Eurocup: Four remain undefeated
Week 3 of Eurocup competition began Tuesday with eight contests across the continent. Of those eight match-ups, four ended with the winners improving their records to 3-0, Alba Berlin lost their first game. They’ll play 16 more on Wednesday with another eight clubs looking to keep their unblemished records intact. In Group A, Telenet Ostend and FoxTown Catu will battle for their unbeaten records.
Staying perfect on the season on Tuesday were Bilbao Basket in Group B with a 98:71 win over Belgacom Spirou, In Group D BCM Gravelines Dunkerque defeated Belfius Mons Hainaut 75:52, Khimik Yuzhne continued their winning ways in Group F with a 75:88 victory over Alba Fehervar, and in Group G Unics Kazan won the closest contest of the day with a nine-point road win over Kalev Cramo Tallinn, 72:81, to also improve to 3-0.
Group B
Bilbao Basket – Belgacom Spirou, 98:71
Bilbao bumped their season record to 3-0 with a 27-point win over Belgacom Spirou, who falls to 0-3 with the loss. Bilbao blew the game open with a huge run in the third frame to pull away from Belgacom.
The guests took the early lead getting out in front with an 18:21 first quarter after jumping out to a 4:13 advantage in the opening minutes. The second quarter remained close, with Bilbao getting a pair of late triples by Alex Mumbru to take the lead into the mid-game break, 30:29. Mid-way through the third quarter the hosts kicked things into high gear and ran away with contest, outscoring Belgacom 33:14 in the third to head into the final 10 up 72:52. In the fourth the advantage grew to as much as 30, but ended with a big third win for Bilbao, 98:71.
Axel Hervelle dropped 17 for Bilbao, Fran Pilepic scored 15, and four other members of the club score in low double figures. Devin Green was game-high for Belgacom with 20, Demond Mallet added 12, and the duo of Darryl Watkins and Mohamed Abukar scored 11 each.
Dinamo Banco Di Sardegna Sassari – Elan Chalon Sur Saone, 102:87
Dinamo Sassari knocked down 17 triples enroute to a 15-point win over Elan Chalon to improve their record to 2-1 while Chalon dropped to 1-2. Drake Diener paced the hosts with 23 points, while AJ Slaughter scored 22 for Elan Chalon.
Elan found their range outside the arc in the first quarter, connecting on five three-balls on their way to a 20:27 first quarter lead. In the second the clubs combined for 65 points with Dinamo putting up 11 on Elan with a 38:27 score to take a 58:54 advantage into the intermission. The hosts added two points to their margin in the third, but a 17:2 run in the fourth put the game away.
Diener was game-high with 23, Caleb Green and Marques Green added 21 points each. Slaughter’s 22 led the way for Elan, Ilian Evtimov added 17, Clint Capela scored 12 and added 8 rebounds, and Jordan Aboudou dropped in 10.
Group C
Paris Levallois – Ratiopharm Ulm, 68:78
Ratiopharm Ulm improved to 2-1, while Paris Levallois remained winless after a 68:78 win for Ulm in Paris. Ulm used a 9:27 second quarter to set up the win.
Paris got the out first, building a 14:6 advantage, before Ulm went on a 2:10 run to knot the score at 16. Paris tallied the final eight straight in the first to get up 24:16. Ulm countered with the first eight in the second and continued strong to take a 33:43 lead into the break. As they started in the third it was Levallois’ time for a run, going 2:11 to pull to within a point, 44:45. As wrapped up the third Ulm pulled ahead again to get up by seven heading into the final 10. A 0:8 run put Ulm up by 13, which was too much a margin for Paris, who did manage to cut the gap to six, but ultimately lost by 10, 68:78.
Philipp Schwethelm paced Ulm with 12, Will Clyburn added 11, and Edgar Sosa scored 10. Jawad Williams was game-high for Paris with 22 points and 8 rebounds, Elton Brown and Daniel Ewing scored 14 each.
Ground D
BCM Gravelines – Belfius Mons Hainaut, 75:52
BCM Gravelines kept their unblemished record with a 23-point win over Belfius Mons Hainaut, who drops to 0-3 with the loss.
Jonathan Rousselle scored 10 in the first quarter for Gravelines to help them get up 19:13 after the first 10. In the second the hosts ran off 10 unanswered and took a 42:24 advantage into the break. Belfius opened the third with 10 unanswered to cut the lead to seven, but they closed out the third with it at double digits, 52:42. Another big run in the fourth put the game out of reach for Gravelines.
Juby Johnson was game-high for Gravelines with 19, Souleyman Diabate and Rousselle scored 18 each. Justin Cage scored 16 for Belfius, Robert Vaden added 12, and Demontez Stitt contributed 11.
Virtus Rome – Alba Berlin, 85:71
Virtus Rome knocked Alba Berlin from the ranks of the unbeatens with a sound 85:71 win at home. The win improves Virtus to 2-1 and tied for the second spot in Group D with Alba. The hosts got 20 from Quinton Hosley.
Virtus put the game away in the first half, getting up 24:13 after the first frame and then adding eight more to the margin with a 20:12 second quarter to take a 44:25 advantage into the dressing rooms at break. The clubs each tallied 24 in the third to send the game to the fourth with the hosts up 68:49. Alba went on an 11-point run in the fourth to cut the lead to eight, 68:60, that remained at seven with just under four minutes to play. Virtus ran off nine unanswered in the final minutes to put the contest away.
Hosley’s 20 was game-high for Virtus, with Jimmy Baron added 16, and Jordan Taylor and Phillip Goss scoring 12 each. Cliff Hammonds and Vojdan Stojanovski led Alba with 12, Reggie Redding scored 11, and Levon Kendall added 10.
Group F
Alba Fehervar – Khimik Yuzhne, 75:88
Khimik Yuzhne picked up their third win of the season with a 13-point win over Alba Fehervar, 75:88. The loss keeps Fehervar winless at 0-3. Khimik was lead by Paul Delaney’s 24 points and 7 rebounds.
The visitors build a lead that was as high as 17 points, but closed out at 14, 11:25 at the end of the first. Alba countered with seven straight from Norbert Toth to pull to within six, but Khimik extended back to 10-points at the end of the half, 33:43. They added another four in the third to take a 54:68 lead into the fourth where they added a 2:9 run to get up by as much as 17 before settling for the 13-point win.
Delaney was game-high for Khimik, Jamal Shuler added 18, Matt Gatens scored 12, and Romeo Travis turned in an 11P/12R double-double. Ramone Moore led Fehervar with 20 points, Gergely Somogyi contributed 13 points and 7 rebounds, Toth scored 12, and Maurice Kemp added 10.
Group G
Kavel Cramo Tallinn – Unics Kazan, 72:81
Unics Kazan used a big first frame to build enough of an advantage over Kavel Cramo Tallinn to earn their third win with a 72:81 victory. The win keeps Kazan undefeated at 3-0, while dropping Tallinn to 0-3.
Unics tallied first and never gave up the lead as they opened the contest with a big 12:31 frame. Kavel had the hot shooters in the second cutting the lead to nine, 28:37, by the mid-point of the frame, with the margin moving to double digits as the half ended, 33:43. Kavel put together an 11:4 run to cut the margin to three, 44:47, but Kazan opened the lead up by the end of the third, 54:63. Kavel pulled to within four with just over a minute to play, but Kazan outscored Kavel 2:7 over the final minute to pick up the win.
Andrew Goudelock was game-high with 20 for Unics, Ian Vougioukas added 15, and Kostas Kaimakoglou added 10 points and 7 rebounds. Frank Elegar scored 19 and Vlad Moldoveanu scored 18.