The Aris guard ended the game with 20 points and a career-high 12 assists
Bryce Jones produces career night as Aris smashes season averages to beat Reyer
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 10 of 18
Regular Season
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Aris Thessaloniki BetssonARI
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Umana Reyer VeniceURV
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Overview
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Umana Reyer Venice might actually be Bryce Jones’s favorite opponent. After introducing himself to Aris Thessaloniki Betsson fans with a dominant display away at the Italian side in the opening round of the 2025-26 BKT EuroCup season, the 31-year-old guard stood out again on Wednesday evening, leading his team to a 90-86 victory at Palais des Sports.
Jones kicked off the campaign with a complete outing that saw him record 26 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in an 81-85 victory at Reyer. Just over two months later, he registered a career-high 12 assists as Aris opened the second half of the season by sweeping the Italian team.
Reyer hit the ground running and took an early 13-17 lead courtesy of 11 quick points from Ky Bowman, who went 3 for 3 from beyond the arc.
But Aris fired on all cylinders from deep to respond with a 20-2 run that allowed the hosts to grab a 33-22 lead heading into the second quarter.
After managing its best first-quarter scoring output in EuroCup history, the Greek side went on to break a club record for the most points netted at halftime by getting 56 before the break, with Jones thriving on the floor. The Aris guard had already set a new personal record in assists by bagging 9 to go with his 10 first-half points.
Reyer did bounce back and tightened up its defense, holding Aris to just 14 points in the third quarter. A bucket from RJ Cole cut the difference to 82-81 with less than 3 minutes to go, but Jones stepped up on the offensive end with a mid-range jumper and an assist for Amine Noua, who made it 86-81 from the line.
Having absorbed Reyer’s last comeback push, the hosts maintained their lead to secure a huge victory in their hunt for a playoff spot.
As for Jones, he didn't hesitate to hail his coach, Igor Milicic, for putting him to the test ahead of Wednesday’s clash.
“Shoutout to Coach for challenging me this week,” Jones said after the game. “He said some things that got me going, that got me fired up. I am a player who is always going to do my best to respond.”
By halftime Aris had already recorded 15 assists, better its season average across 40 minutes (14.2 apg.). With 1:26 to go in the third quarter, it had grabbed 34 rebounds – just over their season average of 33.8 boards.
Despite coming into the game against Reyer averaging a league-low 9.0 offensive rebounds, Aris ended the game with as many as 15 – its joint-highest mark this season.
Meanwhile, the Greek side had a season-high 44 rebounds and registered a club-record 24 assists, half of which were produced by an outstanding Jones.
The hosts also protected the ball well on the offensive end, as they had 10 turnovers – more than 6 less than their season average.
And as Jones stressed after the game, practicing well ahead of a game leads to delivering on the court.
“Coming from a tough loss [at home to U-BT Cluj-Napoca], you just want to always bounce back, have the right mentality, just being positive moving forward,” he added. “I just want to shout out my teammates for just having a great week of practice. And you know, when you practice good, you play good and we came out with the win.”
Having secured the head-to-head advantage over Reyer, Aris will look to climb up the standings in the remainder of the season. And with Jones balling as he did on Wednesday night, clinching a playoff spot should be considered a highly realistic target.
