael Jantunen followed with 15 points, while Leon Kratzer recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. T.J. Shorts followed with 11 points, while Medhy Ngouama finished the match with 10 points.
Ronald March was up to the task for Prometey, scoring 23 points, with only Yusuf Sanon following him with 11 points.
While Paris is at the top of the BKT EuroCup Group A with a perfect 5-0 score, Gran Canaria is in commanding lead in Group B, notching their fifth straight win, defeating Lietkabelis 88-76 at home.
The reigning champions led throughout most of the game and made a key run midway through the fourth period, gaining an unattainable 83-64 lead.
With 15 points, Miguel Salvo was at the top of the scoring chart for Jaka Lakovic’s side, while Nicolas Brussino and Ethan Happ recorded 13 each, with the US player being a rebound shy of a double-double. John Shurna added 11 points for the winners, while Paulius Valinskas and Martynas Varnas led Lietkabelis with 17 points each, and Gediminas Orelik scored 11
Cluj-Napoca got their second win in a row at BKT EuroCup, defeating Aris Thessaloniki on the road 59-61. Karel Guzman turned the score in favor of the Romanian team from the free-throw line with 25 seconds to go, and Patrick Richard sealed the win with another free throw in the last moments.
Andrija Stipanovic had 13 points for the winners, Mareks Mejeris added 12 points, while Patrick finished with 10 points. For Aris, Roberto Gallinat led the way with 15 points, Dimitrios Katsivelis scored 11, while Ronnie Harrell was on the verge of a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.
While Cluj-Napoca got their second win in a row, Buducnost suffered its second consecutive defeat, falling to JL Bourg 78-73.
Talented Zaccharie Risacher shined with 21 points for the hosts, while Earl Rowland added 13 and Isaiah Mike had 11 points. For Buducnost, Brandon Paul with 16 points and eight rebounds, JaCorey Williams with 10 points, and Marvin Jones with 10 points and nine rebounds stood out.
The regular 40 minutes weren’t enough for Ratiopharm Ulm and Slask Wroclaw to find a winner, but the German side prevailed in overtime for a 106-103 victory.
Karim Jallow led the winning side with 23 points and scored crucial four points in OT to give his team an edge, which proved to be enough for the fourth win in five rounds. Mathias Dakota followed with 16 points, Trevion Williams was three assists away from a triple-double, scoring 16 points with 11 boards. Georginho De Paula and Tomas Klepeisz added 12 points each, and Juan Nunez finished with 11.
As for Slask, who remain winless after five matches, Lukasz Kolenda had 29 points with seven rebounds, while Dusan Miletic added 17. Hassani Gravett scored 13, Michal Sitnik 12, and Art Parakhouski 10 points.
On the last game of the round, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv beat London Lions on the road (98-90) in a game played without fans for safety reasons.
Tomer Ginat with 24 points was the top scorer of the game as Hapoel stays undefeated after four contests so far, while the Lions dropped to 3-2.
EuroCup Round 5 results:
Tuesday
Cedevita Olimpija – Wolves Vilnius 78-86
Trento – Turk Telekom 101-96
Joventut Badalona – Veolia Towers Hamburg 108-76
Wednesday
Besitkas Emlak jet – Umana Reyer Venice 74-68
Prometey Slobozhanske – Paris Basketball 79-96
Aris Midea – U-BT Cluj-Napoca 59-61
Ratiopharm Ulm – Slask Wroclaw 108-103
Mincidelice JL Bourg – Buducnost Voli 78-73
Dreamland Gran Canaria – 7bet-Lietkabelis 88-77
Thursday
London Lions – Hapoel Tel Aviv 90-98
Standings:
Group A
Paris 5-0
Hapoel Tel Aviv 4-0
Besiktas 4-1
London Lions 3-2
Joventut 3-2
Wolves 2-2
Prometey 2-3
Venice 1-4
Cedevita Olimpija 0-5
Hamburg 0-5
Group B
Gran Canaria 5-0
Cluj-Napoca 4-1
JL Bourg 4-1
Ulm 4-1
Buducnost 2-3
Aris 2-3
Trento 2-3
Turk Telekom 1-4
Lietkabelis 1-4
Slask 0-5