By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After dismantling the competition in the Round of 16, winning every game of that phase, Telekom Baskets Bonn’s 11-game winning streak ends in Game 1 of the Quarter-Finals series against SIG Strasbourg, as the French team won 77-76 on the road.
Marcus Keene, one of the best scorers for SIG Strasbourg throughout the season, ended with 24 and was clutch with the game-winning three-pointer. Basketball Champions League veteran DeAndre Lansdowne provided 16 with 8/11 from two in the first game of the most anticipated 2023 Quarter-Finals.
Another crucial player on Luca Banchi’s team was Leo Cavaliere, who before the game had the best accuracy from 2-point than any other player this season in the BCL (75.9%), and scored 6 with 8 rebounds. Paul Lacombe added 8 and 6 rebounds.
The likely MVP of the season TJ Shorts II, who combined 10+ points and 10+ assists in three of his previous four BCL games, ended the game with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists, leading Tuomas Iisalo’s team since the very beginning but coming up short at the end.
He was followed by Collin Malcolm and Sebastian Herrera, who combined 25 points. The German team, overall, was way better than its opponents in points from the bench (33 vs 21), but felt the pressure at the charity stripe, shooting only 52.63%.
Following the win by Luca Banchi’s team, the second encounter of this best-of-three series, which will be played in France and could possibly send SIG Strasbourg to the Final Four, is scheduled for April 11 at 20:00 CET.
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League