FIBA Europe Cup Second Round Recap

The second week of FIBA Europe Cup Second Round action saw more overtime drama with four teams making it two wins from two.

Unahotels Reggio Emilia secured a dramatic 80-79 overtime triumph on the road against Kyiv-Basket as Mikael Hopkins came up with the decisive score in the extra period. It was a balanced scoring effort from the visitors, with seven players scoring nine or more points each, as Andrea Cinciarini posted a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists.

There were 13 lead changes during the contest in which neither side ever held an advantage of more than seven points, with Hopkins also netting a big triple at the end of regulation to force overtime. 

HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim picked up their first win in the group as they battled past Telenet Giants Antwerp for a 91-86 victory. TJ Shorts starred with 21 points and nine assists to help counter the 25-point haul from Markel Brown for the visitors.

Meanwhile, Parma-Parimatch moved to 2-0 in Group I with a 92-78 victory over medi Bayreuth with six players in double figures. Adas Juskevicius top scored with 17 points and handed out eight assists, while Artsiom Parakhouski put up 12 points and 14 rebounds for another double-double.

Marcus Thornton had 25 points in vain for the German side as they still await their first win in the Second Round.

Bahcesehir College also improved to 2-0 at the top of Group L with a 90-76 victory over Bakken Bears. Jamar Smith led the way with 19 points and seven assists, with Sam Dekker adding 14 points on competition debut as the hosts poured in 31 points in the fourth to win.

CSM CSU Oradea overcame Sporting CP on the road to win 83-77 behind a 24-point outing from Nikola Markovic on a 9-of-11 shooting. Travante Williams had 23 points in defeat for Sporting with fellow Portuguese side Benfica also suffering defeat as they were beaten 79-67 at home to Trefl Sopot.

Elsewhere, Worthy de Jong fired in 32 points for ZZ Leiden along with eight rebounds and eight assists, albeit in a 90-78 loss at home to Legia Warszawa. The visitors had 23 points and seven rebounds from Raymond Cowels to get off the mark in Group I.

The Second Round action will resume in the New Year, with Gameday 3 taking place in January.