Buducnost VOLI Podgorica rallied from an early deficit and then survived a Slask Wroclaw comeback to grab a 79-80 road victory and stay in the fight for the playoffs as Yogi Ferrell led the way with 17 points.

Buducnost survives for second straight road win, 79-80 over Slask

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica rallied from an early deficit and then survived a Slask Wroclaw comeback to grab a 79-80 road victory and stay in the fight for the playoffs. Buducnost trailed by 12 points in the first quarter but started the second half on a 3-18 run and ended up holding on to improve to 5-7. The second straight road win put Buducnost into a four-way tie in Group B in a battle for the playoffs. Yogi Ferrell paced the winners with 17 points and 5 assists while McKinley Wright added 12 points and Vladimir Mihailovic and Marvin Jones both scored 11 points. Slask remained winless at home and dropped to 1-11 overall. Joe Bryant Jr. was Slask’s leading scorer with 18 points. Dusan Miletic collected 17 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Andrii Voinalovych chipped in 15 points.

Game Videos

### Slask surged early but Buducnost responded

The hosts jumped ahead 5-0 early on and then benefited from a series of Buducnost turnovers to take an 11-3 lead after 3 minutes. Voinalovych followed with 5 straight points and Slask was up 16-5. Jones tallied 4 points for the guests but Slask finished the first quarter with a 22-15 cushion. Brandon Paul’s three-point play to start the second quarter trimmed the gap and three-point play by JaCorey Williams knotted the scoreboard at 25-25. Aleksander Wisniewski hit a three-pointer at the other end to give Slask a 30-25 edge. Buducnost remained close and the guests got a layup by Wright just before halftime for a 34-36 lead at intermission. 

### The visitors went up big and withstood a late Slask rally.

Buducnost held Slask scoreless early in the second half as Wright and Ferrell both hit three-pointers in a 0-10 start for a 34-46 lead. A second Ferrell triple and a three-pointer from Mihailovic extended the cushion to 37-54. Slask stepped up its defense while Miletic scored twice and Michel Sitnik drained a three-pointer in an 11-2 finish of the third quarter to get the hosts within 50-58. 

Ferrell took over in the early stages of the fourth quarter with a basket and 2 assists as Buducnost surged ahead 53-66. Slask was not done just yet, though, with Voinalovych and Sitnik both hitting three-pointers to trim the gap to 64-70 with less than 5 minutes to play. Ferrell buried a triple to get the guests up by 69-78. Slask cut the deficit to 73-78 but Bryant and Sitnik both missed layups. After Wright could only split two free throws, Hassani Gravett drained a three-pointer with 9.6 seconds to go to make it a three-point game. Yoan Makoundou then  iced the game on a free throw with 7.5 seconds remaining for the guests.

Game News

The visitors hung on to stay in the hunt for a playoffs spot as part of a four-way Group B tie.

Slask Wroclaw v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2023-12-20T19:00:00.000Z)

Follow all the BKT EuroCup action for Round 12.

Game Center: Five clashes get Round 12 running

### Wednesday, December 20

[Wolves Vilnius 79-94 Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/wolves-vilnius-joventut-badalona/U2023/114/)

Joventut Badalona continued its winning streak, using a 2-18 run bridging the final quarters to beat host Wolves 79-94 on Wednesday. Joventut swept the season series between them, picking up its fourth straight win to improve to 7-5 record for a share of fourth place in Group A. Wolves, with a fourth straight loss, fell to 4-7. Andres Feliz was everywhere for the winners, with 18 points, a career-high 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Andrew Andrews and Ante Tomic scored 15 apiece, Tyler Cook 12 and Yannick Kraag 11 in the victory. Djordje Gagic paced the hosts with 16 points, Tre'Shawn Thurman had 14, Arnas Berucka and Christian Mekowulu each scored 12, and Regimantas Miniotas scored 10 in defeat.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A comfortable win for <a href="https://twitter.com/Penya1930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Penya1930</a> in Lithuania<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/7Mj0zYTB83">pic.twitter.com/7Mj0zYTB83</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1737549927117398062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 100-81 Umana Reyer Venice](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv-umana-reyer-venice/U2023/113/)

Hapoel Schlomo Tel Aviv clinched its fifth win a row when it defeated visiting Umana Reyer Venice 100-81 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade on Wednesday . The game was back and forth for until a 17-2 burst by Hapoel midway through the last quarter broke it open. Hapoel improved to 9-2 to hold second place in Group A. Venice slipped to 4-8 with its third straight loss. Xavier Munford led Hapoel with 25 points on 5-of-6 from behind the arc; John Holland posted 20 points and 8 boards in less than 18 minutes; Kyle Alexander registered a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds,;Jaylen Hoard went for 14 points and Bar Timor contributed 13 points and 8 assists for the winners. Rayjon Tucker paced Venice with 16 points, Amadeo Tessitori followed with 13 and Jeff Brooks, Kyle Wiltjer and Barry Brown added 10 apiece in the losing effort.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/HapoelTLVBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HapoelTLVBC</a> make it 9-2 this season<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/BAcHijiGGF">pic.twitter.com/BAcHijiGGF</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1737555065966121202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[Slask Wroclaw 79-80 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/slask-wroclaw-buducnost-voli-podgorica/U2023/117/)

Buducnost rallied from an early deficit and then survived a Slask comeback to grab a 79-80 road victory and stay in the fight for the playoffs. Buducnost trailed by 12 points in the first quarter but started the second half on a 3-18 run and ended up holding on to improve to 5-7. The second straight road win put Buducnost into a four-way tie in Group B in a battle for the playoffs. Yogi Ferrell paced the winners with 17 points and 5 assists while McKinley Wright added 12 points and Vladimir Mihailovic and Marvin Jones both scored 11 points. Slask remained winless at home and dropped to 1-11 overall. Joe Bryant Jr was Slask’s leading scorer with 18 points with Dusan Miletic collecting 17 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks and Andrii Voinalovych chipped in 15 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In a close game <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKBuducnostVOLI</a> get the W ✅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/nmukMwjsBo">pic.twitter.com/nmukMwjsBo</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1737579820937011370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[Paris Basketball vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/paris-basketball-veolia-towers-hamburg/U2023/112/)

Paris became the first team to cement a spot in the EuroCup Playoffs with a 120-91 drubbing of visiting Veolia Towers Hamburg. The hosts upped their Group A-leading record to 11-1 while Hamburg fell 2-10. TJ Shorts paced Paris with a game-high 26 points, shooting 11 of 13 from the floor and 4 of 4 from the foul line. Mehdy Ngouama netted 18 points for the home side, Tyson Ward scored 15 and Nadir Hifi chipped in with 14. Collin Malcolm added 12 and Bandja Sy scored 11, underlining a seamless team effort. At the other end, Aleksander Dziewa led Hamburg with 17 points, while William Christmas racked up 16. Vicent King had 15, Seth Hinrichs and Mark Hughes posted 13 each, while Aljam Durham chipped in with 11.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Win for <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ParisBasketball</a> 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/smd2J9gbcv">pic.twitter.com/smd2J9gbcv</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1737586065723064443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[London Lions 89-88 Prometey Slobozhanske](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/london-lions-prometey-slobozhanske/U2023/111/)

London returned to winning ways in Group A by downing Prometey 89-88 in come-from-behind fashion. London improved to 9-3 in the Group A standings while Prometey dropped to 6-6. London trailed 83-88 with 25.5 seconds left but found way to win it on a go-ahead triple by Sam Dekker. Gabe Olaseni led the winners with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Sam Dekker and Conor Morgen each added 16 points, Matt Morgan had 12 while Tarik Phillip for 10 for London. Ronald March led Prometey with 26 points. Caleb Agada added 23 while Ondrej Balvin had 14 and 16 rebounds for the guests.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WHAT A TURNAROUND<a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LondonLions</a> turn it around in the last minute of play for a HUGE home W 😳✅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/rlKjrRRxzo">pic.twitter.com/rlKjrRRxzo</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1737587762117726470?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys 94-90 ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys-ratiopharm-ulm/U2023/119/)

Lietkabelis boosted its playoffs chances with an exciting comeback victory, 94-90, over Ulm on Tuesday. Lietkebelis improves to 4-7 in Group B while Ulm drops to 8-4. After a closely contested first half, Ulm pulled ahead early in the third, but a double technical foul against point guard Juan Nunez proved costly and Lietkabelis grabbed the momentum to take the lead and seal a big win. Paulius Valinskas led the winning team with 24 points and 10 assists on his return from injury, while Gediminas Orelik scored 17 and Deivydas Sirvydas added 16. The outstanding Karim Jallow pushed Ulm's challenge with 24 points and 4 steals.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="et" dir="ltr">Home W for Lietkabelis!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/AZyxBa9ZeQ">pic.twitter.com/AZyxBa9ZeQ</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1737187123495596538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[Turk Telekom Ankara 85-95 Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/turk-telekom-ankara-aris-midea-thessaloniki/U2023/118/)

In an important game in the Group B playoffs race, Aris downed host Turk Telekom 85-95 in the Turkish capital on Tuesday. Aris improved to 5-7 and has a 2-0 record against Turk Telekom, which dropped to 3-9. Vassilis Toliopoulos paced the winners with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Jonathan Stark added 18 points, Roberto Gallinat and Roberts Blumbergs 12 each, and Ronnie Harrell 10 for Aris. Tyrone Wallace led Turk Telekom with 30 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Okben Ulubay added 15 points, Steven Enoch 12 and James Palmer 10.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">💪<a href="https://twitter.com/ARISBCgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ARISBCgr</a> get a comfortable win away<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/8baq48m0Ac">pic.twitter.com/8baq48m0Ac</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1737188986324422813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[U-BT Cluj-Napoca 89-98 JL Bourg en Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/u-bt-cluj-napoca-mincidelice-jl-bourg-en-bresse/U2023/116/)

Bourg extended its winning streak to a club-record six games and hit 15 three-pointers before holding on to an 89-98 win over Cluj on Tuesday. The win gave Bourg a season sweep of Cluj-Napoca and lifted its record to 10-2 while Cluj dropped to 8-4 in a tie for third. Bourg scored a club-record 37 first-quarter points and held 20-point margins at the ends of the first two quarters. Isiaha Mike scored 14 of his game-high 26 points in that first quarter. Jequan Lewis finished with 17 points, Bryce Brown 12 and Maksim Salash 11. For Cluj, D.J. Seeley scored all of his 20 points in the final 14 minutes and Patrick Richard added 16.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A great first half guides <a href="https://twitter.com/JLBourgBasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JLBourgBasket</a> to a Round 12 dub!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/4z5Q25USpl">pic.twitter.com/4z5Q25USpl</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1737187591999381611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 83-88 Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana-besiktas-emlakjet-istanbul/U2023/115/)

Besiktas returned to its winning ways as it fought off Cedevita 83-88 to snap a three-game losing streak. Angel Delgado came up with a big double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds to help Besiktas improve to 7-5 and solidify itself in the playoffs ranks of Group A. Jonah Mathews added 18 points, Derek Needham had 15 and Yigit Arslan chipped in 13 for the winners. Cedevita, now 0-12, remains the only EuroCup team without a victory despite Karlo Matkovic scoring 22 points while Justin Cobbs had 19 points and 8 assists in the loss.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🙌<a href="https://twitter.com/BJK_Basketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BJK_Basketbol</a> victorious in Round 12<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wp3kx0h4tH">pic.twitter.com/Wp3kx0h4tH</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1737194614929363243?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

[Dreamland Gran Canaria 76-98 Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/dreamland-gran-canaria-dolomiti-energia-trento/U2023/120/)

Trento pulled off a major upset in Group B as it blew out reigning BKT EuroCup champion Gran Canaria to give itself life in the race for the playoffs. After giving up 31 points in the first quarter, Trento conceded just 45 points the rest of the game as it improved to 5-7. Gran Canaria has now suffered two straight losses for a 10-2 record. Andrejs Grazulis poured in 23 points to pace five Trento scorers in double figures, with Kamar Baldwin scoring 17 points. For Gran Canaria, Nicolas Brussino tallied 17 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">😳<a href="https://twitter.com/AquilaBasketTN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AquilaBasketTN</a> stun first placed Gran Canaria<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/sYulwZ7WBO">pic.twitter.com/sYulwZ7WBO</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1737229352968802607?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Game Center: Paris first to playoffs! Joventut, Hapoel, Buducnost, London also win!

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Umana Reyer Venice (2023-12-20T17:30:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2023-12-20T19:30:00.000Z)

London Lions v Prometey Slobozhanske (2023-12-20T19:30:00.000Z)

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2023-12-19T20:00:00.000Z)

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v ratiopharm Ulm (2023-12-19T17:00:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom Ankara v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2023-12-19T17:00:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2023-12-19T17:00:00.000Z)

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul (2023-12-19T17:30:00.000Z)

Wolves Vilnius v Joventut Badalona (2023-12-20T17:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Schlomo Tel Aviv clinched its fifth win a row when it defeated visiting Umana Reyer Venice 100-81 thanks to a 17-2 burst midway through the last quarter as Xavier Munford led the winners with 25 points,

 Hapoel dominates Venice, 100-81 

Hapoel Schlomo Tel Aviv clinched its fifth win a row when it defeated visiting Umana Reyer Venice 100-81 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade on Wednesday . The game was back and forth for until a 17-2 burst by Hapoel midway through the last quarter broke the game open. Hapoel improved to 9-2 to hold second place in Group A. Venice slipped to 4-8 with its third straight loss.

Xavier Munford led Hapoel with 25 points on 5-of-6 from behind the arc, John Holland posted 20 points and 8 boards in less than 18 minutes, Kyle Alexander registered a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, Jaylen Hoard went for 14 points and Bar Timor contributed 13 points and 8 assists for the winners. Rayjon Tucker paced Venice with 16 points, Amadeo Tessitori followed with 13 and Jeff Brooks, Kyle Wiltjer and Barry Brown added 10 apiece in the losing effort.

### Venice started strong, withstood Holland

Venice started strong, but Hapoel soon found answers in Alexander and Munford, who combined for 9 points as the hosts took an 11-5 edge. The teams swapped baskets after a Reyer timeout, with Hapoel staying ahead 17-9. Davide Casarin's first three-pointer ignited the visitors' offense. Wiltjer followed from downtown and Casarin soon repeated to build a 0-13 run that turned the tables, 17-22, at the end of the first period. A red-hot Holland helped Hapoel take the wheel again. Hitting a couple of three-pointers among a string of baskets, he let the hosts to recover a 35-29 advantage midway through the second quarter. Despite Venice’s efforts to stop him, Holland kept rocking and amassed 14 points without missing a field goal as Hapoel led 39-36. Fortunately for the guests, Holland had to head the bench with 3 fouls and that gave wings to Venice. A 2-11 run to finish the second quarter granted the visitors a 41-47 lead at the half.

### Hapoel gears up to flip the coin

Tessitori did his job inside to make it 46-54 for Venice right after the intermission. Hapoel increased the pace of the game and found a good offensive momentum thanks to the duo Alexander and Munford, whose efforts reduced the gap to 56-58. The visitors didn’t shrink, though, as Tucker emerged to make a 56-63 edge after 26 minutes. Hapoel took advantage of a TV timeout to punish Reyer with a 12-2 run in the next 4 minutes, including a buzzer-beating circus layup by Munford to take a 68-65 advantage into the last stanza. Munford continued Hapoel’s resurgence with a three-pointer to make it 71-65. Tessitori showed up again to try to keep Venice in the contest, but it soon proved not enough. Munford scored 5 points to start a 14-1 run midway through the final quarter that granted Hapoel a solid double-digit lead, 91-75. When he stroked twice again twice from downtown to make it 97-78, and Holland followed with another triple, Hapoel was on its way to reaching triple-digit scoring for the fourth time this season.

A back-and-forth first 30 minutes ended with the hosts exploding late for their fourth triple-digit scoring game of the season.

Hapoel dominates Venice, 100-81

Joventut Badalona used a strong second half to beat Wolves Vilnius 79-94 on Wednesday in the Lithuanian capital as Andres Feliz paced the winners.

Joventut runs away from Wolves, 79-94

Joventut Badalona used a strong second half to beat Wolves Vilnius 79-94 on Wednesday in the Lithuanian capital. Joventut swept their season series between two, picking up its fourth straight win to improve to 7-5 for a share of fourth place in Group A. Wolves suffered their fourth straight loss, and fifth consecutive home defeat, dropping to 4-7. A 2-18 run bridging third and fourth quarters turned a 62-60 deficit into a 64-78 for the visitors, who cruised the rest of the way. Andres Feliz starred with 18 points, a career-high 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Andrew Andrews and Ante Tomic scored 15 apiece, Tyler Cook 12 and Yannick Kraag 11 for Joventut. Djordje Gagic paced Wolves with 16 points, while Tre'Shawn Thurman had 14, Arnas Berucka and Christian Mekowulu 12 each, and Regimantas Miniotas 10. Vaidas Kariniauskas dished 12 assists in defeat.

### Wolves started strong but Joventut recovered

A three-point play from Gagic and a triple from Berucka got the hosts going. The Wolves extended the lead by finding their way to the free throw line often, with Mekowulu going perfect 6-for-6 there to open an 18-9 lead. But a runner from Feliz and a pair of close-range baskets from Tomic filled a 0-6 Joventut run that trimmed the hosts' advantage to 20-15 lead after 10 minutes. Feliz opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, but the hosts answered with a 7-0 run capped by Thurman's triple. That's when Kraag stepped up, knocking down a triple before adding 8 more points to his tally, including a pair of breakaway dunks to put Joventut up 31-32 midway through the second. The two sides traded leads the rest of the half. Back-to-back Feliz triples from the right corner opened a 39-41 Joventut lead, but Mekowulu made sure the hosts took a 43-41 advantage into halftime.

### Joventut made its takeover move late in the third quarter

Joventut scored 3 points on each of its first three possessions after halftime, a three-point play by Tomic followed by back-to-back triples from Pep Busquets and Feliz, to go in front 46-50. The Wolves replied with the next 7 points, then Berucka hit another three-pointer to help make it a 12-3 run and restore the lead for the hosts, 58-53. But it was Joventut's turn again, this time with Andrews scoring 10 points, including 2 triples as the visitors took 64-71 lead into the fourth quarter. Joventut extended its surge into the fourth quarter, with Andrews hitting another three, then picking up a steal and setting up Feliz for an easy fastbreak layup and 64-78 lead. With control of the defensive glass, Joventut was keeping the margin intact, and a pair of close-range baskets from Tomic, both set up by Feliz, made it 70-86 as Joventut eased to victory.

The visitors rallied in the second half for a fourth straight victory while the hosts lost their fourth in a row.

- Dusan Alimpijevic, Head Coach of BESIKTAS EMLAKJET ISTANBUL has been sanctioned with a fine of €2,000 for the lack of respect towards the members of the officiating crew on occasion of its away game against Promotey Slobozhanske under Article 27.2.b) and c) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code

Euroleague Basketball has announced the following disciplinary sanction pertaining to incidents that occurred in Round 11 of the BKT EuroCup regular season.

Round 11 disciplinary sanction

With its season definitely needing a boost, Lietkabelis found on in the return from injury of a veteran guard.

Return of Valinskas boosted Lietkabelis to key win

Around the midway stage of the third quarter [as 7bet Lietkabelis Panevezys hosted ratiopharm Ulm on Tuesday night](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys-ratiopharm-ulm/U2023/119/), it looked likely that the German champ was poised to surge to a resounding victory. 

A superb start to the third quarter from [Karim Jallow](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/karim-jallow/005422/) had seen Ulm establish a 49-57 lead, the biggest of the night. Lietkabelis had fragile confidence after losing three games in a row, whereas Ulm was flying high after winning four of five, including the previous week over previously unbeaten Gran Canaria. The handwriting appeared to be on the wall for the home team. 

But then Ulm playmaker [Juan Nunez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/juan-nunez/010106/) – who had dazzled until then by dishing 8 assists in 17 minutes – complained a little too long about a refereeing call, earning technical foul...and then complained again to receive another, meaning that he was ejected. All of a sudden, Ulm was without its main orchestrator. 

That moment knocked Ulm off its stride, presenting Lietkabelis with an opening that the Lithuanian team eagerly took to launch a comeback that ultimately resulted in a thrilling 94-90 victory, reigniting the playoffs ambitions of head coach Nenad Canak's team. 

The catalyst for the turnaround was three-point shooting, with Lietkabelis converting 13 of its 24 attempts from beyond the arc (54.2%), including a pair shortly after Nunez's ejection and 4 more in the first 4:14 of the final period to open up an 82-72 advantage that eventually proved enough to secure the victory. 

And the most potent Lietkabelis shooter on the night was [Paulius Valinskas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/paulius-valinskas/004664/), who was returning to action after a month-long absence through injury and exceeded any reasonable expectations by scoring 24 points. What's more, his crucial consecutive scores in the latter stages protected the lead as Ulm attempted a comeback. 

Paulius Valinskas (24 points) Highlights vs. ratiopharm Ulm, 12/19/2023

The 28-year-old guard was sharp from downtown, converting 4 of his 6 three-point attempts, while also adding 3 of his 4 two-pointers and 6 of 8 free throws. Valinskas was also his team's main orchestrator, dishing 10 assists, and he contributed on defense with a pair of steals. 

Perhaps most impressively, he spent more than 33 minutes on the floor – more than any other player – despite coming back after an extended spell on the sidelines. And that was partly out of necessity, because another key player, swingman Martynas Varnas, went down with injury after just 6 minutes on the floor to leave head Coach Canak with eight senior players to call upon. 

After the game Valinskas said he was happy to be back to such great effect, telling EuroLeagueTV: "I didn't play for five weeks. I missed basketball. I only had a couple of practices, but we have a short rotation, so I needed to step up. I'm happy that we won today and I played a really good game."

He also admitted that the win was much-needed for a team that had been lacking in confidence but is still right in the playoffs race.

"We had a five-game losing streak \[three in the EuroCup, two domestically\] so we talked before the game that we needed to believe in each other and bounce back," Valinskas said. "We had an amazing crowd today and they helped us, so we're really happy with the win.” 

Lietkabelis will be very happy to have him back, too. The former Zalgiris Kaunas player has now averaged 13.5 points in his six appearances this season, converting 8 of his last 11 three-pointers. And if he can stay fit for the remainder of the regular season, his team's chances of advancing deeper into the competition look a lot better.

The defending BKT EuroCup champs fell at Gran Canaria Arena for the first time since April 2022, ending a 19-game home-court winning streak.

Jaka Lakovic hopes Gran Canaria can learn from 'deserved' loss

Dreamland Gran Canaria had a chance to clinch a spot in the playoffs and bounce back from its first loss of the season. Instead, the reigning BKT EuroCup champion suffered [a blowout 76-98 loss at home](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/dreamland-gran-canaria-dolomiti-energia-trento/U2023/120/) to struggling Dolomiti Energia Trento. And head coach Jaka Lakovic is left hoping his team can learn from the defeat.

A Gran Canaria victory coupled with a loss for 7bet Lietkabelis Panevezys, Aris Midea Thessaloniki or Buducnost VOLI Podgorica would have locked up a top-six finish for the Spanish side in Group B. All that talk is on pause as Lakovic now must figure out what is happening to a team that started the season with 10 wins in a row and looked like world-beaters, but now is mired in a two-game losing streak.

“It was a very bad game for us, especially defensively. We didn’t have the right mindset. We didn’t play good and we deservedly lost,” Lakovic said after the game.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">📊<a href=https://twitter.com/HiperDino_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>@HiperDino_</a> trae las estadísticas del partido ante Dolomiti Energia Trento <a href=https://t.co/GD4oQxMhRV>pic.twitter.com/GD4oQxMhRV</a></p>&mdash; Dreamland Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href=https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1737237056844161438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset="utf-8"></script>

Gran Canaria scored a new season low in the game, having previously tallied 81 points in a win over Slask Wroclaw in Round 7 - that coming from the fourth-highest scoring offense in the league.

Lakovic not only has seen his team lose two straight games but both of them were downright poor defensively. Even though ratiopharm Ulm collected a 103-99 win last week, Gran Canaria was still ranked second in scoring defense at just 75.3 points per game coming into the Trento game. The average is now up to 77.2 after conceding 201 points in the last two games.

And it was against a Trento offense that had only produced 75.0 points per game in a recent five-game stretch in which it lost four games.

Gran Canaria seek to restore winning-ways and possibly book their ticket to the playoffs too after seeing their perfect start ended with defeat at Ulm, whilst Trento has slipped down the standings after losing four of its last five European encounters and hope for an improvement in attack from Andrejs Grazulis.

Dreamland Gran Canaria-Dolomiti Energia Trento | Round 12 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

Gran Canaria came out of the gates hot offensively, scoring 31 points in the first 10 minutes. But Lakovic saw his team tally only 45 points the rest of the way.

“Even though the first quarter ended in our favor I thought we came into the game without the right mentality, and we paid the price. It was a big price,” the coach said.

In addition to the defensive and offensive issues, the coach also must look at his team and wonder where the response was. The largest deficit Gran Canaria had faced all season was 9 points against Turk Telekom Ankara in Round 6.

Trento built a 10-point lead in the second quarter and then delivered a knockout punch in the third stanza as the visitors led by 20 points after 30 minutes. And the fourth quarter was never even close.

“I think Trento was better from the beginning until the end, more aggressive, more desire to play and win. And they totally deserved to win. I hope this is a very good lesson for us,” Lakovic said.

A lesson that Gran Canaria can use later this season in the playoffs - assuming the team doesn’t entirely collapse and makes the post-season.

The defending EuroCup champs fell at Gran Canaria Arena for the first time since April 2022, ending a 19-game home-court winning streak.

Lakovic hopes Gran Canaria can learn from 'deserved' loss

It was a rollercoaster ride, but Minicidelice JL Bourg en Bresse finished on top with an 89-98 road win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca on Tuesday night.

Historic start catapulted Bourg to 10th win

Even though Bourg eventually needed to fight off a big comeback by the hosts, it was a massive first quarter in which Bourg set several club records and flirted with a competition record that paved the way to victory.

Bourg scored 37 first-quarter points, setting a club scoring record for the first quarter, which is also the third-highest scoring first quarter in EuroCup history. Bourg was 8-of-11 on two-pointers and 5-of-8 on threes in the opening 10 minutes. It was such dominance that Bourg still managed to pull down 5 offensive rebounds.

Isiaha Mike and Jequan Lewis combined for 27 points in the first quarter and it resulted in a 20-point lead after 10 minutes, which turned out to be another club record as the highest margin Bourg ever built in the first quarter of a EuroCup game.

Bourg dominated until midway through the third quarter when it led 40-67 before Cluj mounted a comeback that got the hosts within 78-83, but never closer.

"That's a team with that kind of an identity, they'll never give up", Mike complimented Cluj. "We knew that at some point they will give us their best shot, but we weathered the storm."

Weather the storm they did, registering their sixth straight win and improving to 10-2, tied for the best in Group B with Dreamland Gran Canaria, which Bourg hosts next week. It turned out that a historic first quarter has put Bourg in control of the group.

More Bourg News

Dolomiti Energia Trento shocked Dreamland Gran Canaria, the reigning BKT EuroCup champion, 76-98 for an important win in the fight for the playoffs.

Trento fight and desire provided ‘good night’ against Gran Canaria 

Dolomiti Energia Trento came into its game at Dreamland Gran Canaria in poor form. Maybe it was the island feeling that changed its fortunes, but the Italian club shocked the reigning BKT EuroCup champion 76-98 for an important win in the fight for the playoffs.

Trento had suffered an 86-78 loss at Treviso Basket in the Italian League over the weekend after losing at Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in the EuroCup for its fourth defeat in the last five games.

### A side transformed

Then came the inspiring fight Paolo Galbiati’s team showed against Gran Canaria.

“We competed and fought all night long. That was the key,” said Galbiati afterward. “We were very solid on defense and we shared the ball on offense. We had some very good performances, but everybody did their part.”

“Winning is always good. We had some problems in the previous weeks, so it was a good feeling to win again. We played a great game. I am more happy about the way we played than anything else,” added Andrejs Grazulis, who led the way with 23 points.

The team’s effort, energy and desire on defense really made the difference. Trento had given up an average of 90 points in its last four EuroCup losses while it won its only game in the last five 69-67. And Gran Canaria was ranked fourth in scoring at 90.5 points while leading the competition in assists at 23.6 per game and two-point shooting at 60.7%. It was fifth in three-pointers at 38.0%, too.

Gran Canaria scored a season-low 76 points while shooting 51.2% on two-pointers and 26.1% on three-pointers, in addition to dishing out 20 assists.

Perhaps even more surprising was Trento scoring 98 points, given that it had averaged only 78.9 points per game for the 15th-ranked team in scoring and was the second-worst three-point shooting team at 30.9%.

In addition, Gran Canaria was the second stingiest defense in the league, giving up just 75.3 points per game – and the Spanish side ranked second in three-point defense at just 31.7%. For the game, Trento nailed 12-of-28 triples for 42.9%.

Trento was very balanced with five players scoring in double figures and the team dished out 23 assists.

“The most important number for me was 23 assists. It was a good night for us,” Galbiati said.

A night for Trento to remember, that’s for sure.

Myles Stephens of Dolomiti Energia Trento in action against Dreamland Gran Canaria in Round 12 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Paolo Galbiati’s team downed the reigning EuroCup champion, despite the odds.