By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Without fans at Versluys Dome, Filou Oostende blew out Igokea m:tel, 85-64, to even the Basketball Champions League best-of-three Play-In series Tuesday evening.
Former Alabama standout Levi Randolph drew up a game-high 21 points in one-sided Game 2 but suffered an injury in the fourth quarter. Demitrius Conger contributed 20 points for the Belgium champions.
Shooting 54.1% was among the main highlights of the comfortable victory. Two-time NCAA champion as a member of Villanova, Phil Booth orchestrated the offense with four assists alongside 18 points after missing Game 1 due to passport issues, while all-time Champions League assist leader Dusan Djordjevic added five more to his tally.
The team coached by Dario Gjergja, still missing injured Brandon McCoy, led from start to finish. Scoring 30 points in the first quarter all but put the contest beyond doubt.
Markel Starks was the lone bright spot for the Bosnian side at Ostend, Belgium. The Georgetown product poured a team-high 16 points and dished out five assists.
A five-game winning streak across all competitions and first-ever three-win BCL streak were both abruptly snapped. With head coach Dragan Bajic dealing with health issues and sidelined over the last month, assistant Marko Barac remained in charge.
Game 3, projected to be held Thursday at the reverse venue, will advance the winning side to Group K of the Round of 16. Regular Season group winners Unicaja Malaga and U-BT Cluj Napoca will also be joined by Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem or Prometey.
Postgame press conference:
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League