2019-20 7Days EuroCup Round 1
The 7Days EuroCup completed Round 1 of it’s 2019-20 regular season on Wednesday, October 2nd, with seven games on tap. There were a few surprises and even a handful of upsets sprinkled in for good measure, but overall the last couple of days brought some entertaining basketball action for fans all over Europe and the rest of the world to enjoy.
Group A
Monaco was able to defend French soil as the only team in the group to record a win at home. They convincingly defeated MoraBanc Andorra 82-66 thanks to a balanced and effective offensive attack that consistently kept their guests on their toes.
Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion fell flat in their opening game as they suffered the worst blowout loss of the round at the hands of visiting ASP Promitheas Patras, 55-88. Rishon was unable to buy a bucket as they made just 15-of-52 shots from 2-point range and 7-of-17 from 3-point distance. No player managed to score in double figures, allowing Promitheas to cruise to the easy win.
Virtus Bologna came away with a road win 79-92 over Ratiopharm Ulm. Kyle Weems paced four other Bologna players to score in double figures with a game-high 18 points.
Group B
Rytas Vilnius and Lokomotiv Kuban gave us one of the most exciting games of the round. After the dust of a thrilling game settled, Rytas emerged victorious 92-86. Eimantas Bendzius set a new career-high with 27 points to catapult his team to victory.
Serbian favorites, BC Partizan may not have been playing in Belgrade but they did just enough to edge Umana Reyer Venezia for the 63-66 win. Rashawn Thomas was a force on both ends with an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Tofas Bursa got the season off on the right foot, with a smooth win over Limoges 84-71. Tarik Phillip came in hot for Tofas, flirting with a triple-double as he poured in 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Group C
Darussafaka Istanbul turned heads in their first game back in the EuroCup as they managed to grab a 73-79 road win over Croatian giant Cedevita last night. The powered through a sluggish start to muster enough momentum to overcome a 12-point deficit and eventually the win.
Germani Brescia clamped down on defense to slow down UNICS Kazan in order to emerge victorious at home, 84-75. The Russian club was hot from downtown, making 13-of-28 shots from deep, but that was the last resort as Brescia dominated them in the paint.
JSF Nanterre took care of business at home and held off Joventut, 85-78. It was a 17-point lead that Badalona had to overcome in the fourth quarter. Their spirited rally was able to cut it to five points, but Nanterre answered in kind and held on for the win. The duo of Kenny Chery and Dallas Moore combined for 44 of Nanterre’s points and they were phenomenal as an unstoppable tandem.
Group D
Unicaja Malaga bested Buducnost 83-70. Malaga had the upper hand in the 3-point shooting department, making 10 shots from deep vs. only four by Buducnost. Their efficient scoring paved the way for this win and the Spanish club has a lot to be joyful for as they open the 2019-20 EuroCup season with a win.
Galatasaray managed to win over Dolomiti Energia Trento 64-70, securing a road win for themselves. They opened things up with an 11-32 first quarter and spiraled things in their favor from there. Trento fought back at some spots, but the Istanbul club managed to stay true and keep their advantage in the end.
Asseco Arka got a well-rounded performance from Josh Bostic, who posted 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists to pace his team to a 78-74 win over EWE Baskets. The story of this win comes in the rebounding category. Asseco grabbed 36 boards compared to 28 by EWE. Rickey Paulding also scored 21 points of his own for EWE.