Canadians in Europe: November 21st-23rd
The first group stage of the FIBA Europe Cup came to an end and places in the EuroCup top sixteen were decided in another week of pan-national competition in Europe.
EuroLeague
An early 14-0 run from Barcelona helped them take control over their opponents, Olumpia Milano. The team from Italy had five players score in double figures and had 13 threes in the game, but that wouldn't be enough to halt Barcelona. Behind the superior field play and 20 points off the bench from Thomas Huertel, Barcelona get the win over Milano 90 to 80, with Kevin Pangos contributing 7 points and 4 assists in his team's win.
There were also exciting scenes in the games involving Khimki Moscow and Buducnost Podgorica.
EuroCup
Skyliners Frankfurt found themselves down by fourteen to Rytas Vilnius in the second quarter, but Trae Bell-Haynes responded with a seven-point run (on his way to a joint-team high of 14) to lift his team and nudge them into the lead.
This led to a tense end to the game, with Eimantas Bendzius tying the scores with just over 20 seconds left. Bell-Haynes drew a foul and sank both free-throws, putting Skyliners up by two ahead of the final play of the game, and the team held on to get the win and book their place in the top 16.
Malaga opened their game against Mornar Bar by doubling the Montenegrin’s scores and did not look back. Kyle Wiltjer had 17 points for Malaga, while on the other side Bobby Brown had 18, but Malaga's Giorgi Shermadini was the top scorer with 19. Leading by double digits for most of the way, Malaga finished the conclusive victors, by a margin of 111-76.
Philip Scrubb came off the bench and put up 16 points for Zenit St Petersburg, who had a comfortable early lead over Trento. Half of Trento’s players who took to the floor scored in double figures, led by Beto Gomes who had 28, which helped the Italian club overcome a 22-point deficit and take the game to overtime. Zenit went in front first in the extra period, before Trento took their first lead of the game and a final jump shot from Aaron Craft sealed their incredible comeback.
The score line kept flipping in a close encounter between Valencia and Partizan Belgrade, who led proceedings going into the pivotal period of the game. Twelve unanswered points in the fourth and a standout performance from Sam Van Rossom, who finished with 20 points, completely turned the game around. Aaron Doornakemp did not make the score sheet for Valencia, who stay top of Group C after a 69-61 win over Partizan.
Elsewhere, more drama was to be found in the closing moments of the game between Monaco and Ulm.
FIBA Europe Cup
Falco Vulcano started the game in front, but Dinamo Sassari turned that completely around with a game-high 15 points from both Dyshawn Pierre and Achille Polonara. Sassari also shot 60% from the field and put on a great defensive show that included 41 total rebounds. Their 92-60 win sees Sassari clinch second place in Group H and a spot in the next round.
Kiefer Douse had 4 points while his teammate DeAndre Burnett led all scorers with 30 for the Leicester Riders in a close game against Szolnoki Olaj. There were never any more than 10 points between the teams, Leicester’s biggest lead of the game, but the Hungarians kept up the pressure on offence and kept the scoreline tight. Szolnoki took a five-point lead with less than 1:30 in the game and held on for the remaining time to see out victory by three points. Leicester, meanwhile, bow out of the competition winless.
Pallacanestro Varese had a small lead over Alba Fehervar for three quarters, and in the final period they went on the warpath, outscoring the Hungarian club by 13 points and reaching their biggest lead of 30. Thomas Scrubb had 13 points, one of five Varese players to score in double digits in their 91-66 win, which sees the Italian team finish first place in Group F.
Daniel Mullings had a team high 12 points, shared with Atte Perttu, but lacking more offensive urgency saw Kataja on the back foot throughout their entire encounter with BC Dnipro. Pavlo Revzin led all scorers with 17 points for Dnipro who, after leading for much of the way, ran away with it in the final quarter to finish with the 81-65 win.
Eliminated Dnipro get a win for the road, but Kataja still make it to the second group stage, finishing in second place in Group G.
