An exciting top-two clash highlights the action in Round 12 of the BKT EuroCup. Here’s your overview of this week’s games. 

At a glance: Key games with playoff implications this week

### Tuesday, December 17

Bahcesehir College Istanbul vs. Dreamland Gran Canaria

The round starts in style with a big battle of Group A co-leaders as Bahcesehir (9-2) seeks a return to winning ways with a visit from red-hot Gran Canaria (9-2). The Spanish team has won four games in a row to take a share of first place and also triumphed 66-63 when the teams met in October. With the league’s best defense, Gran Canaria has not allowed any opponent to score 80 since Round 2, led by the competition’s top ball thief Andrew Albicy (2.1 steals per game). Bahcesehir has the second-best defense in the competition, allowing just 73.5 points per game, but needs to recover its usual toughness after losing 89-82 to Besiktas last week despite 20 points from Tai Odiase.

Round 12 Head-to-Head: Massinburg vs. Homesley

Aris Midea Thessaloniki vs. 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys

Boosted by a big win over Hapoel Jerusalem last week, Lietkabelis (3-7) will look to keep climbing with a trip to lowly Aris (2-9). The architect of the Lithuanian’s key victory in Round 11 was young guard Mantas Rubstavicius, who continued his strong season by netting 19 points on 3-of-6 shooting from long-range. Aris has lost five games straight with the least productive offense in the league averaging just 74.7 points and 12.7 assists per night, both EuroCup lows. However, the Greek team did find the right formula in Round 3 when it destroyed Lietkabelis 74-92 on the back of 26 points from Vassilis Toliopoulos, who has received help from Landers Nolley in recent weeks with five consecutive double-digit scoring nights.

Veolia Towers Hamburg vs. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem

Group B’s second-placed Hapoel Jerusalem (7-4) will look to bounce back from a two-game losing slump by triumphing on the road at rock-bottom Hamburg (2-9). The host will look to repeat the dominance that led to an 89-74 victory when the teams met in October and can try to control the game off the glass after averaging 37.6 rebounds per night – second-best in the competition. That includes 6.4 boards from forward Chris Johnson, who has also found good scoring form with 15 and 13 points in the last two games. Hamburg will look for leadership from recent signing Johnathan Stove, who has averaged 17 points in his first three games for the team.

### Wednesday, December 18

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Turk Telekom Ankara

It’s joint-second against joint-third as Cedevita hosts Turk Telekom for a crucial contest in the Group B playoff race. Both teams are in good form, with Cedevita winning three in a row while Turk Telekom has taken two straight. Brynton Lemar has been the key offensive presence for the Slovenian team since returning from injury, netting 23 points in the last two games, and he could provide an X-factor after missing the Round 3 meeting between the teams which Turk Telekom took, 78-70. The visiting team will look for leading scorer Anthony Brown to stay hot from long-range, with the forward netting 8 triples in the last two games to maintain his streak of scoring in double-digits every game this season.

Round 12 Head-to-Head: Lamar vs. Akpinar

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento

Wednesday’s opening tip-off will see either Buducnost (4-7) or Trento (4-7) boost their playoffs ambitions by breaking their current tie for seventh place in Group A. Trento has confidence renewed by last week’s vital victory over Trefl, powered by 19 points from backcourt star Jordan Ford. He was held to just 7 points when Buducnost claimed a resounding road win in Italy, 64-85, when the teams met in Round 3, so the hosts will look to repeat that defensive formula. At the other end of the court, Yogi Ferrell top-scored in October’s victory with a season-high 21 points, and he has confidence restored after returning to form with 16 points in last week’s narrow loss to Gran Canaria.

ratiopharm Ulm vs. Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius

Another key battle between direct rivals in Group A will see Ulm (7-4) attempt to establish a two-game margin over visiting Wolves (6-5). The German team is in flying form with three straight wins, last week producing its best offensive performance of the season to triumph 88-102 at Joventut. The three-point shooting of Justinian Jessup was again important with 16 points on 4-of-6 from deep and he ranks third in the league with 2.6 triples per game. Wolves, which lost by 18 at home when the teams met in October, returned to winning ways with a vital victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv, and will again rely on Anthony Cowan after he netted 28 points to become last week’s MVP.

Round 12 Head-to-Head: Saraf vs. Cowan

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv vs. Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul

In another highly significant game for the playoff picture, Hapoel (6-5) will look to get back to winning ways with a crunch clash against in-form Besiktas (7-4). The Turkish team has won three straight, most recently downing group leader Bahcesehir in last week’s Istanbul derby behind 17 points from big man Conor Morgan. This week he faces a big battle in the paint with Hapoel’s Johnathan Motley, who will aim to regain his best form after returning to action last week. Besiktas knows all about Motley’s potential: he was the key presence as Hapoel won easily, 87-101, when the teams met in Round 3, combining 24 points with 4 assists and 2 blocked shots.

Round 12 Head-to-Head: Foster vs. Allman

Valencia Basket vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca

Group B leader Valencia (10-0) will look to take another step towards securing homecourt advantage in the playoffs by downing dangerous Cluj (6-5). The Romanian team has won three of the last four behind a potent offense that averages 88.8 points per game – bettered only by Valencia’s 95.7, so we can hope for a high-scoring shootout. Cluj will test the host defense with the league’s most accurate two-point shooting game (62.5%), and big man De’Shawn Stephens will be confident after netting all 7 of his two-point attempts in last week’s win over Bourg. Valencia also has plenty of power in the paint, with Matt Costello (12.8 points per game) converting 65% of his attempts inside the arc this season.

Round 12 Head-to-Head: Jones vs. Guzman

Joventut Badalona vs. Trefl Sopot

Two teams with fast fading hopes of pushing for the playoffs will look for a boost as Joventut (3-8) hosts winless Trefl (0-11). The Spanish team has lost three games straight and Trefl will look to inflict further punishment on a leaky home defense that allowed 102 points against Ulm last week. A key for the Polish team will be forward Marcus Weathers, who has hit his best form of the season with 16 and 14 points in the last two games. Joventut can take confidence from the form of Kassius Robertson, who has scored 21 and 23 points over the last two games and has converted 41.5% of his attempts from long-range.

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse vs. Umana Reyer Venice

Faltering Bourg (6-5) will look to recover from three losses in four games and protect its place in the playoff positions by downing Reyer (5-6), which needs a massive win of 23 points or more to overtake the French team. Bourg’s 66-88 Round 3 victory in Venice was powered by dominating the rebounding battle, grabbing a whopping 48 boards including 15 at the offensive end. Center Kevin Kokila (8.5 points and 4.6 rebounds) will be one of the main factors in the physical battle, while Reyer will again rely on the phenomenal Mfiondu Kabengele, who averages a double-double and ranks second in the league in PIR (22.1 per game). But Reyer must take better care of the ball after committing 21 turnovers in last week’s loss to Cedevita.

An exciting top-two clash highlights the action in Round 12 of the BKT EuroCup. Here’s your overview of this week’s games.

Valencia Basket v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2024-12-18T19:30:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona v Trefl Sopot (2024-12-18T19:30:00.000Z)

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse v Umana Reyer Venice (2024-12-18T19:30:00.000Z)

ratiopharm Ulm v Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius (2024-12-18T18:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul (2024-12-18T18:00:00.000Z)

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Turk Telekom Ankara (2024-12-18T17:30:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (2024-12-17T18:30:00.000Z)

Aris Midea Thessaloniki v 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2024-12-17T18:00:00.000Z)

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2024-12-18T17:30:00.000Z)

Bahcesehir College Istanbul v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2024-12-17T16:00:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket v 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2024-12-20T19:30:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona added size and athleticism to its backcourt by inking swingman Miye Oni until the end of this season

Joventut adds swingman Miye Oni

Joventut Badalona added size and athleticism to its backcourt by inking swingman [Miye Oni](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/miye-oni/012079/) until the end of this season, the club announced Monday. 

Oni (1.98 meters, 27 years old) arrives from Osceola of the G League, where he averaged 8.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 49 games last season. He played with Joventut forward Sam Dekker at the London Lions in the 2022-23 season, when he averaged 11.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 9 EuroCup games.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">💥 Miye Oni: potència i versatilitat pel joc exterior de la Penya<br><br>🤝 El Joventut arriba a un acord fins a final de temporada amb l’escorta nord-americà amb passaport nigerià<br><br>🔗 La notícia: <a href="https://t.co/46hor8Bfv6">https://t.co/46hor8Bfv6</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Badalona%C3%89sFutur?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BadalonaÉsFutur</a> <a href="https://t.co/VzFDH24ApE">pic.twitter.com/VzFDH24ApE</a></p>&mdash; Club Joventut Badalona (@Penya1930) <a href="https://twitter.com/Penya1930/status/1868591580829151671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Oni helped London win the British League championship in 2023. After three years of college basketball with Yale University, Oni started his professional career with Utah in the NBA and also played for Salt Lake City of the G League before joining London in 2022. He is also a member of the Nigerian national team and took part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in 2021. 

Miye Oni made his BKT EuroCup debut with the London Lions in the 2022-23 season.

2022-23 EuroCup highlught Miye Oni

Stats review: Examining the value in perimeter scoring

The stakes went up in Round 11 of the BKT EuroCup as one game now separates a team from the back of the playoff picture and a bye in Group B and Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul’s win over Bahcesehir College Istanbul has set up one of the most important games of the season in Group A.  While Bahcesehir’s impending clash with Dreamland Gran Canaria in Round 12 will decide who takes control of the top seed in that group, Besiktas kept itself within striking distance of that duo, assuming third place two games back. 

It has been an interesting season for the Turkish club which has set an intriguing course over the last month and a half after struggling to find their consistency as they started the season 3-3.  Some adjustments on the interior defensively have been key to the team’s turnaround, but their win over Bahcesehir and upside looking forward is rooted in the one thing they have done all season: score from the perimeter.

That has meant something a little different for Besiktas than one might expect.  The table above displays the top-eight teams in points scored per jump shot this season with a couple of key details that often play an important role in a team’s efficiency: the proportion of a team’s attempts away from the basket that are catch-and-shoot jumpers and the percentage that come from beyond the three-point line.  While Besiktas leads the EuroCup in jump shooting efficiency by a decent margin thus far, it has done so while attempting as many pull-ups and midrange shots as nearly any team in the competition. 

It is no secret that teams have gone away from the midrange in recent seasons.  The math is not hard to understand, a team only needs to shoot 33% from beyond the arc to match what they would produce shooting 50% from the midrange.  In the EuroCup this season, teams are scoring 0.81 points per midrange attempt and 1.02 points per 3-point attempt.   However, that has not stopped Besiktas, who has made a sparkling 47% of their midrange jump shots on the league’s highest volume of attempts—only Dolomiti Energia Trento has shot better on just over half as many attempts.

That stands a sharp contrast to undefeated Valencia Basket which has relied heavily on high-percentage spot-up jumpers and made a concerted effort to avoid long-twos on the way to the second spot on this list.  With Buducnost VOLI Podgorica sitting a few makes off Valencia’s pace with a shot selection on the other side of the spectrum, it is worth noting that, even if teams are not settling for as many twos as they did even five years ago, shot-making talent has often seemed to set the pace from the perimeter this season over shot selection.

With a variety of players from Kyle Allman and Derek Needham on the ball, Kelan Martin and Dustin Sleva at forward spots, and Jonah Matthews on the wing among a host of others contributing to Besiktas’s consistency in midrange spots and from beyond the arc, they presents some matchup problems for opposing defenses.  Outscoring Bahcesehir 47-9 from the perimeter, they shot the ball at a high level from the wings in Round 11 after giving Buducunost some issues from a step inside the arc a week ago.  Their collective shot-making versatility is a big reason Besiktas ranks third in overall offensive efficiency and finds itself looking like perhaps the most likely candidate to trend up towards the teams at the top of Group A.

In his rookie EuroCup season, Joventut Badalona's Devon Dotson is learning a lot from his veteran teammates.

Devon Dotson inspired by longevity of vets like Tomic and Ribas 

[Devon Dotson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/devon-durrell-dotson/013285/) is still very early in his basketball career, but the 25-year-old [Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/jov/) guard only has to look at some of his veteran teammates to realize just how long he can play this game – something he does in inspiring fashion.

Dotson works out and plays with seven players who are 30 years old or older. [Ante Tomic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ante-tomic/002507/) and [Pau Ribas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/pau-ribas/jug/) are both 37, [Adam Hanga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/adam-hanga/005099/) is 35, [Artem Pustovyi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/artem-pustovyi/004834/) 32, [Guillem Vives](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/guillem-vives/002361/) 31, and [Kassius Robertson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kassius-robertson/012740/) and [Sam Dekker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sam-dekker/009672/) are both 30 years old.

“It's funny because I talk about it with [Kaiser Gates](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kaiser-evan-bray-gates/013287/) almost every day, just seeing they're 37 and seeing them give 100 percent effort in practice. It's motivation – if those guys can do it at their age, we definitely can give way more,” said Dotson, who joined Joventut this offseason after playing the last two months of last season with Obradoiro.

“Seeing how much they take care of their bodies and the matureness of how to handle things is why they had a long career. So just talking with them and really gaining knowledge from their long careers it's really motivation – just seeing them go at it every day.”

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Being a guard like Ribas, it’s hard not to see how the 18-year professional takes care of his body.

“He's had a long career. I feel like every basketball player wants that long longevity and seeing how long they last is special,” said Dotson.

The Chicago native joined Obradoiro in March 2024 after three and a half years trying to establish himself in the NBA. He jumped back and forth between the G League and the NBA, appearing in 11 NBA games in both 2020-21 and 2021-22 and six games in 2022-23, playing for the Chicago Bulls the first two years and then the Washington Wizards in 2022-23.

“It's definitely a journey,” said Dotson, who went undrafted in the COVID-affected 2020 NBA Draft. "Every day was a fight to try to prove that you can belong on the NBA court… Sometimes it works out and sometimes it happens where you never really get the opportunity. You just got to keep going and keep having the faith and staying confident in your abilities.”

After games with 14 and 15 assists in his final two weeks in the G League last season but still not getting a call from the NBA, Dotson figured a change of scenery would help. He jumped at a chance to play in Spain and also got a good taste of the level as he faced teams like FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Zaragoza and Joventut.

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Now wearing Joventut's jersey, playing alongside the likes of Tomic and Ribas helps Dotson remember even better one of his favorite quotes.

Listed on his Instagram is Galatians 6:9 – a Bible verse which says: 'Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.'

“That's my quote. That's my Bible verse. I wake up and hang my hat on that every day," said Dotson. "That's just the testimonies of this profession and just life. You can't just look at the next guy or the next situation and say why isn't that me. Everybody has their own story. Everybody has their own trials and their own path. This really just locks me in and makes me keep that faith and make sure I'm laying down the bricks, laying down the foundation every day. My time will come and it'll pay off."

Another of his life mottos he has on social media is #lfof.

“Live free of fear – in life, if you want anything, you have to be fearless. You got to be confident and nobody's just going to give it to you,” he said. “That helped me just having a mindset of fearlessness. Just not being tentative, timid. You always just got to go out there and give 100 percent and just compete. That's my mindset, just be a competitor.”

And if he takes care of his body like Tomic and Ribas, Devon Dotson could be a threat in the competition for a long time.

More Joventut News

The Joventut guard has seven teammates who are 30+ to serve as inspiration 

Look back at all the action in Round 11 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Top 10 photos from Round 11

Look back at all the action from Round 11 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season by checking out the best photos of the week! 

BC Wolves won a shootout against Hapoel Tel Aviv BC 104-100 to keep their hopes alive in the race to make the EuroCup Playoffs.

Wolves made a statement to stay in the thick of top-four race 

Even with still nearly two months of the regular season remaining, [Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-twinsbet-vilnius/wol/)’s [104-100 comeback win over Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/wolves-bounce-back-to-down-hapoel-104-100/) on Wednesday night feels like it could become a pivotal moment in the BKT EuroCup season.

After starting the campaign with three straight losses and then bouncing back with five consecutive victories, the Lithuanian team appeared to be continuing its cold-hot-cold sequence by losing in both Rounds 9 and 10, and headed into Wednesday’s meeting with Hapoel in danger of being cut adrift in the race for a Group A top four finish.

Indeed, another loss against Hapoel would have left Wolves two games behind three teams tied for third place, and nervously looking over its shoulder at both Buducnost VOLI Podgorica and Dolomiti Energia Trento, just one game further back.

So when the meeting with [Dimitris Itoudis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/hta/itoudis-dimitris/?season=U2024)’s men saw the visitors string together a series of double-digit leads in the first half, it was a massive test of character for Wolves. The kind of moment that can make or break a team, and end up defining a season.

In the end, the challenge was met, the hurdle was cleared, and a thrilling high-scoring victory leaves Wolves in a batch of four teams – alongside Hapoel, Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul and ratiopharm Ulm – separated by just one win between third and sixth place.

As Wolves coach [Alessandro Magro](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-twinsbet-vilnius/wol/magro-alessandro/?season=U2024) acknowledged after the game, finishing in the top six to secure postseason action is a defined objective for his team.

“It was an important win for us, for sure, for the standings, to try to keep the run and try to achieve our goals,” said the Italian play-caller. “For sure, one of our goals is to have the EuroCup Playoffs.”

But the format of the competition means that top six is the minimum requirement, and a bigger prize is finishing third or fourth to secure home-court advantage in the eighth-finals when the playoffs begin.

Wednesday’s win over Hapoel means that ambition is very much still alive for Wolves, and Magro is well aware of the schedule that will see his team play four of its remaining seven games in Vilnius – including visits from three of the bottom four.

“In the second round \[of the regular season\] we have many home games and that’s really important, trying to have this kind of performance in our arena, beating a very, very talented team like Hapoel,” he said.

The one negative of the night for Wolves was an inability to clinch the head-to-head advantage over Hapoel. The Israeli team won by 5 points, 89-84, in the Round 2 meeting between the teams, and with a couple of minutes remaining it looked likely that Wolves would overhaul that margin to seal a perfect evening.

But the relentless [Yam Madar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/yam-madar/011052/) – who ended up with a personal best 28 points – scored 7 points in the last 90 seconds to turn a 9-point deficit into a 4-point defeat, good enough by the narrowest possible margin to keep the head-to-head advantage for Hapoel.

In such a tight race, that could prove vital when the regular season ends in February. But although Magro admitted he was disappointed to let that prize slip away, he was perfectly happy to focus on the positives and look forward to a special celebration.

“Christmas dinner is coming,” he concluded with a smile. “So the joys of Christmas dinner after such a win like this are different!”

And the rest of the EuroCup season could be different, too.

Wednesday’s vital victory over Hapoel has tightened up the Group A playoff picture


Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2024-12-11T16:30:00.000Z)

A stellar performance in a memorable victory has seen BC Wolves guard Anthony Cowan Jr. finish as the MVP of the Round for Round 11, the second time he has earned this accolade this season.

Round 11 MVP: Anthony Cowan Jr., Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius

A stellar performance in a memorable victory has seen [Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-twinsbet-vilnius/wol/) guard [Anthony Cowan Jr.](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/anthony-cowan-jr/012003/) finish as the MVP of the Round for Round 11, the second time he has earned this accolade this season.

Cowan led the Wolves to an emphatic 104-100 win over the visiting Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, scoring 28 points on 3-of-7 two-point and 5-of-8 three-point shooting, while making 7-of-9 free throws. Cowan also dished 10 assists, had 4 rebounds and 2 steals, while drawing 10 fouls. As such, he finished the night with a 37 PIR, the highest among all players on winning teams. This is also his highest PIR of the season, and Cowan has become the second player to earn multiple MVP of the Round honors in this BKT EuroCup campaign.

Round 11's highest PIR, 41, belongs to Hapoel point guard [Yam Madar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/yam-madar/011052/). In just his second game in a Hapoel jersey, Madar had 28 points on 5-of-8 two-point shooting, 3-of-3 three-pointers and 9-of-9 free throws. He also posted 7 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds and 7 drawn fouls. [Zavier Simpson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/zavier-simpson/013302/) of U-BT Cluj-Napoca had a 35 PIR in his team's 89-86 win over Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse. Simpson scored 27 points, dished a club-record 11 assists and also drew 10 personal fouls. The next best PIR, 30, belongs to Trefl Sopot’s [Marcus Weathers](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marcus-weathers/013297/), who collected 14 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in his team's 70-82 loss against Dolomiti Energia Trento. Rounding out the list of top performers is Bourg's [Xavier Castaneda](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/xavier-castaneda/013266/), as he recorded 17 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 11 drawn fouls for a PIR of 28.

 

### Individual highs: Amida Brimah, Valencia Basket, 4 blocks

Madar and Cowan each scored 28 points to take the honor as Round 11's top scorers. [Jared Harper](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jared-harper/011970/) of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem leads the EuroCup in scoring with 22.5 points per game.

Weathers and [Kur Kuath](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kur-kuath/013313/) of Veolia Towers Hamburg each had 12 rebounds, the most this round. Umana Reyer Venice's [Mfiondu Kabengele](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mfiondu-kabengele/012796/) is the EuroCup’s leading rebounder with 10.1 rebounds per night.

Simpson and Bahcesehir College Istanbul guard [Jaleen Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaleen-smith/011192/) dished 11 assists apiece in Round 11. Simpson is the league leader with 7.3 dimes per contest.

[Kevin Kokila](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kevin-kokila/011837/) of Bourg, and [Gabrielius Maldunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/gabrielius-maldunas/010461/) of 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys each had 5 steals, more than any other player this week. [Andrew Albicy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/andrew-albicy/003425/) of Dreamland Gran Canaria tops the steals charts with 2.1 per game.

[Amida Brimah](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/amida-brimah/012075/) of Valencia Basket led all players in Round 11 with 4 blocks. Kuath is EuroCup's top shot blocker with 1.9 rejections per game.

This Round's MVP Cowan (28 points, 11 assists), Simpson (27 points, 11 assists), Jaleen Smith (11 points, 11 assists), [Jordan Parks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jordan-parks/011909/) of Umana Reyer Venice (20 points, 10 rebounds), Kuath (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Weathers (14 points, 12 rebounds) all had a double-double in Round 11.

Congratulations to Gustavo Adolfo Navarro, our 11th winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Gustavo Adolfo's team, 'gustino2', posted a score of 202.90.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 11 winner

Congratulations to Gustavo Adolfo Navarro, our 11th winner in the 2024-25 [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/)! Gustavo Adolfo's team, 'gustino2', posted a score of 202.90.

Gustavo Adolfo had the following starting lineup: Anthony Cowan of Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius as team captain, then Wolves forward Tre'Shawn Thurman, Valencia Basket guard Chris Jones, Trefl Sopot forward Marcus Weathers, and Veolia Towers Hamburg center Kur Kuath. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem's Jared Harper was his sixth man.

His team's head coach was Dolomiti Energia Trento's Paolo Galbiati, while his four bench players were Joventut Badalona's Artem Pustovyi, ratiopharm Ulm's Noa Essengue, 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezy's Georgios Kalaitzakis, and Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse's Maxime Courby.

The prize for finishing first in Round 11 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Gustavo Adolfo!

The leader in the overall standings remains Milos Mihajlovic and his squad, 'BallIsLife', which has a total of 1,889.90 points after the first 11 rounds. Trades are now open for Round 12. Remember, four trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

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

Superb first-half defensive outing paved the way for Gran Canaria

The first 20 minutes of its clash away at [Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/roster/can/?season=2024-25) on Wednesday night were enough for [Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/roster/bud/?season=2024-25) to find out why the hosts are considered one of the best defenses in the BKT EuroCup. Gran Canaria came into Wednesday’s duel as the second-stingiest defense in the 2024-25 campaign with just 73.3 points conceded per game and effectively used its finest quality to send a resounding message to the visitors.

Buducnost may have averaged a league sixth-best 85.5 points scored per game in the first 10 rounds, but the Spanish side started strong and held its rival to just 9 in the first quarter. The visitors slightly improved on offense in the second, but Gran Canaria secured a 43-25 cushion at the break.

“Our start of the game, and especially the first half, was very good,” Gran Canaria head coach [Jaka Lakovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/can/lakovic-jaka/?season=U2024) said in the post-game press conference. “We came out with great energy, with great effort and this effort gave us confidence offensively.”

Game Videos

Buducnost’s first half was its lowest-scoring first 20 minutes this season, with forward [Juwan Morgan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/juwan-morgan/013256/) being blunt regarding his team’s performance before the break.

“We’re down 20 points,” he said in the halftime interview. “They play more aggressive than us. They get offensive rebounds. They’re making us look like little kids out here.”

Gran Canaria shared the ball well, registering 12 first-half assists – just 3 fewer than Buducnost’s tally after 40 minutes. The hosts had shot well (6 for 23; 46.2%) from beyond the arc, but more importantly, they missed just 4 of their 16 attempts from inside. Gran Canaria also outrebounded a helpless Buducnost 19-14 in what was a dominant first-half outing that paved a way for its fourth straight victory despite Buducnost’s late attempt to bounce back.

Having climbed top of the Group A standings alongside Bahcesehir College Istanbul (9-2), Gran Canaria will look to overtake the Turkish side as the two teams face each other in a highly-anticipated duel next week. And what better way to send a message to their fellow top-seed contender than producing a similar, emphatic start to the duel at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall. 

Game News

The hosts held Buducnost to just 25 points before the halftime break

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2024-12-11T20:00:00.000Z)