By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
A lopsided win for Benfica at the top of the Qualification Round, preceding the 2023-24 Regular Season of the Basketball Champions League. The team coached by Norberto Alves blew out TSU Tbilisi, 122-62, in Gloria Sports Arena on Monday.
Paving the way for the win by a margin of 60 points, veteran floor general Toney Douglas paired 19 points with six assists. Trey Drechsel followed with 18 points. At the opposite end, Giorgi Turdziladze shared the game-high 19 points.
Drawing a semifinal encounter with the Lisbon outfit, Petrolina AEK Larnaca went from twenty unanswered points throughout the first quarter and later built a 27-point lead to narrowly holding on for a 74-66 victory against Levicki Patrioti.
Eastern Washington product Jesse Hunt went for 19 points and Saint Peter’s product Nick Griffin chipped in 17 more points. Both dealt with foul trouble in the second half. Taveion Hollingsworth posted a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Bosnian floor general Drasko Knezevic went for 14 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals in the losing effort.
Bakken Bears are through as well
Off to a great start, the Bakken Bears convincingly defeated KB Peja, 103-79, earlier in the quarterfinals.
The Danish side had six players in double digits, with Malik Parsons leading the way with 22 points. Michael Diouf and Ryan Evans added 13 points each, while Gustav Knudsen, Deadre Pinckney, and Skyler Bowlin added 12 points apiece, with the latter dishing out eight assists.
As for the losing side, Tyshawn Tervell Beck had 19 points, Jacob Calloway 14 with eight rebounds, while Jay Chandler III and Justin Edler-Davies added 12 points each, with the latter grabbing eight boards.
Norrkoping stages a stunning comeback win over BC Kalev/Cramo
It will be a Scandinavian clash in the semifinals of the Qualification Group 1 as Swedish Norrkoping Dolphins defeated BC Kalev/Cramo 78-82 after coming back from a 12-point deficit at the start of the fourth period and securing the clash with Danish side Bakkern Bears.
Issac Vann and Nathan Dawit led the winning side with 16 points each, while Adam Ramstedt added 12 and Marcus Tyus contributed 10 points. C.J. Penha was on the verge of a double-double with nine points and 11 assists, resulting in a game-high PIR of 19.
For the losing side, Mihkel Krives scored 15, Manuel Suarez and Oleksandr Kovilar each added 14, while Desonta Bradford finished the match with 10 points.
He said “CLEAR OUT.” @DolphinsBasket are back from -14! 🐬#BasketballCL pic.twitter.com/IBVy2FkbIK
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) September 25, 2023
The winner of the eight-team tournament will join Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, Galatasaray Nef, and PAOK mateco in Group G of the Regular Season.
On Sunday, Swiss club Fribourg Olympic managed to get the 57-51 win over Scotland’s Caledonia Gladiators and earned a spot in the Basketball Champions League qualifiers.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League