Basketball Champions League Week 10 Recap – an incredible 16-day final week sets tone for Play-ins
- → Group F delivered a four-team tie.
- → MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg ruined AEK’s perfect start to steal 2nd berth from Sassari.
- → Rytas Vilnius won it at the buzzer to secure 2nd seed in Group B.
- → Oostende secure famous win over Pinar to clinch third place in Group E.
- → UCAM Murcia secure first place in Group H.
Group A Recap
With Malaga at the top and Le Mans in 2nd place, the seeding for Group A was already decided before Gameday 6. However, the teams still delivered in their final regular season games, with close, hard-fought games in Szombathely and Peristeri.
Falco Vulcano Szombathely – Le Mans Sarthe Basket 75-73 Recap & Highlights
Second-unit specialist Zoltan Perl was once again the hero for Falco Szombathely, after the sixth man dropped 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in their demise of Le Mans Sarthe Basket for 75-73 at the Arena Savaria.
On Tuesday, Perl became only the second player to score 500 points coming off the bench in the Basketball Champions League.
The Hungarians clinched their first win at the Arena Savaria after a spectacular back-and-forth game, with 40 lead changes and no team taking a bigger lead than 7 points. Perl was supported by Matt Tiby (18 points) in Falco’s third quarter comeback but took it in his own hands to score the game-winning shot with a fantastic fadeaway with 0.7 seconds left.
Le Mans had an opportunity to force overtime, but Akos Keller had a piece of Mawugbe’s game-tying layup and gives the home fans their first (and last) joy of their BCL season.
Watch Falco Szombathely – Le Mans Sarthe Basket game highlights.
Peristeri bwin – Unicaja 76-73 Recap & Highlights
Peristeri bwin secured a win against Unicaja in a controlling performance in their last game of the BCL regular season. In the lead for 27 minutes, the team coached by Vassilis Spanoulis kept the Andalusians relatively quiet, but clinched the win in a somehow nervous finale.
The Greeks were led by a dominant Trevor Thompson (22 points & 11 boards, the first 20 point, 10 rebound double double for Peristeri in their BCL history) and Jermaine Love added 16 points. Ragland scored 10 coupled with 9 dimes.
For the visitors, Kendrick Perry had 16 in 17 minutes and Tyson Carter added 12. Dylan Osetkowski had a night to forget, with 6 points on 1/11 from the field.
Watch the Peristeri bwin – Unicaja highlights on Courtside 1891.
Group B Recap
Group B delivered two exciting performances from Rytas Vilnius and Promitheas Patras, one game ending at the buzzer and the other after overtime. At the end, Rytas secured their fourth consecutive win, securing 2nd place for their play-ins series against Peristeri bwin.
Rytas Vilnius – JDA Dijon 79-77 Recap & Highlights
Rytas secured 2nd place in Group B with their fourth consecutive win in the Basketball Champions League, their longest-ever winning streak in the competition, and did so in style.
In a commanding performance where they led for the majority of the game, the Lithuanians held off JDA Dijon’s comeback, and won it at the buzzer with Gytis Radzevicius (18 points, 10 rebounds) after a clutch block by Martynas Echodas.
Catch the action with the Tofas Bursa v Igokea m:tel game highlights on Courtside 1891.
BK Opava - Promitheas Patras 97-100 Recap & Highlights
Despite leading for just 7 minutes in the game, BK Opava went so close to securing a win in their 23-24 Basketball Champions League campaign.
With a decisive 7-0 run in the last two minutes of the game, the home side forced overtime against Promitheas Patras. However, Anthony Cowan had other ideas: the Maryland product ended with 30 points, 11 assists, and 5 boards, an unprecedented performance in the Basketball Champions League, to give Promitheas the win.
Relive a thrilling game in the Czech Republic with BK Opava v Promitheas Patras game highlights on Courtside 1891.
Group C Recap
Darussafaka Lassa win their key game against Riga, and Tenerife secure the road win in Cholet to keep first seed in Group C.
VEF Riga, despite the fight showed in the closing stages of their 23-24 BCL season, came last and won’t progress to the play-ins.
Darussafaka Lassa – VEF Riga 87-81 Recap & Highlights
Darussafaka’s departures are paving the way for the rise of Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rakhman, as the American put up a huge 33-point, 6-rebound and 6-assists performance at the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul. Abdur-Rakhman became only the 9th player to achieve an efficiency of 40 in the BCL (per Opta), leading Darussafaka to the win and third place in Group C.
It started to look good for the visitors, in the lead for 24 minutes on the road, thanks to a stoic performance from Arnaldo Toro Barea: the Puerto Rican closed a double double made of 21 points (10/16 from the field) and 18 rebounds, 10 of which offensive.
Toro Barea became the first-ever player to score 20 points and grab 10 offensive boards in Basketball Champions League history.
Riga was in the lead with 48 seconds to go, before Abdur-Rakhman sinked the go-ahead three, found by Can Korkmaz’s dime (82-80). Brendan Adam and Maris Gulbis’ turnovers condemned the Latvians to a painful loss and an early BCL exit.
Relive the spectacular game at the Volkswagen Arena with the Darussafaka Lassa - VEF Riga game highlights.
Cholet Basket – Lenovo Tenerife 85-91 Recap & Highlights
Lenovo Tenerife could not stop scoring from downtown to get the road win at Cholet and keep first place in Group C.
Opening an early 12-point lead, the Canarios controlled the game from start to finish, only allowing Cholet a modest 4-point lead throughout the duration of the game.
Lenovo Tenerife’s depth came through at La Meilleraie, with the visitors’ bench scoring 43 points in the contest, led by a red-hot Bruno Fitipaldo (16 points on 4/6 from downtown). Huertas ran the show with 15 points and 9 dimes.
For the home side, Tidjane Salaun kept shining in his breakout season, scoring 18 points on 4/5 from deep and grabbing three rebounds.
In the end, the 17 threes scored by Lenovo were too much for Cholet to handle, as the team coached by Txus Vidorreta heads to the Round of 16 in a convincing fashion.
Relive the night at La Meilleraie with the Cholet Basket - Lenovo Tenerife game highlights.
Group D Recap
It was a tough night for King Szczecin fans, as they lost third place to Dinamo Sassari and, as a result of MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg’s win over AEK, that means the Polish team is out of the Play-In picture. Thanks to their 16-point win, Sassari qualify in third place and will face Cholet in the next round.
MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg – AEK Betsson BC 83-79 Recap & Highlights
Ludwigsburg secured a famous win over AEK BC, inflicting the visitors the first defeat in their 23-24 Basketball Champions League Campaign.
Ludwigsburg secured 2nd seed after a close game, with their biggest lead being 8 points. Despite his three-point struggled, Jayvon Graves came through again with a game-leading 24 points, coupled with 8 assists. Desure Bule played perfect second with 16 points and 4 boards on 5/8 from the field.
The Queen lost their first BCL game this season, one week after parting ways with former NBA player Ben McLemore.
Relive the action from the Ludwigsburg with the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg – AEK Betsson BC highlights.
Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari – King Wilki Morskie Szczecin 97-81 Recap & Highlights
Brein Tyree helped the Sardinians overturn the reverse fixture’s score to secure third seed for Sassari and eliminate Szczecin from BCL contention. The former Filou Oostende player shone with 26 points and 6 dimes.
The visitors, led by yet another Andrzej Mazurczak clinic, stayed closed until Sassari opened a gap in the third quarter. The point guard finished with 19 points (7/9 from the field), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 7 steals.
Sassari’s 11-0 run in the fourth quarter was enough to secure tiebreaker advantage and 3rd seed in Group D.
Relive the action with the Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari – King Wilki Morskie Szczecin game highlights.
Group E Recap
Group E delivered upset and surprises in the final night of action, with Filou Oostende having the upper hand against Pinar and snatching third seed from EWE Baskets Oldenburg, defeated by SIG Strasbourg on the road.
Filou Oostende – Pinar Karsiyaka 78-76 Recap & Highlights
Pierre-Antoine Gillet was the hero once again for Filou Oostende at the COREtec Dôme. The Belgian converted from way downtown to take the lead (78-76) with three seconds to go, moments after Vernon Carey Jr’s dunk had put Pinar back in the lead.
Gillet showcased an efficient display, with 16 points on 6/10, 5 boards, and 2 assists. Damien Jefferson and Khalil Ahmad added 19 apiece to secure the clutch win for the Belgians.
Vernon Carey Jr’s 22 + 10 rebounds was not enough for Pinar Karsiyaka to secure the win at the Coretec.
Relive Pierre-Antoine Gillet’s heroics with the Filou Oostende – Pinar Karsiyaka game highlights on Courtside 1891.
SIG Strasbourg – EWE Baskets Oldenburg 85-77 Recap & Highlights
Phil Booth makes his former Filou Oostende teammates a huge favor in defeating EWE Baskets Oldenburg, securing win number four for Strasbourg and eliminating the Germans from BCL contention.
The Maryland native led Strasbourg with 19 points and 16 assists, aided by Quinton Hooker’s 15 points in a game controlled by and large by the home side, on a night where DeWayne Russell massively struggled offensively for the visitors.
Geno Crandall (23 points coming off the bench) and Len Schoormann’s 17 points kept Oldenburg in the game but weren’t enough to engineer a comeback.
Relive the game from the Rhenus Sport with the SIG Strasbourg – EWE Baskets Oldenburg game highlights.
Group F Recap
On a crazy final night of BCL, the craziest results were provided by Group F, which ended on a group-wide 3-3 tie. It was heartbreak for Bursaspor Info Yatirim, who came last despite defeating Hapoel Holon on the road.
Rio Breogan – Telekom Baskets Bonn 97-92 OT (80-80) Recap & Highlights
Rio Breogan kept their unbeaten record at the Palacio de Deportes with a famous overtime win over BCL champions Telekom Baskets Bonn.
The German made it close and had the potential game-winning shot in Brian Fobbs’ hand, but Sergi Quintela secured the steal that enabled the Galicians to force overtime after Justin Anderson’s game-tying layup with three seconds to go.
Martynas Sajus was the overtime hero, with an incredible 8-point, 1 assist performance that secured the win for Rio Breogan. The Lithuanian center finished with a game-high 24 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 4 blocks in a gargantuan display to secure third place for Breogan.
Relive the overtime thriller with the Rio Breogan – Telekom Baskets Bonn game highlights.
Hapoel Holon – Bursaspor Info Yatirim 74-75 Recap & Highlights
It was a bittersweet victory for Bursapor Info Yatirim against Hapoel Holon, thanks to Jonathan Hamilton’s two late free throws at the end of fourth quarter.
The Turkish side completed the fourth-quarter comeback in style, after leading for only a couple of minutes, but still came short of a play-ins spot after the result from Lugo. Anthony Brown was solid, providing 26 points and 11 assists for the visitors.
Justin Smith’s 16 points were not enough for Holon, who finished 2nd in Group F, to secure the win and round of 16 qualification.
Relive the thriller from the Arena Riga with the Hapoel Holon – Bursaspor Info Yatirim game highlights.
Group G Recap
Nothing changed in Group G, where Hapoel Bank Jahav Jerusalem were already certain of their place in the Round of 16 qualification. Galatasaray EKMAS won at PAOK, but their margin was not large enough to overturn the reverse fixture result and earn them the tiebreaker advantage. PAOK therefore retained 2nd place, and Galatasaray EKMAS remained 3rd, and will have to approach play-ins without homecourt advantage.
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem – Benfica 97-68 Recap & Highlights
In a game with no real impact in terms of standings, Levi Randolph put on a show at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall, with a 32-point performance, the 2nd highest tally of his highly decorated Basketball Champions League career.
After the first quarter, when Benfica led for 4 minutes, Jerusalem seized control of the game, leading for 32 minutes for as much as 31 points, the outcome never in question. Terrell Carter was the last one to surrender for the visitors, and finished with a team-high 22 points on 10/12 from the field.
Relive the action with the Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem – Benfica game highlights.
PAOK mateco – Galatasaray EKMAS 79-85 Recap & Highlights
PAOK mateco struggled but retained 2nd seed in Group G despite their loss at the hands of Galatasaray EKMAS, in the lead for the whole game, and by as much as 12 points with 4 remaining in the game.
Zvezdan Mitrovic’s team keeps showing encouraging signs, with Akwasi Yeboah literally dismantling PAOK’s defense with 26 points in 24 minutes on 8/11 from the field (7/9 from deep) and 7 rebounds. Miralem Halilovic, on the other hand, converted 6/8 from two to score 17 points in 16 minutes.
Struggling on both ends of the floor, PAOK managed to do just enough in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to under the 10 points required by Galatasaray to secure 2nd seed and homecourt advantage in the play-ins. Kendall Smith (16 points), Michalis Tsairelis (12) and Justin Alston (14) were instrumental in cutting a lead that had reach 17 points.
Relive the action with the PAOK mateco – Galatasaray EKMAS game highlights.
Group H Recap
Group H standings didn’t move in the final Gameweek, as both UCAM and Derthona won their road games to finish 1st and 2nd respectively. Tofas, already certain of a 3rd spot, will face P.A.O.K. and need to overturn homecourt advantage to qualify for the Round of 16.
Tofas Bursa – UCAM Murcia 75-90 Recap & Highlights
Sito Alonso’s Universitarios keep winning in the BCL, this time at the expense of Tofas Bursa. Led by an all-around performance by Dustin Sleva, who provided 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists with a game-high 26 efficiency, the Spaniards were in front from start to finish.
Tofas Bursa kept it close until the third quarter, when the visitors opened a lead that eventually reached 20 points. Zeljko Sakic tried to keep the home side in the game with 17 points and 6 rebounds, but ultimately it was not enough for the Turkish side to attempt a comeback.
Relive the action with the Tofas Bursa – UCAM Murcia game highlights.
Igokea m:tel – Bertram Derthona Tortona 74-77 Recap & Highlights
Tortona close their impressive first campaign in the Basketball Champions League with a road win over Igokea m:tel. However, that is not enough for them to qualify as 1st seed in Group H in light of their tiebreaker record against Murcia.
Edin Atic rallied the home side, in the hunt for a single win this BCL, to an early 15-5 lead. The Bosnian point forward played a key role for Igokea, finishing with 18 points, 9 boards, and 8 assists but coming just short of a triple double.
Five players reached double figures for Derthona Tortona, led by Tashawn Thomas, who contributed 12 points and 8 boards to the road win. The Italians took the lead at the half of the 2nd quarter, and never let go, reaching a +15 but seeing it slip away towards the end.
A free throw from Kyle Weems made it a full possession lead (74-77) with five seconds to go, but Marko Josilo’s game-tying attempt is long, meaning Igokea remain winless in the 23-24 BCL.
Relive the action with the Igokea m:tel – Bertram Derthona Tortona game highlights
