Boulogne Metropolitans 92 grabbed back-to-back wins for the first time in more than two months in knocking off Slask Wroclaw 59-74 in Group A action. Metropolitans, which won Rounds 4 and 5 back in November, improved to 6-5 with a 2-4 mark on the road. Neither team really was able to pull away until Metropolitans put together a 2-15 run to grab a 41-53 lead late in the third quarter. Slask would get as close as 5 points, but the guests used a 2-14 surge to put it away.
Metropolitans use second-half defense to grab second road win, 59-74
Game Report
3 Mins read
Keith Hornsby paced five Metropolitans scorers in double figures with 15 points while Tony Crocker scored 14 points, David Michineau had 12, Vince Hunter picked up 10 points and 11 rebounds and Tomer Ginat added 10 points. Travis Trice was the only Slask player in double figures with 11 points with Kerem Kanter chipping in 9 points and 14 rebounds. But they were not enough as Slask has now lost four straight for a 1-9 record.
Trice opened the game with a layup for the hosts and Will Cummings answered at the other end. Slask scored on five of its first six possessions, including a Trice three-pointer, and the advantage grew to 13-5. The hosts’ offense stalled and Crocker scored three baskets and Hornsby made a triple in a 3-11 spurt to knot the game at 16-16. Trice added 4 free throws and the game was even 20-20 after 10 minutes.
Kanter and Martins Meiers scored inside for Slask early in the second quarter and Metropolitans coach Vincent Collet immediately wanted a timeout. Jakub Karolak made it 27-22 with a three-pointer. The guests got out in transition for some scores including two by Miralem Halilovic to pull ahead 29-30. The lead changed hands four times over the rest of the half with Ginat putting Metropolitans ahead 35-36 at the break.
Ivan Ramljak started the scoring in the second half for Slask before the lead switched hands three times with Hornsby converting a three-point play and then Cummings’s layup putting Metropolitans ahead 39-43. Slask failed to produce offensively while Metropolitans got three-pointers from Crocker and Hornsby as the cushion swelled to 41-53. Slask managed to score the final 4 points of the quarter to make it 45-53 after 30 minutes.
Cyril Langevine opened the scoring in the final frame to get the hosts within 6. Crocker answered at the other end only to see Lukasz Kolenda drain a triple to trim the gap to 52-57. Ginat punched right back with a three-point play and a Cummings layin re-established a double-digit lead, 52-62, with 7 minutes left. Crocker added a triple and it was 54-67 with less than 6 minutes to play before a Michineau three-pointer had Metropolitans ahead 54-71 with 4 minutes to play. The game was decided by that point as the hosts could not find the offensive solutions.
