Gran Canaria exited Moraca in Podgorica victorious after stunning host Buducnost VOLI 69-94 on Tuesday evening. The visitors gave no chance to the hosts, who trailed by more than 20 points before halftime and waived the white flag long before the final whistle. With the win, Gran Canaria clinched first place in Group B and it could secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs if Prometey Slobozhanske loses on Wednesday.

Gran Canaria proved itself a top title contender in Podgorica

Gran Canaria exited Moraca in Podgorica victorious after stunning host Buducnost VOLI [69-94](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/buducnost-voli-podgorica-gran-canaria/U2022/170/) on Tuesday evening. The visitors gave no chance to the hosts, who trailed by more than 20 points before halftime and waived the white flag long before the final whistle. With the win, Gran Canaria clinched first place in Group B and it could secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs if Prometey Slobozhanske loses on Wednesday.

For Gran Canaria it was not only what it did, but how it did so. Buducnost came into the game on a three-game winning streak at home and possessing the best defense in the competition, allowing less than 80 points on average to its opponents. Before this night, only two teams had been able to score more than that in Podgorica. But Gran Canaria showed its power by punishing its opponent with 94 points, trailing just for a few seconds in the first period (4-3), and cruising with 20-plus-point advantages for more than 25 minutes in the game. It was not only a win, but a statement. 

To achieve that, it displayed an amazing defensive and, especially, offensive performance, going for 70.4% in two-point shooting, and drilling 17 three-pointers, its season-best as a team this season and matching the club’s second-best all-time in the competition. Gran Canaria also recorded 25 assists and outrebounded Buducnost 25-34. 

Gran Canaria made 17 three-pointers in Podgorica

"25 assists on 36 field goals is good ball movement, good team play," stressed Gran Canaria head coach Jaka Lakovic in the press conference. "We started the game very good, got our confidence going especially playing good defense, and then building up the confidence on offense. We didn’t look back from then on, we kept being aggressive defensively, offensively, and on offense we had good percentages in our shooting."

This exhibition puts Gran Canaria in an enviable position to become the team to beat in the 7DAYS Eurocup. Its 14-3 winning record is the best in the league so far, and it’s just one game from confirming the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. I just need one more win next week at home against Hamburg, or a Prometey loss in one of its two remaining games.

The home-court advantage could be crucial for Gran Canaria on its way to the title, as it is still undefeated at home this season. The club has beaten its opponents by an 11.4-point margin on average, winning all but two games by at least 8 points. All of this makes Gran Canaria one of the top candidates, if not the top one, to get the title. A title that would grant it a ticket back to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague.

That prize is something that seems to start materializing into the dreams of all team members, including the head coach Jaka Lakovic. "\[It’s true that\] we can go to the end. But it’s a tough question to answer, especially with this format," he said. "We can go to the end, but we can also go out in the first round. It’s one game in the playoffs, so we have to be ready."

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Gran Canaria (2023-03-21T18:00:00.000Z)

Germani Brescia prevailed over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 84-82 at home on the back of a blistering first-half performance in which the Italian side carved out a 52-36 lead. 

Strong first half lifted Brescia over Cedevita

Germani Brescia prevailed over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 84-82 at home on the back of a blistering first-half performance in which the Italian side carved out a 52-36 lead. The home team fired on all cylinders in the opening 20 minutes, netting 6 of 8 three-pointers and dishing out 15 assists, while the visitors shot 4 of 16 from beyond the arc and had only 6 assists, having committed as many turnovers.

The tide turned after the break as Brescia began to struggle at both ends of the court, committing a series of turnovers while its long-range shooting dried up. Cedevita was able to reduce the deficit to just 2 points late in the game but the hosts held on to victory with their fingernails, giving themselves a fighting chance to finish in the top four of Group A at the end of the regular season.

Game News

Brescia finished on 9 of 18 from three-point range while Cedevita netted 9 of 30, its poor showing from downtown being one of the key factors contributing to the defeat. The teams were pretty evenly matched in all other departments, as Brescia ended the contest with 23 assists and 10 turnovers, while Cedevita had 20 and 9.

The home team’s head coach Alessandro Magro summed up his team’s inconsistency in the post-game press conference. “We were able to share the ball and play very effective defense in the first half, but then we had to understand very quickly that the game lasts for 40 minutes,” he said. “We allowed them to come back and they deserved it, so congratulations to them for staying in the game, but at the end of the day every EuroCup win counts."

Game Videos

Germani Brescia v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2023-03-21T19:30:00.000Z)

Germani Brescia kept alive its hopes of finishing in Group A’s top four and gaining home-court advantage in the 7DAYS EuroCup playoffs after clawing out a hard-fought 84-82 home win over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana on Tuesday. 

Brescia claws out narrow home win over Cedevita, 84-82

Germani Brescia kept alive its hopes of finishing in Group A’s top four and gaining home-court advantage in the 7DAYS EuroCup playoffs after clawing out a hard-fought 84-82 home win over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana on Tuesday. Brescia improved to 8-9 ahead of its final regular season game at Frutti Extra Bursaspor next week while Cedevita, which had already lost all hope of advancing into the playoffs, slipped to 3-14 and remained rooted to the bottom of its group.

 

Kenny Gabriel led Brescia’s effort with 13 points and 9 rebounds, including a clutch three-pointer late in the game which forced battling Cedevita into submission. John Petrucelli and Tai Odiase chipped in with 12 points each for the hosts, while CJ Massinburg and Amadeo Della Valle added 11 apiece. Cedevita guard Josh Adams paced all scorers with 19 points and Yogi Ferrel netted 18 but netted only 1 of 7 shots from three-point range, while Rok Radovic scored 11 for the visitors.

Brescia dominated the opening half thanks to strong defense and sound three-point shooting, having nailed 6 of 8 shots from beyond the arc while Cedevita only made 4 of 16. Ferrell kept the visiting team afloat with 9 points in the first quarter but fizzed out in the second, while a balanced workload propelled Brescia at the other as 10 of their players scored in the opening 20 minutes.

The home team’s selfless approach produced 15 assists while the visitors only had 6 in the first half, but Cedevita looked a different side after the break. The visitors chased and hustled in defense, engineering a barrage of steals and fast breaks which slashed the 52-36 halftime deficit to just 61-55 in the closing stages of the third quarter, before a late 8-2 Brescia streak restored a double-digit lead for the home side (69-57) ahead of the final 10 minutes.

Drama was on the cards after Josh Adams hit a tough three-pointer and Cedevita closed to just 2 points (71-69) before Aleksej Nikolic replied at the other end with Brescia’s first field goal of the fourth quarter, midway through the period. With Cedevita breathing down the hosts’ necks, Gabriel buried a long three to make it 83-75 late in the game and although the visitors battled hard with Adams hitting another audacious triple with 12.3 seconds left, they ran out of time to turn the match on its head.

Anthony Polite scored a season-high 27 points on Tuesday night 

Polite inspired Hamburg to playoff qualification

When Veolia Towers Hamburg signed Anthony Polite in January, some may have wondered what sort of impact someone playing his first professional season in Europe could have on his team’s bid to secure a spot in the 7DAYS EuroCup knockout stages. Polite had just parted ways with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, where he didn’t enjoy much playing time in eight Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games. Yet, he has managed to deliver on the court and stepped up when his team needed him most to lead them to a glorious victory against Dolomiti Energia Trento.

Anthony Polite (27 points) Highlights vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento, 03/21/2023

Anthony Polite shines as Hamburg clinches playoff berth

The 25-year-old guard scored a season-high 27 points on Tuesday night when he went 8-for-12 (66.7%) on two-pointers, 2-for-4 (50.0%) from behind the arc and 5-for-8 (62.5%) from the free-throw line for a season-high PIR of 28. Polite produced an all-around performance, as he grabbed 4 rebounds, recorded just 1 turnover, distributed 2 assists and registered 3 steals. His third and most important steal came with 3:50 to go in the last quarter, when he ran in transition, made the layup and drew a foul to secure an important 83-80 lead for the hosts.

This was the sixth time he scored in double digits in his seven games for Hamburg. He had 16 points in less than 24 minutes in his debut against Turk Telekom Ankara and recorded single-digits in just one contest – Hamburg’s 83-66 road defeat to London Lions, against whom he only took 3 shots from the field. It has to be noted that Hamburg won half of the six games where he registered double-digits, including the Round 17 duel against Trento. Averaging 16.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals for 17.4 PIR thus far, Hamburg’s January signing came up big on Tuesday night to help his team secure a playoff spot.

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2023-03-21T17:45:00.000Z)

### Germani Brescia head coach Alessandro Magro:

"It was a serious game. Ljubljana came here to play a serious game and they never gave up, even after a pretty tough first half for them. We were able to share the ball and play very effective defense in the first half. But then we had to understand very quickly that the game lasts for 40 minutes. Every game and every training session is a chance to improve, while we committed the same mistakes we made in the league game in Pesaro. It’s disappointing to make the same mistakes two games in a row. We allowed them to come back and they deserved it, so congratulations to them for staying in the game. Ferrell and Adams are tough to guard but at the end of the day every EuroCup win counts."

### Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana head coach Miro Alilovic:

"We showed two totally different faces. Like I said to the guys at halftime, everything was wrong in the first half. We were too soft and too slow as well as late with every reaction. We showed character and a totally different mindset in the second half and in the end, we missed a chance \[to win the game\]. However, playing well for 20 minutes is not enough to win. This is a tough competition and we’ve struggled almost every game this season. We have to learn from this and set new goals for the upcoming seasons."

### Germani Brescia forward Kenny Gabriel:

"It was the last EuroCup game at home so we wanted to get a win. We didn’t do enough defensively in the second half, we were up by 16 heading into the third quarter, but we got the win. Hopefully, we can just build on this, stay positive and keep going."

Kenny Gabriel, Brescia: 'Hopefully, we can build on this'

Yoeli Childs tied a 7DAYS EuroCup record in leading Veolia Hamburg Towers to a narrow win over Dolomiti Energia Towers on Tuesday night. The 25-year-old’s 11 offensive records evened the most in competition history and his 20 total boards were tied for the third-most ever in a EuroCup game.

Childs enters history books in Hamburg’s historic win 

Yoeli Childs tied a 7DAYS EuroCup record in leading Veolia Hamburg Towers to a narrow win over Dolomiti Energia Towers on Tuesday night. The 25-year-old’s 11 offensive records evened the most in competition history and his 20 total boards were tied for the third-most ever in a EuroCup game.

Childs also scored 18 points to notch his seventh double-double in his maiden EuroCup season. He tied his personal best with a PIR of 36, too. Childs's 10th offensive rebound led to basket that put his team up 85-82 with 2:18 remaining  and his final offensive board created an extra possession that Anthony Polite capitalized on with a triple to go up 5 with 1:42 remaining.

Chris Anstey set the EuroCup record for offensive rebounds with 11 in the first month of the competition. He did so with Ural Great Perm in an 86-68 loss BCM Gravelines in October 2002. Anstey finished that game with 19 points and 18 boards.

The single-game record for total rebounds is 22, set by Lazaros Papadopoulos with Dynamo Moscow in December 2004 against Aris Thessaloniki. Papadopoulos scored 22 points in that game. Twenty of his rebounds came on the defensive end. Alen Omic came within 1 of the record last season with Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. The only other player with 20 rebounds in a EuroCup game was Aleksander Radojevic, who corralled 20 for Telekom Bonn against Gravelines in December 2002.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Samar drives and finds Childs, who dunked with force🔨<a href="https://twitter.com/hamburgtowers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hamburgtowers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/yulINyI7eV">pic.twitter.com/yulINyI7eV</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1638245308357574656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Gran Canaria enjoyed a great basketball evening in Podgorica on Tuesday. It managed to snap Buducnost’s three-game winning streak at home with a convincing 69-94 triumph, which also secured it first place in Group B with one round to play. Gran Canaria displayed an incredible performance on both ends, allowing less than 70 points and punishing the opponent’s defense with a very balanced and effective offense.

The visitors finished with an astonishing 19-of-27 shooting on two-pointers (70.4%) and made 17 triples out of 32 attempts (53.1%). This terrific performance was based on an almost perfect contribution from many of its players, who made the most of the playing time they had.

Jon Shurna scored 16 points, pulled down 6 boards and recorded a PIR of 23 in just 19:36 on the floor, Miquel Salvo tallied 16 points, 4 boards and a PIR of 17 in only 22:40, while Nicolas Brussino went for 14 points in 17:05. Also, Ferran Bassas dished 10 assists and registered a PIR of 18 in less than 19 minutes, Vitor Benite got 10 points and a PIR of 10 in 10 minutes, and Andrew Albicy went for a PIR of 20 in as many minutes thanks to his 11 points, 5 assists and 2 steals.

Gran Canaria players made the most of their playing time

Veolia Towers Hamburg sealed its qualification to the 7DAYS EuroCup Eighthfinals after grabbing a narrow 89-87 victory over Dolomiti Energia Trento at Edel-Optics.De Arena. 

Hamburg edges Trento, 89-87, to clinch playoff spot

Veolia Towers Hamburg sealed its qualification to the 7DAYS EuroCup Eighthfinals after grabbing a narrow 89-87 victory over Dolomiti Energia Trento at [Edel-Optics.De](http://Edel-Optics.De) Arena. In a tight back-and-forth game, the visitors responded to Hamburg’s runs, but the hosts showed character and secured their second home victory in a row. Hamburg improved to 6-11, while Trento was eliminated, as it dropped to 3-14.

 

Anthony Polite led Hamburg with a season-high 27 points, while Yoeli Childs added 18 and downed 20 rebounds to tie the all-time EuroCup record with a whopping 11 offensive boards. Lukas Meisner scored 16 points and recorded 7 rebounds to inspire Hamburg to victory. Matteo Spagnolo had 21 points for the losing team, while Drew Crawford and Toto Forray added 16 and 13, respectively, but they failed to help Trento clinch its first road win this season.

Polite opened the scoring with a three-point play, but what followed was an exchange of punches in the paint until Meisner opened his account from behind the arc to hand Hamburg a 12-7 lead. Andrejs Grazulis started hot and scored seven of Trento’s first 10 points, with Maximilian Ladurner coming off the bench to net 2 free throws for his team’s first lead, 12-14. Forray added 8 points off the bench in less than 4 minutes to help Trento establish its largest lead in the first quarter, 22-26.

An inspired Spagnolo hit the ground running in the second quarter and scored 6 straight points to stretch Trento’s lead to 24-32 and force Hamburg head coach Benka Barloschky to call a timeout. Hamburg bounced back with two imposing Childs dunks and Polite added 5 points to tie the game 37-37. The visitors headed into halftime with a 44-45 lead.

Polite scored a bucket and recorded his second steal to set up Christoph Philipps in transition, 48-45. Hamburg went on an 8-0 run, as Trento was scoreless for the first 3 minutes of the third quarter. It was time for Diego Flaccadori to step up, as he sunk back-to-back three-pointers with Spagnolo adding 2 points to tie the game at 55-55. That’s when Polite came to the fore again to score 5 unanswered points and take his tally to 17 for a 60-55 Hamburg lead. Meisner scored a three-pointer for Hamburg’s largest lead, 69-60, but Trento turned the game around in the fourth quarter when Crawford scored twice from behind the arc and the guests went on an 11-0 run for a 72-75 lead.

Meisner netted 6 straight points to tie the game 80-80 and Polite made a huge steal before running in transition to make his layup and get the and-one, 83-30. Hamburg entered crunch time leading 85-84 and although Polite added another 4 points for an 89-84 lead, Trento refused to give up, as Crawford scored his fourth three-pointer of the night to reduce the deficit to 2. With the score at 89-87, the visitors had the last possession to win the game or send it to overtime. Yet, Grazulis missed from behind the arc and Darion Atkins failed to make a contested two-pointer despite taking the offensive round, as Hamburg came out victorious from the thriller.

Gran Canaria pulled out an undisputed victory from Podgorica when it defeated host Buducnost VOLI 69-94 on Tuesday evening. 

Gran Canaria blasts Buducnost 69-94 on the road to clinch first place

Gran Canaria pulled out an undisputed victory from Podgorica when it defeated host Buducnost VOLI 69-94 on Tuesday evening. The visitors dominated the game from the beginning to the end, building a 20-plus-point advantage before halftime that the home team was never close to threatening. Gran Canaria improved to 14-3 and secured first place in Group B, and could add the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs if Prometey Slobozhanske loses on Wednesday. Buducnost, on the other hand, slipped to 9-8 and will finish in sixth place in Group B.

Miquel Salvo and John Shurna led five Gran Canaria scorers in double figures with 16 points apiece. Nicolas Brussino had 14 on 4-of-5 shooting from behind the arc, Andrew Albicy scored 11 on his birthday and Vitor Benite added 10 more, while Ferran Bassas dished 10 assists for the winners. Erick Green paced Buducnost with 25 points in 27 minutes and Alpha Kaba grabbed 11 boards in the losing effort

Back-to-back triples by Brussino and Albicy got Gran Canaria going in a 0-10 run that established a 4-13 advantage after 4 minutes. Buducnost called an urgent timeout, and even though it slowed down Gran Canaria for a while, it didn’t prevent the guests from taking an 8-16 edge after Brussino made his second three. Green replied from downtown, but another 0-6 spark capped by a buzzer-beating layup by Salvo extended the margin even more, 11-24, at the end of the first period.

Budunost’s struggles in offense continued early in the second, as Gran Canaria kept on playing as a well-oiled machine. Salvo and Benite hit a three and a mid-range jumper, respectively, to make it 11-29, forcing the hosts to stop the game again. Benite struck again soon after to extend the margin to 21 points, and showed up again from deep to keep it safe, 16-35, midway through the second quarter. Shurna took over at that moment to prove Gran Canaria didn’t want to relax. He chained together a triple and a three-point play to boost his team to an 18-44 lead. The hosts found some relief through Kaba and Trae Bell-Haynes, but still trailed 27-48 at halftime.

A.J. Slaughter and Green swapped threes to open the third quarter right before Marko Jagodic-Kuridza was called for an unsportsmanlike foul that the guests converted into 5 points to make it 31-58. Buducnost’s offense was fed only by Green, who had scored 15 of the hosts’ first 17 points in the period when the score was 44-64 after 27 minutes. Aleksandar Lazic showed up from deep and Green added another bucket to trim the difference to below the 20-point border, giving the local fans something to cheer for. A mid-range shoot by Slaughter closed the third period with the hosts trailing 50-68.

Salvo and Albicy soon cooled the game with a bucket and a triple, good for a 50-73 lead. Buducnost’s head coach immediately stopped the game again, with less than 2 minutes played, as a last attempt to wake up his team. It didn’t work, though, as Salvo and Albicy drilled back-to-back threes that returned a wide margin to the visitors, 55-82. So, when Salvo scored again soon after to make it a game-high 29-point difference, 57-86, everybody at the Moraca knew the game was already over.