Here are the leaders in the main statistical categories for Round 5 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season. 

Round 5, individual highs: Juan Nunez of Ulm, 7 steals

[Points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=score)

Andrew Andrews of Joventut Badalona led all scorers in Round 5 with 33 points in his team's 108-76 home win against Veolia Towers Hamburg.

[Rebounds](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=totalRebounds)

Two players tied for the most rebounds in the round; Amadou Sow of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana pulled down 13 boards in a 78-86 losing effort against Wolves Vilnius and he was matched by Kyle Alexander of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv in a road win at London Lions. 

[Assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=assistances)

Klemen Prepelic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and Jordan Taylor of London both dished 8 assists in Round 5.

[Steals](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=steals)

Juan Nuñez of ratiopharm ulm collected 7 steals in his team's 108-103 overtime victory against Slask Wroclaw. It was the best mark this season and the most since Codi Miller-Mcintyre of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade had 7 steals against UNICS Kazan on October 14, 2020.

[Blocks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=blocksFavour)

Karlo Matkovic of Cedevita, Tre'Shawn Thurman of Wolves and Kyle Alexander of Hapoel each had 3 blocks in Round 5.

[Double-doubles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=miscellaneous&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=doubleDoubles)

Five players collected double-doubles in Round 5: Sow (13 points, 13 rebounds), Trevion Williams of Ulm (16 points, 11 rebounds), Leon Kratzer of Paris Basketball (12 points, 11 rebounds), Steven Enoch of Turk Telekom (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Donte Grantham (12 points, 12 rebounds) of London. 

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2023-10-25T16:00:00.000Z)

Slask Wroclaw v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2023-10-25T18:00:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom Ankara v ratiopharm Ulm (2023-10-25T17:00:00.000Z)

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2023-10-25T16:00:00.000Z)

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2023-10-25T19:00:00.000Z)

London Lions v Paris Basketball (2023-10-24T18:30:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2023-10-24T17:30:00.000Z)

Umana Reyer Venice v Joventut Badalona (2023-10-24T18:00:00.000Z)

Wolves Vilnius v Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul (2023-10-24T16:00:00.000Z)

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Prometey Slobozhanske (2023-10-25T16:30:00.000Z)

Tomer Ginat and Xavier Munford combined for 48 points, almost a half of Hapoel total score, to help their team win in London.

Ginat, Munford took turns lifting Hapoel past London

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv exited the Copperbox Arena with a smile on its face on Thursday [after defeating host London Lions 90-98](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/london-lions-hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/U2023/42/) to remain unbeaten with four wins in as many games in the BKT EuroCup regular season.

The visitors set the foundations of their fourth victory in the first half, reached halftime leading 39-51, and confirmed the outcome soon after the break, amassing a 22-point difference that London never jeopardized despite of several comeback attempts.

One key contributor to that dominance was forward [Tomer Ginat](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tomer-ginat/010550/), who finished the first half with an astonishing stat line of 20 points and 6 rebounds, going 9-for-10 from the field for a PIR of 27.

The Israeli forward had an impressive start to both of the first two quarters. He went 4-for-4 on two-pointers following the opening tip to grant Hapoel a 10-13 edge than ended up reaching 21-30 after 10 minutes. And he kept rocking early in the second, downing Hapoel's first 8 points for the first double-digit lead of the night, 28-38. He scored again a few moments before intermission, helping the visitors reach the locker room in full control.

Tomer Ginat, Xavier Munford (24 points) Highlights vs. London Lions, 11/02/2023

Even though Ginat did not contribute in the second half as much as he did in the first – he finished with season highs of 24 points and 28 PIR – his performance opened the door for others to shine.

One of those were [Xavier Munford](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/xavier-munford/007759/), who took over when Ginat rested. Munford was the perfect foil for Ginat early in the game. He countered London's rally attempts by scoring the final points in both the first and second quarter to finish with 12 for the first half.

In the second, Munford opened fire with a three-pointer to spark a 0-10 run that he capped with another triple to grant Hapoel a 22-point lead, 39-61, that put London to the ropes. He would score two more shots from deep later to cool any hopes the hosts had of a late comeback.

By game's end, Munford had matched Ginat's 24 points, shooting 6-for-10 from long distance while adding 4 rebounds and 4 assist for a PIR of 20. With half of his points having come in the first 11 minutes after halftime, Munford basically took over where Ginat left off for a tag-team performance that was just too much for London.

London Lions v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2023-11-02T19:30:00.000Z)

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 2 winner

Congratulations to Simone Fabris, the Round 5 winner in [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home)! Simone's team Beat lapina posted a score of 236.6.

The team featured the following lineup: team captain Andrew Andrews of Joventut Badalona, Trevion Williams of ratiopharm Ulm, Andrejs Grazulis of Dolomiti Energia Trento, Karlo Matkovic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and Jalen Adams of Turk Telekom Ankara; Nico Brussino of Dreamland Gran Canaria as sixth man; Arturs Zagars of Wolves Vilnius; Atakan Bicer of Turk Telekom; LJ Figueroa of Ulm and Dylan Bordon of Gran Canaria as bench players; and Fred Fauthoux of Bourg as head coach.

His prize for finishing first in Round 5 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2023-24 season!

The overall leader after three rounds is Gokhan Turan, whose Primavera team is ahead of everyone with 974.00 fantasy points.

Trades are now open for Round 6. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home) next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 5 winner

Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. dominated on offense as it defeated the London Lions 90-98 in Round 6 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Hapoel Tel Aviv relied on smooth offense to prevail against London Lions

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv visited the London Lions on Thursday night in what was expected to be a battle between two of the best teams in the BKT EuroCup so far this season. Before this game, Hapoel was undefeated in Group A with a 3-0 record, averaging a team PIR of 131.7, which put it in a position to shatter all existing records in the competition.

That out-of-this-world mark was based on a terrific offensive performance. Hapoel was averaging 102.7 points per game, plus dishing 26 assists and going for 61.1% on two-pointers, 50% from downtown and 70.3% from the line.

London Lions-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 5 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

### A forceful showing by Hapoel

Against London, Hapoel lived up to expectations, nearing a triple-digit score [in a 90-98 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/hapoel-tel-aviv-holds-off-london-lions-to-remain-perfect-90-98/) and dominating all the offensive stats of the contest.

Hapoel finished with 98 points thanks to a solid 23-of-40 from two-point range and an accurate 11-0f-23 from behind the arc, while it also netting 19 free-throws from 25 attempts (76%). And not only that, it finished with 27 assists, coming from seven different players.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">(גם) זה בשבילכם!<br><br>הפועל מנצחת את לונדון ליונס ושומרת על מאזן מושלם ביורוקאפ.<br><br>בתקווה לימים שקטים ובטוחים יותר, שמרו על עצמכם❤️ <a href="https://t.co/TZJjeEiU6w">pic.twitter.com/TZJjeEiU6w</a></p>&mdash; Hapoel Tel Aviv BC (@HapoelTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/HapoelTLVBC/status/1720195870975516839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The passing game performed by Hapoel was again one of the keys to the victory, a trademark that helped it stick to the plan, despite some last-time changes.

“The game itself was super competitive as we could expect. We planned for \[Sam\] Dekker to play, for Josh Sharma maybe coming back,” recognized Hapoel head coach Danny Franco in the post-game press conference.

“So a lot of things we prepared and got ready for were not used in the game, so we had to find our way and build up our game. We aligned to what we can do as a team, like being a team that shares the basketball, we got a lot of assists – we are leading the competition – and we tried to control the pace of the game as much as possible.”

Next up for Hapoel is a clash against the only other unbeaten team in Group A, Paris Basketball. It should be a fantastic game in the French capital, and Hapoel’s showing in London should cause a few headaches for Paris’s coaching staff.

More Hapoel News

J'Covan Brown of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv shoots over Conor Morgan of the London Lions in their Round 5 matchup in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The visitors put on a show in front of a limited crowd at Copper Box Arena.

Hapoel relied on smooth offense to prevail against London

Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. improved to 4-0 after beating the London Lions 90-98 in Round 5 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Hapoel Tel Aviv holds off London Lions to remain perfect, 90-98

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv closed Round 5 in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season with a convincing 90-98 road win over the London Lions at Copper Box Arena on Thursday night. The visitors used a 0-9 run in the first period to take the lead, and another 0-10 spark right after the intermission to amass a 22-point advantage, 39-61, that the hosts could never recover from.

Hapoel, which improved its record to 4-0, was led by Tomer Ginat, who scored 24 points, including 20 in the first half. He had 8 rebounds, too. Xavier Munford followed with the same number of points, 24, after draining 6 three-pointers, while Braian Angola and Jaylen Hoard netted 16 points apiece, J’Covan Brown chipped in 14 and Kyle Alexander contributed 13 boards. Matthew Morgan tallied 24 points to pace London, which slipped to 3-2. Connor Morgan scored 18, Gabe Olaseni 12 and Donte Grantham posted a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double in the losing effort.

Game News

### Ginat set the tone for Hapoel

Even though the hosts showed great accuracy from deep in the early going, with Mo Soluade and Grantham sinking consecutive threes, Hapoel managed to build a 10-13 edge thanks to the superb contribution of Ginat, who provided 8 points to that lead without missing a shot. Olaseni put London ahead soon after, 14-13, but back-to-back treys by Angola and Munford quickly returned the advantage to the guests, 14-19. The run continued, as Ginat kept rocking inside and Alexander and Munford scored from the line to make it 16-25. London stopped that streak with a timeout that, although it didn’t reduce the margin, allowed the hosts to avoid a deeper hole at the end of the first period, 21-30.

### London fought to stay into the game

Ginat made it a double-digit lead early in the second, 23-33, but the home team reacted in style through Nelson and Morgan, who combined to bring London within 28-33 after 13 minutes. The rally was stopped by Ginat, who scored Hapoel’s first 8 points in the quarter to restore a 28-38 margin, right after London head coach Petar Bozic was called for a technical foul. Angola then took over, scoring 5 points in a row to establish a 28-43 gap, pushing London to call for an urgent timeout. Taylor came to the rescue after it, providing some energy on both ends that reanimated his team and reduced the margin to 37-47. A late bucket by Munford closed the first half with Hapoel 12 points ahead, 39-51.

Game Videos

### A strong start allowed Hapoel to escape

The visitors started strong after the break, as they sparked a 0-10 run with a Munford triple before Angola later added another bomb of his own, good for a 39-61 margin. Conor Morgan dressed as London’s superhero and showed up to score 7 straight points and then dished Grantham for a triple that got the hosts within 49-61 midway through the third period. Brown cooled it down with 5 points in a row, and even though Matt Morgan stepped up to lead London’s offense, Hapoel recovered again a good scoring momentum thanks to Hoard, who helped the visitors take distance again, 59-77, at the end of the third period.

### London fell short, Hapoel celebrated

Munford made the wounds get worse for the home side, 59-80, with his sixth trey of the night. London tried to fight back and locked in its defense to slow down Hapoel’s attack. As such, the hosts gave up just 5 points in a 4-minute span to get closer, 75-86, with 5 minutes to go. Conor Morgan made it a single-digit deficit right after a TV timeout, 77-86, but Brown came the rescue with a deep three to keep Hapoel calm, 77-89, with 2 minutes remaining. Morgan gave the hosts hope with a dunk to made it a 10-point deficit, right before a bunch of technical fouls were called on himself, Angola and Brown, who was fouled out. That didn’t disturb Hapoel, which first found Hoard to convert a couple of free throws and then Angola to cap a fastbreak with a slam that extended the margin to 79-93 entering the last minute, which ultimately sealed the outcome.

Bar Timor of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv has possession up against the London Lions in Round 5 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The Israeli side remains one of just three sides in the BKT EuroCup with a 100% record.

Hapoel holds off London to remain perfect, 90-98

When Hapoel Tel Aviv and London Lions finish up Round 5 in the BKT EuroCup on Thursday, fans can expect a lot of fun offensive exploits.

Hapoel, London stand ready to fill the baskets

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv visits London Lions on Thursday in what is a battle between two of the best teams in the BKT EuroCup so far this season. [Their only previous game in London was a 93-95 thriller won by Hapoel last season.](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/london-lions-hapoel-vegan-friendly-tel-aviv/U2022/97/#boxscore)

### Hapoel: Trying to make history

Hapoel remains undefeated in Group A with a 3-0 record, averaging a team PIR of 131.7. It is on track to shatter all existing records in the competition.

The best team PIR average for a full season belongs to ratiopharm Ulm, which averaged 111.6 in the 2022-23 campaign, which broke a record that stood for 15 years. Joventut Badalona averaged a team PIR of 108.5 in the 2007-08 season, getting a 16-1 record and lifting the trophy at the end of the season.

Last season, Hapoel had the fourth-highest team PIR average in competition history, 106.4, and had the second-best mark ever in a single game, 161, in a 108-69 home victory against Promitheas Patras. Joventut holds the all-time record with a PIR of 173 against Guildford Heat on December 18, 2007.

Xavier Munford, Tomer Ginat and Jaylen Hoard have been on fire until now.

Hapoel's core players keep delivering

From last season, Hapoel kept a core of players led by Jaylen Hoard, Xavier Munford and Tomer Ginat. All of them rank among the top 15 in PIR this season. Hoard leads the standings (25.3), Munford is tied for fifth place (21.7) and Ginat is 12th (19.7). Another Hapoel player, Braian Angola, ranks 10th at 20.3.

Hapoel leads all EuroCup teams in points (102.7) and assists (26.0), both on track for all-time records. Avtodor Saratov had the best-ever EuroCup scoring season (92.4 ppg.) in the 2015-16 campaign. Virtus Bologna holds the assists record, averaging 23.4 in the 2020-21 season.

### London: Better than ever

If there is a team that can match Hapoel's offensive power, that may be London, which has dramatically improved all of its numbers from one season to the next.

Indeed, London ranks third in scoring in the EuroCup at 94.3 points per night, almost 14 more than last season (80.6). It is also third in assists (21.5) and PIR (115.3), which is also in track for that all-time record. After a 76-69 home victory against Umana Reyer Venice in Round 1, London has scored 99 points or better in the last three games.

Star forward Sam Dekker missed a couple of games but returned to average 18.0 points and 7.5 rebounds. Newcomer Matt Morgan is living up to his super scoring reputation, getting 21 points or more in each of his last three games.

Donte Grantham, Matt Morgan, Sam Dekker, Conor Morgan, Tarik Phillip and Gabe Olaseni are averaging more than 10.0 points for London so far this season.

London: six double-digit scorers

London's diversified offense has made the team more successful. Four other players are averaging double digits in scoring: Donte Grantham (15.0), Gabe Olaseni (13.2), Conor Morgan (12.0) and Tarik Phillip (11.2).

If both teams can live up to what they have done so far, those who enjoy high-scoring basketball games should be in for a special treat. It should be interesting to see if Hapoel can keep that place, but also if London can hold on to those outstanding numbers in front of one of the visitors.

Tune in for a really fun-to-watch game in the British capital on Thursday night!

Sam Dekker scores for the London Lions in its Round 11 clash against Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv in the 2022-23 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Tested by visiting Slask Wroclaw until overtime on its home floor, ratiopharm Ulm not only prevailed but set a new BKT EuroCup record.

Ulm's 35 assists set new EuroCup record in OT thriller

It was far from easy and it required a big-time comeback in the fourth quarter, but ratiopharm Ulm kept its playoffs challenge on track with [a 108-103 overtime victory against winless Slask Wroclaw](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/ratiopharm-ulm-slask-wroclaw/U2023/48/) on Wednesday night – and set a new competition record by dishing 35 assists in the process. 

The German champ might have expected a fairly straightforward game against the Polish team. After all, Slask had lost its first four games of the season, with three of those coming by double-digit margins. Slask also had the further handicap of traveling with an injury-hit roster that was effectively reduced to just nine players.

But any expectations of a comfortable home win were soon dashed when Slask went toe to toe with Ulm from the opening tip, keeping a back-and-forth game within a single possession for most of the first half. Even more surprisingly, the visiting team exploded in the third quarter with a 4-19 run, moving to a double digit lead – 64-77 – with just 10 minutes remaining. 

Against all the odds, Ulm was in a hole...but the German champs responded by doing what they does best: fast-paced offense and sharing the ball. 

ratiopharm Ulm Top Assists vs. Slask Wroclaw, 11/01/2023

ratiopharm Ulm's top assists vs Slask Wroclaw

A remarkable 15-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter turned the scoreboard around, and it looked as though the game was over when Thomas Klepeisz and Georginho De Paula combined for a thrilling alley-oop at 87-80. But Slask admirably kept on fighting to force overtime, and Ulm had to start all over again – a challenge it answered to perfection by scoring 7 points in the first 90 seconds of the extra period, all coming from Juan Nunez assists.  

When it all finally finished with a 108-103 victory for Ulm, the numbers were impressive – especially in terms of sharing the ball. 

The German champ set a new EuroCup record with 35 assists, one more than both Aykon Ted Ankara Kolejliler and Khimki Moscow Region had back in the 2013-14 season. Ulm's bounty was well distributed among the team, too. Trevion Williams and Klepeisz both had 7 assists, Nunez and De Paula had 6 each, and six other players also registered assists in a stunning offensive effort. 

Although head coach Anton Gavel – as coaches tend to – reacted to the win by criticizing his team's defense, the offensive fireworks from all directions provided plenty of thrills and spills. With everyone in the Ulm lineup feeling the freedom to create and contribute, this offense takes some stopping. And even when the defense doesn't perform as the coach would like, it also leads to plenty of victories. 

ratiopharm Ulm v Slask Wroclaw (2023-11-01T18:30:00.000Z)

The Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse duo of Earl Rowland and Zaccharie Risacher lit up a fantastic BKT EuroCup contest between old rivals.

Ageless veteran, mature kid carried Bourg past Buducnost to 4-1

[Earl Rowland](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/earl-rowland/000498/), a 40-year old veteran, served up the energy of a teenager. His 18-year old teammate [Zaccharie Risacher](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/zaccharie-risacher/010718/) played with the maturity of a tried and tested stalwart. Together, they inspired Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse [to earn a morale-boosting 78-73 home win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/mincidelice-jl-bourg-en-bresse-buducnost-voli-podgorica/U2023/46/) in Group B of the BKT EuroCup on Wednesday.

It was Bourg's first home win in five meetings with Buducnost, the French team's sole previous victory in the series having come in Podgorica, 73-75, in March 2022. Buducnost had won their other game in the Montenegrin capital, 108-80, while it also came out on top in the previous two games in Bourg, 82-86 and 89-92.

Their latest clash produced everything a basketball fan would want: pace, intensity, a barrage of spectacular dunks, bold perimeter shooting, fastbreak excitement and some ironclad defense.

With Buducnost in the driving seat for most of the first two quarters, Rowland came off the bench to steady the ship for Bourg. His wealth of experience had an immediate effect. The playmaker quickly racked up 7 points, including a buzzer-beating triple that cut Buducnost's lead to 38-43 at halftime. 

That shot carried the momentum to Bourg's side in the third quarter, with Risacher at the heart of what became a 20-4 run, sinking a flurry of three-pointers that put Bourg in the lead for good at 55-47.

Zaccharie Risacher, Earl Rowland (21 points) Highlights vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, 11/01/2023

Zaccharie Risacher and Earl Rowland's highlights vs Buducnost

Fittingly, it was Rowland who propelled Bourg to its biggest lead of the night (59-50) with a four-point play, as he drew a foul while nailing a three-pointer off the glass. Then, in the closing stages, Risacher nailed 5 points in a row to give Bourg an unassailable 76-69 lead and force Buducnost into submission. 

Few teams boast of such an age spectrum and even fewer are able to rely on the oldest and youngest player on the roster to deliver with such aplomb against top quality opposition. That's exactly what Rowland and Risacher did against Buducnost, and the latter showed in his post-game comments that his feet were firmly on the ground after he registered a personal best of 21 points at the senior level.

"I felt great out there," Risacher, who made 5 of his 6 three-point tries, said at courtside. "We had a tough first half but we stayed together and that's why I was able to make my shots. I am just glad to be a part of this team."

Rowland stressed that the victory left something to be desired. 

"The games are only going to get tougher so we have to stay focused. We need to get better," he said. "We won the game and fought it out, but we could have played so much better."

Buducnost coach Petar Mijovic conceded that Bourg's Risacher-driven third quarter onslaught had cost his team a win. 

"We dominated the first half but the opening six minutes of the third quarter were decisive, as we faltered at both ends of the court," Mijovic told the post-game press conference. "We didn't stop their quick transition which led to plenty of open shots, while we also failed to create any good looks on offense."

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2023-11-01T18:30:00.000Z)

Undermanned and on the road, Slask Wroclaw could have succumbed to low expectations, but instead showed its pride from the opening tip though overtime.

Pride despite defeat for battling Slask

Going on the road to face the German champion with several key players missing through injury, few people would have given Slask Wroclaw a chance of even seriously competing against ratriopharm Ulm on Wednesday night, never mind winning. 

But in the end the Polish team competed superbly to force overtime before eventually succumbing, exhausted, to a 108-103 loss in a game which could easily have fallen either way. 

And although Slask now sits at the foot of the standings with a deeply undeserved 0-5 record, having set a new EuroCup record for the most consecutive defeats on the road (25), there is still cause for pride and optimism. 

### Strong start signaled Slask's intentions

Right from the opening few possessions, when Hassani Gravett scored three early baskets in a fast-paced start and Lukasz Kolenda added two more, it was clear that Slask had not turned up to Germany simply to go through the motions. 

Indeed, by the end of the third quarter,  after Slask launched a 4-19 run inspired by Kolenda and Dusan Miletic to take a 64-77 lead, it had seemed that a famous and improbable away win was in the cards.

ratiopharm Ulm-Slask Wroclaw | Round 5 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

That outcome did not eventually transpire as Ulm defended its home court – but not without a major fight. Even in the last few seconds of regulation when Slask trailed by 3, Kolenda made one free throw, deliberately missed the second and Art Parakhouski was fouled on the rebound to convert a couple of foul shots and force overtime. 

### Extra time proved too much

In that additional period it was clear that Slask was exhausted, playing effectively with nine men as key players Jawun Evans, Jakub Niziol and Daniel Golebiowski sat out through injury. But still the visiting team did not give up and took the contest right until the final seconds before – as expected, but not at all in an expected manner – Ulm took the win. 

So it was with plenty of justification that Slask coach Oliver Vidin praised his players after the game, saying: 

"We played a good game, we controlled the pace as much as possible. We have some problems but the guys gave a lot of effort. Ulm got momentum and made some tough shots, especially in transition. Both teams were close, and it was a very interesting game for the fans. For sure we have a lot of space to improve, and from game to game we'll be better and better."

If Vidin's team keeps playing like in Ulm, it won't be long before victories start to arrive. 