Jeremy Morgan, Maksim Salash and Zaccharie Risacher stepped up on the road.
Bourg trio made the difference in first-ever win over Ulm
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On Wednesday night, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse became the first team to beat ratiopharm Ulm at ratiopharm arena in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season, as the French team came away with an 84-89 triumph.
Both teams came into the game on a 6-2 record, but it was the guests who prevailed to secure their first-ever victory over the German side, which had won all four of their previous meetings.
Bourg’s trio led the way
This win came courtesy of a dominant second quarter and sublime performances by Jeremy Morgan, Maksim Salash and Zaccharie Risacher. The Bourg trio combined for 53 of their team’s 89 points, allowing the visitors to improve to 7-2.
Morgan paced Bourg with 19 points, including a big-time triple to extend the lead to 74-79 with 03:43 remaining after Ulm had made it a one-possession game for the first time since early in the second quarter.
Bourg pulled off a sublime second-quarter outing, with Salash netting 8 of his team’s first 10 points and the visitors outscoring Ulm 16-36.
“We just played with a lot of energy [in the second quarter],” Morgan said after the game. “That’s when we are at our best, getting out and running in transition and playing really tough defense. That’s what we did in the second quarter. We've got to find a way to do it for 40 minutes.”
Salash helped hold off Ulm late
The French side took a 33-53 lead into the second half, but Ulm showed character and managed to bounce back. Yet, Salash scored 7 of his 19 points in the final quarter of the game, including a three-pointer with 01:42 left on the clock to bring Bourg closer to the victory.
“[Holding on in the second half] was very tough,” Morgan added. “[Ulm] is a very good team with a very good record and some really good players. So it was good that we got up to an early lead and the team did a very good job of sticking together and got the win. That’s what matters.”
Risacher displayed his potential
Heading into Wednesday’s duel as the team’s top scorer with an average of 13.0 points, Zaccharie Risacher proved once again why he is considered one of the most talented young players in the competition.
The 18-year-old forward netted 11 points in the first half and finished the game on 17, having made an impressive 4-of-5 (80.0%) from beyond the arc. His last triple came with 01:06 to go to make it 79-85, demonstrating that he can step up in crunch time.
Having won four of its last five games, Bourg will next play on the road at Slask Wroclaw on Tuesday, when it will look for its second road win in a row.