By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In a battle of shorthanded teams, Igokea m:tel defeated Filou Oostende, 87-72, to take the lead, 1-0, in the best-of-three series of the Basketball Champions League Play-Ins.
Former Partizan player Nikola Tanaskovic tallied a season-high 21 points behind 10/13 shots in Tuesday’s Game 1. He also pulled down six rebounds and blocked three shots.
Well-traveled Georgetown product Markel Starks recorded six out of his 16 points in a deciding fourth-quarter run to go along with seven assists, three rebounds, and one steal. Marko Josilo and James Robinson threw in 13 more points each.
Improved defense after the break and forcing the visitors to 16 turnovers did the trick for the team guided by interim head coach Marko Barac. Head coach Dragan Bajic remained sidelined following the recent surgery.
Key player Deshawn Stephens was sidelined too. Despite the issues, the team based in Laktasi, Bosnia-Herzegovina, notched its third consecutive BCL win and fourth win in a row across all competitions. Igokea recently jumped to 8-6 in the AdmiralBet ABA League.
On the opposite end, Dario Gjergja missed both Phil Booth due to a passport issue and Amida Brimah placed in the health and safety protocols. Brandon McCoy remained on the injury list.
The Belgium champions, currently 11-0 in the betFirst BNXT League, were highlighted by Levi Randolph with 17 points at SD Laktasi. Experienced guard Olivier Troisfontaines followed with ten points behind 4/4 field goals. Recent addition Demitrius Conger had six points with 3/3 field goals.
Postgame press conference:
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League