By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Hereda San Pablo Burgos will be shorthanded at Besiktas Icrypex Tuesday. Both Vitor Benite and Dani Diez have been ruled out of the Basketball Champions League Regular Season Gameday 5 contest, the team announced Monday.
Benite, 31, will actually stay on the injury list after being prevented to play in the ACB Regular Season Round 13 loss to UCAM Murcia on Saturday. The team captain is facing a calf injury. He averaged 14.8 points, 2.3 assists, and two rebounds per contest over the first four rounds of the Champions League Regular Season.
Diez, 28, picked up a left leg injury during the home fixture opposite Murcia. Through the first four BCL games, he contributed 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest.
Estonian Kristian Kullamae and youngster Alvaro Martinez will be coming in taking the emptied spots on the active squad. In addition, recent signing Hayden Dalton will be available in Turkey.
The back-to-back BCL champions enter the ninth week of the Regular Season leading Group G thanks to a 3-1 W-L tally. They can clinch a berth to the Round of 16 with a win over Besiktas if EWE Baskets Oldenburg defeats Rytas Vilnius in today’s Monday “Game of the Week”. In the opposite case, taking down the Turkish team on the road will secure at least a spot in Play-In Round.
At the domestic level, the team led by Salva Maldonado is only half a game away from the relegation zone of the Spanish League after being forced down to 4-9 by Murcia.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League