By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Both sides lost in the opening week of the new Basketball Champions League Regular Season, but PAOK mateco is now in the win column. Blowing out Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari, 88-68, improved the Group G record to 1-1 Wednesday evening.
Falling into a double-digit deficit in the second quarter, the home side coached by Aris Lykogiannis outscored Sassari, 28-9, in the third quarter and added even more distance in the fourth quarter. Jalen Riley recorded 11 of his 19 points in the third period of the Gameday 2 contest, coming off a 25-point effort in the Gameday 1 loss to JDA Dijon.
Former UCLA standout Jaylen Hands produced 12 of his 17 points in the second half. Dutch international Yannick Franke added 13 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Nate Renfro and Tyler Polley ended up with 12 points each.
The BCL losing streak on the road extended to seven games for Giganti. Scoring fewer points than one single player of the opponents is never good news. That was the case with Riley’s 11 points compared to the team total of nine in the third quarter. Also, injured Chris Dowe was sidelined for the team coached by Piero Bucchi.
Setting the pace in the second period, Ousmane Diop put in 13 of his side’s 29 points but ended up with a total of 15 points in PAOK Sports Arena. Chinanu Onuaku posted a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double to go along with two blocks and two assists in the losing effort.
Postgame press conference:
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League