By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Banvit gained an eight points lead in the first game against Nanterre 92 (74-66) and they didn’t leave anything to chance. They pushed for another win 73-64 increasing the difference to 17 points in total and advancing to the quarterfinals.
It was a powerful continuous defensive effort combined with a major offensive push in the second period that sealed the deal for Saso Filipovski’s team.
Adonis Thomas and Damian Kulig led the victors with 15 points each. On the other side, the 18 points from Kevin Jones weren’t enough to change the outcome.
Both teams started the game carefully, playing at a slow rhythm, focusing primarily on defense. They scored 27 points in total during the first period with Nanterre having a slight advantage (15-12).
The second quarter, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Nanterre started getting sloppy offensively, rushing the shots and turning the ball over a couple of times. And the Turkish team used that to their advantage. A few steals, some counter-attacks, a three-pointer and they were up by nine at the break (39-30). The only thing keeping the French team alive in first 20 minutes were Heiko Schaffartzik’s 13 points but they were far from enough.
Nanterre tried to overcome the difference but Banvit’s stellar defense stopped them from doing so and confirmed the win for the Turkish side.
Photo credit: BCL