Gran Canaria strolls to 84-76 home win over Bourg

Reigning BKT EuroCup champion Dreamland Gran Canaria breezed to an 84-76 home win over Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in a Group B clash, which occasionally lived up to expectations but served up preciously little fireworks in the second half.

Ben Lammers paced Gran Canaria with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Pierre Pelos added 12 points and 6 rebounds against his former club, while Miquel Salvo and Andrew Albicy chipped in with 11 each. At the other end, Jeremy Morgan led Bourg with 13 points. Earl Rowland netted 12, while Zaccharie Risacher and Isiah Mike scored 11 apiece.

"We played well for 30 minutes, the fourth quarter was a bit more difficult and we need to be consistent for the full 40 minutes," Pelosi, who joined Gran Canaria from Bourg during the close season, said after the game. "I am proud of my teammates as I really wanted to win this game."

The home team’s head coach Jaka Lakovic added: "We played solid for less than three quarters and then we made the game interesting because we started committing turnovers. We'll take the win, but we can't be happy with our second-half performance."

Game News

Bourg took an early 8-13 lead but that was as good as it got for the French side, as Gran Canaria moved two gears up and led 56-41 at halftime on the back of its trademark fast-flowing offense.

The unstoppable Lammers scored 13 first-half points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field, with the hosts netting 17 of 23 shots from two-point territory.

Game Videos

A rout was on the cards when Granca raced away into a 69-46 lead late in the third quarter but the home team then took its foot off the gas and Bourg duly took advantage, slashing the deficit to 13 points with a 10-0 run ahead of the final 10 minutes.

Gran Canaria again found some momentum early in the fourth and pulled away to 75-58 and then went through the motions for the remainder of the contest. The visitors slashed the deficit to 82-76 in the final minute before Andrew Albicy sealed Granca's win with a pair of free throws 38 seconds before the final buzzer.

The EuroCup holders prevailed despite a slow start and finish, taking their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter.

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

Aris B.C. limited Slask Wroclaw to just 21 second-half points en route to a 63-80 win in Round 4 of the 2023-24 EuroCup Regular Season.

Second-half defensive hustle was the key to Aris’s win at Slask

Aris Midea Thessaloniki took a 42-43 lead into the halftime break at Hala Orbita, but head coach Ioannis Kastritis was anything but pleased by his team’s performance on defense.

At halftime against Slask Wroclaw, Kastritis asked his players to be more aggressive, suggesting they should avoid allowing the hosts to get easy baskets and open looks. This is exactly what Aris did after the interval to [secure a 63-80 win,](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/aris-bc-beats-slask-to-record-first-road-win-63-80/) its second straight triumph and its first on the road, on Wednesday night.

The guests were in control of the game in the first quarter, but they allowed Slask to score 26 points in the second. However, everything changed after halftime, as Aris players did exactly what they were asked to do on the defensive end and delivered a solid display on the court.

“We just had to follow the game plan,” Roberto Gallinat, Aris’s top scorer, said afterward. “We wanted to keep them under 70 \[points\] and they got 63 so I feel that we did a good job, but we still have to improve in some areas.”

Slask Wroclaw-Aris Midea Thessaloniki | Round 4 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

### Going up another level on defense

Aris gave up just 21 points throughout the second half. In fact, Slask scored just 2 points in the first 5 minutes of the third quarter, netting its first points from the field with 4:48 left on the clock. In total, Slask scored 10 points in the third quarter, one fewer than its scoring tally in the fourth.

“I think that we can be very satisfied with our second half,” Coach Kastritis commented. “On defense, we allowed only 21 points in the second half. So, we played to our standards. We played the way we wanted to play according to our philosophy. I can only give many congratulations to our players for their effort on both ends \[of the floor\].”

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### Kind words and capitalizing on turnovers

Aris secured a double-digit lead for the first time just a few seconds into the final quarter; from there, it never looked back. In the post-game press conference, Slask head coach Oliver Vidin was full of praise for Aris’s hustle on defense.

“Congratulations to the opponent,” Vidin noted. “They deserved the win \[because of\] the great defense they played against us. They had 13 steals and we had a lot of turnovers.”

In fact, 25 of Aris’s 80 points came off turnovers made by the hosts. After holding Turk Telekom Ankara to 66 points at home last week, the Greek side pulled off another solid defensive outing, which it capitalized on to secure its second win in a row.

Aris arrived at Hala Orbita as the team with the worst offense in the BKT EuroCup through the first three games of the season (just 69.3 points scored), but it has proved that its defense could cause headaches for any opponent this season. Perhaps its performance at Slask should serve as a warning to the other teams in Group B.

More Aris News

Roberto Gallinat of Aris Midea Thessaloni guards Lukasz Kolenda of Slask Wroclaw during the two teams' Round 4 matchup in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The hosts were held to just 21 second-half points thanks to the Greek side's impressive play on defense.

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

Aris B.C. improved to 2-2 in the 2023-24 EuroCup Regular Season after beating Slask Wroclaw 63-80 on the road.

Aris B.C. beats Slask to record first road win, 63-80

Aris Midea Thessaloniki grabbed its first road win of the season by beating Slask Wroclaw 63-80 at Hala Orbita on Wednesday night. It was a see-saw contest in the first half, but Aris tightened its defense after the break to secure its second win in a row. The visitors improved to 2-2 and Slask dropped to 0-4.

Roberto Gallinat paced Aris with 23 points and 9 drawn fouls. Marcus Carr had 18 points and Ronnie Harrell added 10. Hassani Gravett and Artsiom Parakhouski scored 11 points each for the hosts, while Dusan Miletic recorded 10 points.

Gallinat started strong, sinking a long two-pointer before knocking down a triple for a 3-5 Aris lead. The visitors were in control of the game in the opening stages, with Silvio De Sousa dominating in the paint. The Aris center had 6 points from three dunks in the first 5 minutes of the duel, while Gallinat scored 8 of his team’s first 14 points. Carr came off the bench to score 4 straight points, but Mateusz Zebski went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe to bring Slask within 16-20.

Aris took a 16-22 cushion into the second quarter, but Jakub Niziol and Gravett scored back-to-back triples to tie the game and force Aris head coach Ioannis Kastritis to call a timeout. An exchange of blows followed, with Miletic scoring his first points of the game before Carr took his tally to 13 points for a 28-29 Aris edge. Gravett and Miletic netted a basket each to put Slask ahead 35-31, but Aris bounced back with Harrell sinking one from the corner and Toliopoulos scoring his first point of the night from the line for a narrow 42-43 lead heading into halftime.

Aris started strong on defense in the second half, forcing Slask to score just 2 points – both from the line – in over 5 minutes of play. Eleftherios Bochoridis drilled one from the corner for a 44-51 lead and Slask’s first points from the field in the third quarter came with 4:48 minutes left on the clock through Parakhouski. Gallinat made 4-of-4 free throws to take his tally to 20 points, Dimitris Katsivelis converted another 2 and Ismael Sanogo scored a layup on the break, as Aris took a 52-61 into the last quarter.

Carr scored Aris’s first basket of the fourth quarter, with the visitors grabbing a double-digit lead for the first time in the game, 52-63. Gallinat and Harrell drilled a triple each to make it 57-71 with 5:29 remaining. Slask failed to bounce back in the closing stages, despite Aris missing several three-pointers at the other end, as the guests sealed the victory after a very strong defensive display in the second half.

Silvio De Sousa dunks the ball during Aris Midea Thessaloniki's win at Slask Wroclaw in Round 4 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The Greek side has now recorded back-to-back victories in this season's BKT EuroCup.

Aris beats Slask to record first road win, 63-80

Georginho de Paula is going from strength to strength for ratiopharm Ulm, with the Brazilian playmaker playing a leading role in the team's EuroCup win against Turk Telekom B.K. on Wednesday night.

Georginho de Paula is hitting his stride for ratiopharm Ulm

Competing in the 2023 FIBA World Cup with Brazil meant that ratiopharm Ulm’s star summer signing, Georginho de Paula, couldn’t join up with his new teammates until the end of September. However, the 27-year-old playmaker hasn’t taken long to find his rhythm during his first taste of European basketball.

De Paula made a solid contribution to the German champion’s first three games in the BKT EuroCup, averaging 8.7 and 5.0 assists, but Wednesday’s Round 4 trip to Turk Telekom Ankara could well be remembered as the night when he really arrived.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Unser Man of the Match! 💥<br><br>Mit beeindruckenden 25 Punkten, 10 Rebounds und 5 Assists holt sich unser letzter Neuankömmling George mit einer überragenden Leistung ein Double Double! 🤯🧡 <a href="https://t.co/0fZRSTcMzd">pic.twitter.com/0fZRSTcMzd</a></p>&mdash; ratiopharm ulm (@ratiopharmulm) <a href="https://twitter.com/ratiopharmulm/status/1717266803066380709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Setting the game alight in the second quarter

Specifically, his explosion of scoring in the second quarter showed exactly what the point guard is capable of. With Ulm looking to bounce back from a poor first quarter, Georginho set the tone with a three-pointer and proceeded to score a trio of inside scores for a total of 9 points in just over 3 minutes, leading a 2-18 run which turned a 7-point deficit into a 9-point lead. And he still wasn’t done, adding another threeball and a two-point strike for the final basket before the break, giving him a total of 14 points in the quarter.

Early in the second half, De Paula suffered a few tough moments when he committed consecutive sloppy turnovers, allowing Turk Telekom to mount a 6-0 run and threaten a comeback. But Ulm head coach Anton Gavel showed that he has faith in his new signing by keeping him on the floor, and De Paula rediscovered his composure to play a big role in the final quarter, adding 8 more points to ensure his team took a road win.

Georginho de Paula scored 24 points as ratiopharm Ulm defeated Turk Telekom Ankara 78-91 in Round 4 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Georginho de Paula's highlights in Round 4

### His importance is already felt

After finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocked shots for a PIR of 36, it’s understandable that De Paula was very happy with his role in the victory. And the fact that he spent 30:11 minutes on the court, more than any other Ulm player, underlines that he is already a key player.

Indeed, De Paula admitted that he’s now starting to feel at home, saying: “I feel great. I’m feeling like more a part of the team. I got here late so I’m trying to get the chemistry of the team, and right now it feels way more comfortable.”

That chemistry certainly looks to be in place, and so too does Ulm’s challenge for EuroCup glory.

More Ulm News

Georginho de Paula has possession of the ball during ratiopharm Ulm's Round 4 clash against Turk Telekom Ankara in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The Brazilian playmaker impressed during the German side's road victory at Turk Telekom Ankara.

Georginho de Paula is hitting his stride for Ulm

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

Rebounds, turnovers granted Prometey Slobozhanske a much-needed win 

Having lost its last two games and also missing some important players because of injuries, Prometey Slobozhanske arrived at Ljubljana looking for a win that could cheer it up, against a team that was winless after three rounds. It was not easy, but Prometey managed to pull out a hard-fought 83-90 win after coming back from a 10-point deficit in the first half.

The visitors based their victory on two factors that many expected to be crucial in this game; rebounds and turnovers. Cedevita had committed more turnovers than any other team in the league, 18 per game, before this game, while Prometey reached Round 4 leading the competition in rebounding, with 41.3 per game. Both aspects were dominated by the visitors, which proved enough to get the victory.

Cedevita slightly cut down on turnovers, losing ‘only’ 16 offenses, but it did so in a consistent way - 4 per quarter - and allowed Prometey to score 16 oints off of them. On the other side, Olimpija gave up 22 offensive rebounds - 16 in the first half, which Prometey converted into 18 second-chance points.

"I think we have to start from three numbers; the first number is that they had 22 offensive rebounds. They are the best team in rebounding of the EuroCup because of offensive rebounds," Cedevita assistant Andrea Turchetto explained in the press conference. "They averaged like 15 or 16 \[before this game\] and we gave up like 22. It’s too much, especially at the end of the second quarter when we were up by 6-8 points. Second number is our 16 turnovers, honestly, it is a little bit too much, and third is our 25% from the three-point line."

On the opposite side, Prometey head coach Ronen Ginzburg celebrated how his team managed to bounce back by sticking to the plan and to the words he had shared before the tip-off:

"It was a very important win for us, after losing the last two games and two players," he said. "I told them, at the beginning of the game in the locker room, that the team that showed more character and were more aggressive would win this game."

Three stats told the story of Prometey's road win in Ljubljana. 

Boards, turnovers granted Prometey a much-needed win 

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

U-BT Cluj-Napoca beat Buducnost VOLI 89-74 on the back of 13 made three-pointers in Round 4 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Cluj leaned on the threeball against Buducnost to keep its momentum going

If there was one aspect of U-BT Cluj-Napoca’s play that really came to the fore in [its 89-74 triumph against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ubt-cluj-napoca-comfortably-defeats-buducnost-voli-89-74/), it was its three-point shooting. Wednesday night’s hosts lit it up from deep at BT-Arena in Round 4 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season, draining 13 triples, which is the joint second most in the club’s history.

Admittedly, Cluj is only in its second EuroCup season, but it is still impressive nonetheless. The Romanian side previously saw 13 three-pointers fall in an 87-83 win against Frutti Extra Bursaspor in Round 15 of the 2022-23 EuroCup campaign, while its best-ever mark of 16 made three-pointers came in a 98-82 triumph at home to Joventut Badalona in Round 7 last season.

The player who led the way from three-point range for Cluj against Buducnost was Patrick Richard, who drained 4 of his 7 shots from distance. Jarell Eddie made 3-of-11, D.J. Seeley and Adam Mokoka went an efficient 2-for-2, while Bryce Jones shot 1-of-3 and Mareks Mejeris went 1-for-2.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca made 13 three-pointers during its 89-74 win at home to Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in Round 4 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Cluj's 13 made threes vs. Buducnost

### Ball movement was the key

For Richard, Wednesday night’s player of the game, he believes that Cluj’s ball movement is what led to better looks and ultimately a better night from three-point territory.

“We shared the ball better – we drove and kicked to open guys,” Richard stated in his post-game flash interview. “When you get those shots, it gives guys confidence. Even if you miss them, it gives you confidence.

“We did a better job of that. We’re still a work in progress, but this a big win in front of all these great fans inside BT-Arena.”

While he didn’t explicitly touch on Cluj’s success from deep, head coach Mihai Silvasan was also impressed by the way in which his players continue to find each other out on the floor.

“I believe we played very good basketball, especially in the second half. Our second half was very good, also from the defensive point of view,” he commented afterward. “We didn’t allow too many points and offensively, we shared the ball very well – we had 27 assists. We created a lot of good opportunities to score, inside and outside.

“I think that’s really one of our best games this season, probably the best, and we need to move forward to build on this. Our goal is to win as many games as possible, so we can’t stop and celebrate after one victory.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">At home, we are invincible! <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroCup</a> 🙌🤍🖤<br><br>Final <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UBT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UBT</a> 89 - 74 <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKBuducnostVOLI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/eurocup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eurocup</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cluj?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cluj</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/haideU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#haideU</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BKTEuroCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BKTEuroCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/waVVcJejHx">pic.twitter.com/waVVcJejHx</a></p>&mdash; U-BT Cluj-Napoca (@UBTCluj) <a href="https://twitter.com/UBTCluj/status/1717243796641956222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Responding in the best way possible

Coach Silvasan may have a point about not celebrating this win too much, but Cluj is now 3-1 and 2-0 on its home floor, so there is reason for the fans to be excited at least. A 4-point defeat in Round 3 on the road at Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse came as a blow, but responding with a 15-point win over Buducnost was the ideal way to respond.

Next up for Cluj is a trip to face Aris Midea Thessaloniki on the road in Round 5. Should the team grab its fourth win of the season in Greece, the rest of the EuroCup clubs should start to take it seriously. Unfortunately for Buducnost, it had to learn the hard way on Wednesday night.

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Patrick Richard of U-BT Cluj-Napoca shoots a three-pointer during his team's Round 4 game against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The hosts drained 13 triples in a convincing 89-74 win.

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

ratiopharm Ulm downs Turk Telekom Ankara, 78-91, on the road 

A change of coach did not lead to a change of fortunes as Turk Telekom Ankara fell to a 78-91 home defeat against ratiopharm Ulm. The hosts dominated the first quarter, but then Georginho De Paula scored 14 points in the second to give Ulm the lead for good. It was a 16-point margin early in the second half, 33-49, but Turk Telekom fought back to make it a 3-point game, 71-74. That wasn’t enough, though, as Ulm finished strong to take the road win. 

De Paula led the way with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, with Dakota Mathias adding 19 and LJ Figueroa scoring 13. Tyrone Wallace paced the hosts with 15 points, and Steven Enoch added 13 points and 7 boards. The result lifted Ulm's record to 3-1 in Group B and dropped Turk Telekom to 1-3. 

Interim Turk Telekom coach Can Akin got an early boost as his team raced into a 9-2 lead with a three-pointer from Wallace and two scores by Enoch. Another Enoch basket made it 13-7 midway through the first before Philipp Herkenhoff and Markis McDuffie traded triples to help make it 21-16 after 10 minutes. 

Ulm roared back when a three-pointer from De Paula sparked a remarkable 2-18 run, also featuring three more scores from De Paula and a couple of baskets from Trevion Williams. De Paula soon hit another three for a 31-40 lead and Mathias added a three-point play for a double-digit lead. Fittingly, De Paula scored the last basket of the half for a 33-45 lead. 

Figueroa netted the first 2 baskets of the second half, but a fierce slam from Wallace started a 6-0 run to get the hosts closer. Baskets were traded evenly to make it 47-58 midway through the third, and Turk Telekom kept pushing with Enoch’s three-point play and a corner triple from McDuffie. Deep strikes from Thomas Klepeisz and Tobias Jensen for Ulm restored a double-digit lead, 58-69, at the end of the third. 

After a quiet start to the fourth, James Palmer scored twice and Enoch added a layup to make it 71-74 with 5 minutes left. But baskets from Mathias, De Paula and Williams reasserted Ulm, sealing the victory. 

Ulm recovered from a slow start to gain a big road win in Ankara thanks to a 2-18 run in the second quarter. 

Ulm downs Turk Telekom, 78-91, on the road 

Prometey rolls past Cedevita in Ljubljana, 83-90 

Prometey Slobozhanske snapped a two-game losing streak and pulled out a valuable win over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, 83-90, from Arena Stozice on Wednesday evening. The visitors trailed 22-32 early in the second quarter, but managed to swing it to 51-61 after the intermission and confirmed the outcome in the fourth quarter. 

Prometey, which improved to 2-2, was led by Ronald March, who finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4-of-8 from downtown. Marcus Keene added 12 points, 5 boards and 7 assists, Ondrej Balvin posted 11 points and 14 rebounds and Ivan Tkachenko contributed 10 points. Klemen Prepelic tallied 16 points and 11 assists in his first game this season and Karlo Matkovic provided 18 points and 9 boards for Cedevita in a losing effort. Cedevita remained winless with 4 defeats in as many games.

 

Despite Oleksandr Lipovyy opening things with a triple, it was the home team that took control of the game thanks to the duo of Matkovic and Stewart, who combined for Cedevita’s first 10 points to take a 10-5 advantage. Blazic connected from downtown to make it bigger, but Prometey resisted thanks to a powerful rebounding display and a couple of threes by Keene to even things at 15-15. Cedevita stepped up thanks to Matkovic and Prepelic, who led an 11-3 run that closed the first period with the hosts up 26-18. 

Things got worse for the visitors early in the second, as Stewart made it a double-digit margin, 30-20. Prometey called for a timeout and changed its style, forgetting about three-point shots and focusing on the inside. As such, Tai Oliase first and then Balvin, reduced the gap to 32-29 in the blink of an eye. Keene and March took over later, followed by a triple and a slam by Tkachenko that created a 39-44 edge for the visitors. Cedevita responded twice from deep to tie it again, 45-45, until Keene provided a couple of free throws to make it 45-47 at halftime.

Caleb Agada sustained Prometey’s offense early in the second half, extending the margin to 49-54, right before he headed the bench because of his third foul. But it didn’t stop the visitors, who found consecutive baskets by Odiase, Rashard Kelly and Lippovvy to complete a 20-point swing and take a 51-61 lead. Balvin kept showing muscle under the rim and helped Prometey retain a 56-65 advantage that March managed to increase to 60-72 soon after. Cedevita decided to bet on a zone defense, and it worked fine for a while, as it held the visitors scoreless for the last 2 minutes of the third quarter and reduced the gap to 65-72. 

Prometey continued to struggle in offense entering the final stanza, spending 2 more minutes without scoring and allowing Cedevita to make it a one-possession game after Stewart and Matkovic scored, 70-72. March took over right after a Prometey timeout with a three that calmed things down for the visitors. Tkachenko showed up again with 5 points in a row that restored a double-digit lead to Prometey, 72-82. Stewart kept rocking to try to get his team closer, but another tripe by March entering crunch time maintained a comfortable cushion, 78-87, for Prometey, which never looked back.

The visitors erased an early double-digit deficit to triumph in the Slovenian capital

Aquila Basket Trento secured an important 92-93 on the road at BC Lietkabelis in Round 4 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Trento stuns Liekabelis, 92-93, thanks to last-gasp Quinn Ellis floater

Dolomiti Energia Trento claimed its first BKT EuroCup win of the season as the Italian side celebrated a dramatic 92-93 victory at 7bet-Liekabelis Panevezys in Group B. The contest was settled when 20-year-old British playmaker Quinn Ellis netted a floater off the rim with 0.4 seconds left on the clock.

Ellis paced Trento with 13 points and 10 assists. Paul Biligha and Davide Alviti also scored 13 points each for the visitors, Myles Stephens chipped in with 12, while Luca Conti and Prentiss Hub added 10 apiece in a balanced team effort on offense. Deividas Sirvydis and Gediminas Orelik poured in 20 points each for Liekabelis. Nikola Popovic scored 14 points and Vytenis Lipkevicius added 13 for the home side, which slipped to 1-3 while Trento improved to 1-3 and got itself back into contention for a post-season berth.

Liekabelis got off to a perfect start as it took an 8-0 lead in the opening exchanges, only for Trento to hit back and tie the score 17-17 at the end of the first quarter.

The hosts were proficient from long range early on, hitting 5 of their opening 7 shots, but Trento always seemed to find a way to stay on an even keel and eventually carved out a 32-38 lead late in the second quarter. Liekabelis hit back with a 9-0 run that turned the tide, but the visitors again nosed ahead to take a 43-44 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Trento was in the driving seat throughout the second half and it looked like the Italian side would coast to a comfortable victory, having taken a 64-71 lead at the end of the third quarter and it soared to 68-79 early in the fourth. The visiting team sank some tough shots from mid-range and beyond the three-point arc to stay in a commanding position, maintaining a 10-point advantage (81-91) heading into the last few minutes of the contest.

However, Trento then lost its grip on the game as the visitors fell apart on offense and paid the price for some wild shooting, allowing the home side to conjure an 11-0 run and take a 92-91 lead as Orelik sank 1 of 2 free throws. With 0.4 seconds left, it looked like Liekabelis had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat before Ellis silenced the vocal home fans with one of the biggest shots of his fledgling career.

The visitors threw away an 11-point lead before the British playmaker forced the final twist

Trento stuns Liekabelis, 92-93, thanks to last-gasp Ellis floater

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