By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Rio Breogan has lost both Basketball Champions League road games this season, including to Hapoel Holon, but at home, it’s a different story.
After losing to the Israeli side in Riga in Round 3, they bounced back with an 82-72 win to improve their score to 2-2, staying a perfect 2-0 at Pazo dos Deportes.
Mouhamet Rassoul Diouf led Breogan and was just a rebound shy of a double-double with 17 points. Juan Fernandez added 15 with four rebounds and assists, while Matas Jogela finished the match scoring 14 points. Conner Frankamp was also in double figures with 13 points, while former NBA player Justin Anderson added 12 points.
Three players stood out in Hapoel’s first loss of the season: Drew Crawford with 17 points, Amine Noua also with 17, but with eight rebounds as well, and Justin Smith who reached a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards.
Breogan had significantly fewer rebounds (33-42) and assists (14-21), but shot 29 free throws, hitting 18. Eventually, one could say that made the difference.
Hapoel refused to go down in the final quarter, briefly even leading, but Breogan started breaking them with a 12-3 run, and finished the Israeli side with a 7-0 run to take an 80-68 lead in the final moments.
Postgame press conference
Photo: fiba.basketball