By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Not quite matching the range of last week’s comeback, Darussafaka Lassa once again recovered from a poor first half and went on to defeat Surne Bilbao, 95-85, in Volkswagen Arena Tuesday.
Gabriel Olaseni poured a new season-high of 26 points behind 9/11 from the field. Besides keeping his side close with 16 points in the first half, he contributed a block in the game-winning 7-0 run to break a tie at 83-83. The British center’s 12 rebounds produced a double-double, his second in the 2022-23 edition of the Basketball Champions League.
Markel Starks scored in double-digits for the seventh Champions League contest in a row and ended up with 13 points paired with a game-high eight assists. Aaron White put in nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. Wayne McCullough threw in 15 points and Dogus Ozdemiroglu had 13 points. In his first appearance following a long spell on the injury list, Ragip Atar logged two early points.
Selcuk Ernak’s side improved to 2-3 in Group L, but to stay in the hunt needs UCAM Murcia to overpower Lenovo Tenerife tomorrow. Down to 1-4 with the eighth loss in the last nine games across all competitions, including four in FIBA’s top-tier European club continental competition, Bilbao will also be eliminated if Murcia extends the 15-game winning streak in Palacio de Deportes at the expense of the defending champions Wednesday.
The most recent injury relief for the Men in Black, Giorgos Tsalmpouris registered a team-high and individual best in the BCL by banking in 18 points, despite dealing with foul trouble. Denzel Andersson, Andrew Goudelock, Tomeu Rigo, and Jeff Withey all remained sidelined for the team coached by Jaume Ponsarnau.
Postgame press conference
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League