### Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv head coach Danny Franco:

"We had to react after a tough domestic cup loss. I am happy everybody held themselves accountable for that last game and coming into this EuroCup game. It was important for us to try to stick to the top of the group as much as possible against a very good team on a good momentum. I am happy we came out first as aggressive as possible. That determined the game.

"I hope we can build from this game. Not that there were a lot of new things tonight, we moved the ball well and shared the ball well. That's our game, the tempo of the game was our game, and I am happy we played Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball the way we know it."

### Paris Basketball head coach Will Weaver:

"I am disappointed in the way we attacked the game. They made it hard. Credit goes to Hapoel for imposing themselves on the game. But we certainly had a higher gear we can play in, and have been playing in. We were not in that gear tonight.

"I felt like every Hapoel player attacked us, and I think every player on our team got attacked.  And their coach kicked my ass, and their players kicked our players' ass. They deserved to win, for sure, and we must find a way to learn the lessons that we can learn from that, both about our approach and spirit and about the details that help us play good. It's not like I don't know J'Covan Brown is good. I've known him since he was 15 years old. I helped recruit him to the University of Texas and coached him there. Now that the game is over, I am happy for him in what he's been able to do in the country of Israel. He's been a remarkably good player here for a number of years. He controls the game exceptionally well. He has a massive amount of skill, and he is defending enough to have this team winning. I am happy for him, and I am glad we don't have to play against him until the playoffs, when I'll be really excited to kick his ass if I get a chance."

### Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv guard J'Covan Brown:

"We knew we had to come out and play a different style of basketball than we did last \[domestic cup\] game. That game we let the fans down, let ourselves down, and I knew it started with me. So I just had to do it from the tip, get everybody involved and just keep it rolling. And when we have a chance to get defense stops, we are a hell of a team to play against. It is actually harder to get \[the record\] when everybody's in your ear telling you to do it. But, if they wouldn't have told me, just let me keep play, I would've got it."

Game Videos

Game News

Danny Franco, Hapoel: 'We came out as aggressive as possible'

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv v Paris Basketball (2023-01-18T18:00:00.000Z)

J'Covan Brown tied the 7DAYS EuroCup record with 16 assists and Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv protected its home court with a resounding 95-79 win over visiting Paris Basketball on Wednesday night. The win extended Hapoel's win streak to four games, while Paris suffered its first-ever road loss in the competition, after coming into the game winning the first five games in its premier season in the EuroCup. Both teams now have 7-4 records, though Hapoel's season sweep of Paris gives it the head-to-head tiebreaker. 

Hapoel took a commanding lead in the second quarter and never looked back behind its guard duo of Brown and Jordan McRae who combined for 22 first-half points. Brown also had 10 assists before halftime, and finished the game just shy of a triple-double with 17 points, 16 assists and 8 rebounds. Jordan McRae scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half, JP Tokoto netted 16, Chinanu Onuaku collected 10 points plus 10 rebounds, and Tomer Ginat had 10 points and 7 rebounds in the victory. Ismael Kamagate tallied 17 points plus 12 rebounds and Tyrone Wallace had 15 points in a losing effort.

The teams traded blows early before Brown orchestrated the hosts' first run with a triple from Bar Timor and a pair of baskets from Tokoto to make it 19-12. But Amar Gegic sparked the reply by the visitors and Simms hit a three-pointer to make it 20-20 after 10 minutes. 

McRae and Brown restored Hapoel's lead at the start of the second quarter and McRae's 360 reverse layup opened 33-23. Axel Toupan answered with a four-point play, but Brown, Tokoto, McRae and Onuaku kept filling the visitors' basket, and Xavier Munford scored a pair of buckets in the final 7.5 seconds of the half to open a 55-38 halftime lead.

Hapoel remained in control after the break, with Jaylen Hoard extending the margin to 72-47. Gauthier Denis hit a triple, and Gegic, Wallace and Kamagate sparked the visitors' offense, as they answered with a 1-9 run, and cut it to 77-61 after three quarters. 

But the visitors never got closer, and Hapoel quickly extended the margin to 91-65 behind Onuaku, Brown and McRae. Brown tied the EuroCup all-time record with his 16th assist with little over 3 minutes to go, but ran out of time to set a new mark, as well as remaining just short of completing a triple-double.

Brown leads Hapoel past Paris, 95-79

### Ronen Ginzburg, Prometey Slobozhanske head coach

"We played aggressive, because to compete with this type of team, we need to be in their level on defense. I think the players did a great job, especially on defense. I salute them. We're going game to game, we're not thinking about four \[wins\] in a row or whatever. Any weaknesses, we'll try to improve them. When we start shooting well from the outside, it's tough to stop us. Sometimes we struggle, but we have other weapons. Listen, when \[Issuf\] Sanon makes his outside shots, he's an unbelievable player. The only problem is to fix the furniture in his head; after that, he will be a great player.

"I told the players before the game that if we want to compete against an Italian team, we need to play on their level: intensity, defense, aggressive. In the first half, we were okay, but in the second half, I think we did a great job on defense. My team did a great job against a great team, great coach, and we are happy."

### Alessandro Magro, Germani Brescia head coach

"We were unable to protect the paint, like we did in the first half. Too many deep catches, too many fouls, too many offensive rebounds \[given up\]. We were unable to compete with the proper level of energy.

"I think we played a very good first half, especially with relation to their game plan; we prepared the game to challenge their average shooters, to protect the paint against their drives, offensive rebounds, and I think we did quite a good job at the beginning. In the second half, we didn’t have the same level of concentration. We had too many turnovers, we allowed them to have 17 offensive rebounds. It's too much."

### DJ Kennedy, Prometey Slobozhanske forward

"We knew that they were a physical team and we knew that, for us to win, we had to come out and play physical. The first half was kind of sloppy, but I think, in the second half, we were able to improve the defense, get some stops and finish strong. Definitely \[rebounds were the key\]. We knew that they're an athletic team and we knew that we had to rebound better than the last time we played them. We were able to do a good job on the offensive rebounds today."

Ronen Ginzburg, Prometey: 'When we shoot well from the outside, it's tough to stop us'

Prometey Slobozhanske v Germani Brescia (2023-01-18T17:00:00.000Z)

Prometey Slobozhanske leaned on a big second half to down Germani Brescia 79-72 at Arena Riga on Wednesday evening. By winning its fourth game in a row, Prometey moved up to joint-second in the Group A standings with a record of 7-4, while Brescia dropped to 5-6.

DJ Kennedy and Issuf Sanon led the way for Prometey with 17 points apiece, while Caleb Agada added 11. Veteran center Ondrej Balvin finished with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, too. Amedeo Della Valle scored a game-high 20 points for Brescia, who also had CJ Massinburg and David Cournooh contribute 16 and 10 points, respectively.

Prometey took an early lead in the game and managed to hold an advantage until the latter stages of the first quarter, as David Moss nailed a triple with 2:29 remaining to put Brescia ahead, 10-12. The visitors then did enough to maintain an advantage until the end of the quarter, ending the first 10 minutes with a 15-19 lead.

 

Brescia found a way to control the game in the second quarter, with Della Valle coming to the fore in particular. With 2:13 left on the clock, Della Valle's seventh point of the quarter – and his 10th overall – gave Brescia its biggest lead of the game, 27-35. But, Balvin managed to cut the deficit by scoring 4 straight points for Prometey, which saw the halftime score read 31-35.

After the break, Brescia scored early through Nicola Akele, making it a 31-37 game, but then a 9-0 Prometey run allowed the hosts to take the lead, 40-37. Gian Clavell, Sanon and Kennedy were regularly finding ways to put points on the board, but the response of Della Valle, Cournooh and Massinburg ensured that Prometey only had a slender advantage, 54-53, at the end of the third quarter.

Kennedy and Sanon kept their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter, with the former scoring 10 points and the latter adding 7. In particular, back-to-back threes by Sanon seemed to put the game beyond reach for Brescia, as he made it a 71-59 game. Brescia looked to mount a late comeback, but a DJ Stephens dunk all but wrapped up the victory at 77-70 in the final minute. In the end, Prometey won 79-72 to record with its fourth victory in a row and exact some revenge, having lost in Round 2 to Brescia.

Prometey keeps its composure to beat Brescia, 79-72

Turk Telekom Ankara struggled handling the ball at times on Wednesday night, but the Turkish side used its usual dominance inside to get a comfortable win over Veolia Towers Hamburg. 

Turk Telekom committed 19 turnovers but shot 72.2% on two-pointers in a 98-74 win over Hamburg. Turk Telekom only had 5 turnovers in the second half, but an overriding theme was its scoring in the paint. That has been one of the team’s strong points all season as it ranked second in two-point shooting coming into the game at 59.9%. Jerian Grant made 6 of 7 two-pointers as he scored 18 points and Tyrique Jones converted 6 of 8 shots from inside as he tallied 14 points, 

Turk Telekom wasn’t bad from outside either, hitting 39.3% from long range. Coach Erdem Can’s team had connected on 38.3% of its three-point attempts before the game. 

Turk Telekom dominated inside - as usual 

Turk Telekom Ankara v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2023-01-18T17:00:00.000Z)

Buducnost rallies past Slask, 82-71

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica solidified its place in the middle of Group B with a comeback 82-71 win against visiting Slask Wroclaw on Wednesday. A 29-13 run bridging the final two quarters turned the game around after Slask had led for more than 10 minutes until then. Buducnost improved to 7-4 while Slask fell to a league-low 1-10. 

Buducnost got 14 points from J.J. O'Brien, while Trae Bell-Haynes added 13, Petar Popovic 12 and Igor Drobnjak 11. Alpha Kaba had a league-high fifth double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.  Lukasz Kolenda led Slask with a career-high-tying 23 points while Aleksander Dziewa and Daniel Golebiowski scored 11 each. 

Kolenda's 5 points let Slask forge an early 7-7 tie, but O'Brien's second basket and Kaba's first send Buducnost in front again. Cameron Reynolds buried a triple as the lead hit 15-9, but Kolenda stayed hot and fed Golebiowski for a buzzer-beater and a 17-17 tie after 10 minutes. Slask stayed close and soon went ahead 22-23 on Dziewa's inside basket. The lead flipped back and forth, with Kolenda's three-point play and Dziewa's long-range bomb sending Slask to a surprise 29-33 halftime advantage. 

Slask boosted its lead to 31-37 before Popovic and Drobnjak reeled it back to 41-41 for Buducnost. Golebiowski answered immediately for Slask but Buducnost eventually tied twice before a three-point play by Bell-Haynes flipped the lead to the hosts, 54-51, after 30 minutes. Buducnost took its run to 9-0 and a 58-51 advantage before Alesander Wisniewski and Popovic traded triples and Bell-Haynes scored at 63-54. But after Kaba made it 73-60 lead with 5 minutes left, Slask had neither the time nor firepower to recover. 

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Slask Wroclaw (2023-01-18T17:30:00.000Z)

### Turk Telekom head coach Erdem Can:

"We didn’t play our game in the first quarter. But we did in the second half. Some parts of the game we were aggressive enough. We had 14 turnovers in the first half and we ended with 19. So second half we had just 5 turnovers. We were aggressive and we are very happy to win the game. In the EuroCup, every game matters."

### Veolia Towers Hamburg head coach Benka Barloschky:

"Congratulations to Ankara. They played a very good game. We were able to compete for three quarters, and in the last quarter, we couldn’t match their intensity, couldn’t match the physicality. That was in the end decisive for the game."

### Turk Telekom center Tyrique Jones:

"We just executed coach’s game plan and we were able to get the W today. Our goal is to just take it one game at a time and not look too far ahead. It’s just next game up for us."

### Veolia Towers Hamburg forward Anthony Polite: 

"I'm very happy to be part of the team. The guys gave me a great welcome.  I feel like basketball is a game of runs and there might be moments that take away more energy or momentum from the team and that’s what I feel like we need to improve on. No matter what happens offensively we need to have the mentality that it doesn’t matter as long as we get a stop or secure a defensive rebound."

Erdem Can, Turk Telekom: 'In the EuroCup, every game matters'

Turk Telekom Ankara bounced back from a loss last week to Paris Basketball with a comfortable 98-74 home victory over Veolia Towers Hamburg. Turk Telekom took control of the game for good early in the fourth quarter to improve to 8-3 in Group B with three wins in the last four games.

Axel Bouteille led the way with 23 points and Jerian Grant (18 points and 10 assists) and Tyrique Jones (14 points and 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles. Hamburg dropped its fourth straight and seventh in the last eight games to fall to 3-8. New signing Anthony Polite paced Hamburg with 16 points while its leading scorer and rebounder Yoeli Childs was held to just 2 points and 4 rebounds.

Early on Hamburg was held scoreless for more than 3 minutes and fell behind 10-4. The Hamburg reserves, including Ziga Samar and Polite, came on and pushed the visitors ahead 12-15 as Turk Telekom already had 9 turnovers. The game was even 19-19 after 10 minutes.

Hamburg stayed ahead most of the first half of the second quarter, leading 31-33 before Turk Telekom drained three-pointers on three straight possessions in a 13-1 run to pull ahead 44-33. Hamburg managed to get within 48-39 at the break.

Bouteille made 2 three-pointers as Turk Telekom’s lead extended to 13 points. Polite and Samar both had 4 points, but the guests could not make a major dent into the deficit and trailed 70-61 after 30 minutes.

The hosts scored the first 6 points of the fourth quarter and the advantage grew to 80-63 with 7 minutes left. Hamburg could not get closer than 13 points the rest of the way.

Turk Telekom bounces back for comfortable 98-74 win over Hamburg

 Alpha Kaba, Buducnost: 'The whole game was difficult' 

### Vlada Jovanovic, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica head coach

"Everything we did in the first half wasn't good. The second half, first of all, we played much better defense against their transition. And after that we made a couple of three-point shots, which was important for our confidence."

### Andrej Urlep, Slask Wroclaw head coach

"Definitely, we didn't have the energy in the second half after a really hard trip for us to get to Podgorica. I had to really take care of players' minutes, but I can say we are happy about the way we played. Definitely, as I said at the beginning, Buducnost is a very good team and one of the candidates to win the league."

### Alpha Kaba, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica player

"The first half was difficult. The whole game was difficult. But in the second half we managed to get some steals and be more aggressive, and I think that's how we won the game."