Canadians in Europe: An Overdue Update

Not every schedule game of basketball has been able to go ahead as planned due to the ongoing pandemic, but across Europe teams and players Canadian and otherwise persevered in trying to keep up their rhythm and play ball. Here is the rundown on all the games that were able to go ahead:

EuroCup Women

In their reverse fixture against Nesbie Aydin, Michelle Plouffe led Olympiacos with fourteen points with six from Ruth Hamblin. Both were part of the Greek club's early success in the field, which saw them lead by seventeen after ten minutes. They continued this upward trajectory as the game progressed, while Nesbie Aydin kept falling short, eventually trailing by 29 in the fourth. At the end, with the score in their favour 87-68, Olympiacos won a quarter-final berth in convincing fashion.

After a week's delay to the second leg of this tie, Prometey showed Castors Braine no mercy when the Belgian team paid them a visit in Dnepropetrovsk. Opening with a 7-0 run, the Ukrainian club never once let the lead get away from them. The better team from the outside, there was nothing Castors could do in response - not sixteen points and eight boards off the bench from Quinn Dornstauder, nor starter Aislinn Konig's eleven - to keep the win getting away from them.

Prometey's 79-56 win sent Castors, one of the more promising teams at the start of the EuroCup this year, out of the running.

EuroCup

Greek club Promitheas visited Gran Canaria, where the two engaged in an exciting first half where the scoreline remained tight and the lead changed hands many times. Gran Canaria finally stamped their authority in the third, outscoring Promitheas by seventeen and, having amassed a large lead, the Spanish team were able to coast home to victory. Dylan Ennis finished as the top scorer with eighteen points in an emphatic win that keeps Gran Canaria top of Group B.

FIBA Champions League

Kyle Wiltjer and Aaron Doornakemp combined for fourteen points for Canarias Tenerfie, who were led by 19 points and 13 rebounds by Giorgi Shermandini against Falco Szombathely. The Spanish team came out firing and built an early lead of twelve, but their early scoring became uneven while Szombathely remained consistent and got back into the game.

After looking like the game could flip in the third, Tenerife did well to slow the game down and keep themselves in control and, most importantly, in front. The Spanish team begin the second group stage off with a winning start, victorious by six points.