Canadians Abroad: Connor Morgan and Joventut Blow Out Bursa
January 22nd 2020 in the EuroCup saw one of the best performances from a Canadian player plying their trade in Europe for the 2019-20 season, complimented by a rousing and resilient team effort around him.
Spanish club Joventut Badalona had made it to the top sixteen of the EuroCup competition and in their third game faced Tofas Bursa. (The only team in Group H not from Spain) At this stage in the competition every win was important and Victoria, BC native Connor Morgan, playing as starting power forward for Joventut, was going to do all he could to make sure his team would succeed.
Joventut's Kelemen Prepelic had the first points of the game, followed up by Connor Morgan who put the Spanish team in front 7-4. Bursa kept the scoreline level from three-point territory before Devin Williams gave them a two-point lead midway through the opening period.
With a three of his own, Morgan then put Joventut back in front by a point, but Bursa were about to hit back with a vengeance. Completing two separate scoring runs of six and seven points, they went on to take a double-digit advantage midway through the second quarter.
Morgan broken the cold streak for Joventut with another three-point shot, giving them some hope for the second half, where they would come back trailing 48 to 39. The Spanish outfit came back to the court re-energised and put together a 9-0 run in the third, which included another three pointer from Morgan.
At the end of this nine-point run the scores were tied. Bursa then retained the lead, which would be challenged by Joventut, who got level on points four times in a row before Joel Parra hit five points in a row to put them two.
Prepelic completed a three-point play to end the third quarter scoring for Joventut, but in the last minute of the period DJ White hit a three pointer for Bursa to give them a one-point advantage going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter began with two more threes from Prepelic and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui followed suit. Devin Williams closed the gap for Bursa, who upped their defence, making way for Berkam Duraz to tie the scores. Alen Omic responded, putting Joventut back in front by two and Prepelic followed this up with another three.
Prepelic had the last five points of the game while Berkram Durmaz and Sammy Meija tried to save the game for Bursa, but there was not enough time to change the outcome. Joventut had done what they set out to do and came away with the win.
Meija impressed with 20 points off the bench for Bursa in the loss, but the game's top scorer was the exceptional Kelemen Prepelic with 37 points. Connor Morgan, meanwhile, was second-best for Joventut with 13 in the game.
Bursa would have the last laugh, though, going on to win two of their remaining Group H fixtures - including a subsequent win over Joventut, 91-76 in Turkey, to progress to the knockout round, while Joventut would go no further than the second group stage.
Durmaz - 17, 20 off the bench for Meija
