[Frutti Extra Bursaspor 96-89 Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/frutti-extra-bursaspor-mincidelice-jl-bourg-en-bresse/U2021/150/)

Bursaspor rallied from a 16-point third-quarter deficit to defeat Bourg 96-89 at home on Tuesday. Andrew Andrews scored 22 points and dished 6 assists and John Holland collected 20 points and 6 rebounds to lead Bursaspor, which won its third straight home game to improve to 5-9 and move ahead of Bourg for eighth place. Pierre Pelos scored 19 for Bourg, which fell to 5-10.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Onuralp Bitim seals the win this monster block 😳<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/1GfFLMT9K9">pic.twitter.com/1GfFLMT9K9</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1503808831431720960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[ratiopharm Ulm 93-94 Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/ratiopharm-ulm-gran-canaria/U2021/149/)

Gran Canaria pulled out a hard-fought 93-94 road win in Ulm. The visitors entered the last minute trailing by 3, but a jumper by Artem Pustovyi and another from AJ Slaughter helped them turn around the tables and stay atop Group B with an 11-4 record. Dylan Ennis led the winners with 18 points and Andrew Albicy was 1 point shy of a double-double. Teenager Fedor Zugic led all scorers with 22 for Ulm, which lost its fourth in a row to fall to 6-9.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🏀 FINAL:<br><br>🇩🇪 ratiopharm Ulm 93<br>🐥 Gran Canaria 94<br><br>🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VamosGranca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VamosGranca</a> <a href="https://t.co/cZ9Gp1mZPC">pic.twitter.com/cZ9Gp1mZPC</a></p>&mdash; CB Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1503830009827495944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Joventut Badalona 65-50 Lietkabelis Panevezys](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/joventut-badalona-lietkabelis-panevezys/U2021/142/)

Joventut took another step towards clinching first place in Group A by downing Lietkabelis 65-50 at home. Joventut remained undefeated at home and improved to 12-3 overall, while Lietkabelis dropped to 7-7. Ante Tomic led the winners with 14 points and Brandon Paul added 12. Djordje Gagic paced Lietkabelis with 12 points.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SimonBirgander?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SimonBirgander</a> detonates the two-handed dunk!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/MXdgL4EMex">pic.twitter.com/MXdgL4EMex</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1503845083744940036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Round 15 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season began on Tuesday with three games which saw Bursaspor, Gran Canaria and Joventut all triumph.

Round 15, Tuesday: Bursaspor, Granca, Joventut prevail

Brandon Paul celebrates - Joventut Badalona - (photo David Grau - Joventut) EC21-RS15

Gran Canaria pulled out a thrilling win at ratiopharm Arena thanks to a big shot by AJ Slaughter with 19 seconds remaining but had to use some other tools to overcome its opponent’s magic night from deep.

Telling numbers: Offensive rebounding lifted Gran Canaria 

While averaging a not-so-bad 37% from behind the arc so far in the regular season, ratiopharm Ulm excelled from long distance against visiting Gran Canaria. The hosts made 10 threes from 17 attempts in the first half and finished the night 17 of 31 (54.8%). But it was not enough to avoid a 93-94 home loss, and one of the reasons why was how the winners made the difference under the boards.

Gran Canaria wins thriller, 93-94, in Ulm

The visitors entered the last minute trailing 93-90, but a jumper by Artem Pustovyi and another by AJ Slaughter helped turn the tables and keep Gran Canaria atop Group B with an 11-4 record. The winners were led in scoring by Dylan Ennis, who tallied 18 points and 4 assists. AJ Slaughter followed with 17 points in just 20 minutes, including the winning shot with 19 seconds remaining. Artem Pustovyi provided 12 points and 7 rebounds, and Andrew Albicy neared a double-double with 9 points and 10 assists. Fedor Zugic led the way for Ulm with career-high 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting, while Jaron Blossomgame had 18 points and 9 rebounds and Philipp Herkenhoff added 18 and 4 in the losing effort. Ulm dropped to 6-9 after losing its fourth straight.

Albicy and Aleksander Balcerowski took over early for Gran Canaria, combining for the visitors' first 9 points for a 5-9 edge after 3 minutes. The hosts found some rhythm on offense to avoid losing the grip, but Ennis and Miquel Salvo joined the party and fueled a 2-8 run that made it 10-19. Ulm’s timeout proved successful, as Semaj Christon hit from downtown, Herkenhoff scored twice from the line and Blossomgame provided a fastbreak dunk to reactivate Ulm, 17-19. Despite Khalifa Diop helping Gran Canaria from inside, threes by Karim Jallow, Thomas Klepeisz and Blossomgame capped the comeback, 26-23. Slaughter replied from the same place soon after to tie it again, 26-26, at the end of the first quarter.

 

Klepeisz remained red hot from long distance and drilled a couple of three-pointers to make it 32-29 right after the break. Ulm kept a safe cushion behind an unsportsmanlike foul called on Nicolas Brussino and another pair of triples by Herkenhoff and Zugic that made it 39-31. The guests decided to go for Pustovyi inside and reduced the gap to 41-37. With the Ukrainian center on court, Gran Canaria improved on both ends and soon recovered the lead, 41-42, but when he headed the bench, Ulm found Nicolas Bretzel inside to get back on top, 44-43. Balcerowski replied on Albicy’s 400th assist, while John Shurna showed up from the corner to close the first half with the visitors in charge, 44-48.

Blossomgame brought Ulm within 50-51 with two inside baskets early after the intermission, but Gran Canaria held on using the size of Pustovyi inside. Salvo and Slaughter followed to build a 54-59 advantage halfway through the third, as Ulm had no luck from behind the arc. Albicy went to the line and Salvo hit a triple that made it a double-digit lead for the first time, 54-64, turning on Ulm’s red light. The hosts reacted in style with a 9-0 run capped by a fastbreak slam by Zugic that reset the game, 61-64. The rally didn’t go further thanks to Slaughter and Ennis, who punished Ulm from the perimeter to allow Gran Canaria a 66-71 margin entering the last quarter.

 

Zugic kept leading Ulm’s offense but found a timely response from Ennis and Shurna. The latter converted a triple to keep Gran Canaria up, 71-78. Ulm regrouped behind free throws by Zugic and a couple of threes by Herkenhoff and Sindarius Thornwell, making it a one-possession game once again, 79-81, with 6 minutes remaining. Blossomgame reduced it from deep even more, as Christon followed with a three-point play and Thornwell converted a tough corner shot to complete the rally, 88-83. The visitors didn’t tremble and relied again on Ennis and Slaughter to strike back and enter crunch time ahead, 89-90. Herkenhoff and Zugic combined to make it 93-90, but those would be the last points for the home side. Pustovyi converted a mid-range shot, Herkenhoff turned it over, and Slaughter came up big with 19 seconds left by pouring in a smooth jumper that turned decisive once Christon missed the final attempt for Ulm.

Dylan Ennis - Gran Canaria (photo Larry Langer - Ulm) - EC21-RS15

This is what the protagonists had to say after the Round 15 showdown between ratiopharm Ulm and Gran Canaria.

Post-game quotes: Ulm vs. Gran Canaria

### ratiopharm Ulm head coach Jaka Lakovic: 

“I think we played a good game. I think offensive rebounds hurt us a lot tonight, 19 offensive rebounds, I don’t know how many second-chance points. I think it was decisive, but still the game in the end was decided by the offensive talent of their two guards, \[Dylan\] Ennis and \[AJ\] Slaughter. They made a couple of tough shots, and on the other side, we made one crucial turnover which prevented us from having one more possession to be able to score and win the game. The opponent was better. I’m happy with the effort and we have to keep going. The performance was good, but we lost the game.”

### Gran Canaria head coach Porfirio Fisac:

“I agree \[with Jaka Lakovic\] because today we won a very tough game, and we did it thanks to little details. At this moment of the regular season, everybody is working hard for wins, everybody plays for it as everyone wants to continue to the next stage of the competition. There are excellent players playing this competition, \[AJ\] Slaughter is a great person and an amazing player. He played really well the last decisions and I think today he was the key in this game.”

### Gran Canaria guard AJ Slaughter:

“We put it all on defense, we got big stops in the end, we really locked in when we needed it defensively and we made some good rebounds offensively in the end... It’s a very tough competition, teams are also getting better, but we have a good chance. We are in first place right now, still have the home-court advantage so that’s important for us.”

Porfi Fisac - Gran Canaria (photo Larry Langer - Ulm) - EC21-RS15

On a night when its opponent Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse set club records for shooting accuracy, Frutti Extra Bursaspor won thanks to its hustle.

Telling numbers: Bursaspor scored the hustle points

Bursaspor collected 9 offensive rebounds and allowed Bourg just 2. In doing so, the hosts scored 13 second-chance points and allowed only 2. Bursaspor also forced Bourg into 18 turnovers and capitalized on them to the tune of 23 points. In contrast, Bursaspor turned the ball over just 9 times and gave up 15 points from those turnovers. Those 36 hustle points played a big role for the winners.

With 28 assists, Bursaspor also smashed the club record in that category. Its previous best in that category was 23, which it accomplished twice, most recently in Round 3 this season against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. All eight Bursaspor players who took the court Tuesday dished at least 1 assist with Derek Needham, Andrew Andrews and Kevarrius Hayes leading the way with 6 each.

Even though Bourg lost, it was a historic night for the visitors too. Bourg set club records for two-point shooting (67.7%), three-point shooting (70.6%) and assists (25). The team made 21 of 31 twos to best its previous high; Bourg shot 24 for 36 on twos (66.7%) in a loss to Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in March of last season. Its 12-of-17 shooting from downtown eclipsed the club record from a 15-for-24 effort (62.5%), which also game in Turkey, against Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul, in September 2020. And the 25 assists were 1 better than the previous record, which was set against Bursaspor earlier this season.

Frutti Extra Bursaspor v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2022-03-15T17:00:00.000Z)

Alexandre Chassang - JL Bourg en Bresse  (photo Bursaspor) - EC21-RS15

Frutti Extra Bursaspor rallied from a 16-point third-quarter deficit to defeat Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse 96-89 at home on Tuesday. 

Bursaspor rallies to beat Bourg, 96-89

Bourg rode a three-point barrage to a 48-64 lead midway through the second quarter only to see John Holland and Andrew Andrews lead an improbable Bursaspor comeback. Andrews scored 22 points and dished 6 assists and Holland collected 20 points and 6 rebounds to lead Bursaspor, which won its third straight home game to improve to 5-9 and move ahead of Bourg for eighth place. Derek Needham added 14 points and 6 assists, David Dudzinski also scored 14, Kevarrius Hayes contributed 12 points and 6 assists and Onuralp Bitim scored 10. Pierre Pelos led all Bourg scorers with 19 points. Alexandre Chassang added 16, Rasheed Sulaimon scored 14 and dished 9 assists, JaCorey Williams 11 and C.J. Harris had 10 for Bourg, which fell to 5-10.

Chassang got Bourg going with a three-pointer and Pelos erased Bitim's dunk with a layup for a 2-5 lead. Harris and Pelos joined the three-point shootout to boost the visitors’ lead to 2-11. Andrews stepped up for Bursaspor with 5 points in a 7-0 run that got his team within 9-11. Pelos hit a turnaround jumper, Andrews and Chassang each struck from downtown before Hayes's power layup kept the hosts close, 14-16. Sulaimon scored in penetration and Chassang added a mid-range jumper in a 7-0 run that Maxime Roos capped with a corner triple. Andrews and Holland made it 17-25 after 10 minutes.

 

Hugo Benitez struck from beyond the arc and matched Hayes's running floater with a backdoor layup for a 19-30 Bourg lead. Bitim and Holland each buried a corner three-pointer but Jalen Jones and Williams kept the visitors in charge, 25-36. Needham also struck from downtown and Andrews made his third triple, but Williams scored down low and Pelos downed a baseline jumper for a 32-40 Bourg lead. Sulaimon stepped up for the visitors and Williams added a wild off-balance layup to give Bourg a 33-46 cushion. Dudzinski made a jump hook which Harris improved with a three-pointer. Dudzinski and Needham got Bursaspor a bit closer, 44-53, at halftime.

The three-point barrage continued for the visitors as Axel Julien opened the second-half scoring with a shot from downtown. Hayes and Dudzinski scored the Bursaspor only to see a triple by Sulaimon make it 48-62. Holland gave the fans what to cheer about with a trio of threes, however, Pelos answered 2 of them with triples of his own. After a timeout, Holland made his fourth three of the quarter and Metin Turen went down the lane for a layup. The crowd erupted when Andrews’s triple made it 65-70. A three-point play and a last-second layup by Bitim ended the third quarter with the score tied 72-72.

 

Turen completed the comeback with a layup for Bursaspor on the first possession of the fourth quarter. Sulaimon split free throws and then scored on the break to push Bourg back in front. Free throws by Needham gave Bursaspor an 80-79 edge with 4 and a half minutes to play. After Holland drew an offensive foul from Sulaimon, Needham buried a three. Chassang responded for Bourg, but Needham set up Hayes inside and then made free throws to stretch the lead to 87-81 with 2 and a half minutes to go. A three by Andrews all but put the game away. However, a three-point play by Chassang and a three by Julien gave Bourg hope at 90-87 with 1:12 on the clock. Free throws by Andrews and a block by Bitim helped put the game on ice.

Onuralp Bitim - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Bursaspor) - EC21-RS15

This is what the protagonists had to say after the Round 15 showdown between Frutti Extra Bursaspor and Mincideline JL Bourg en Bresse.

Post-game quotes: Bursaspor vs. Bourg

### Dusan Alimpijevic, Frutti Extra Bursaspor head coach:

“It was a simple thing. We were tougher than in the first half. We contested the three-point shots more. Also they scored some difficult shots, but this is the game, this is something that is a live situation. I am really proud. We showed great character, great comeback. I am really grateful to be the coach of this team and I am really happy for them. I am happy for this atmosphere. \[The fans\] didn’t give up They pushed us for more and more and I am really happy about this.”

### Laurent Legname, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse head coach:

“I was really proud of my team tonight. It is not always the case in the season, but tonight we played really great offensively. We played like a team and we controlled the game until the last 15 minutes. It is a real pity because we played well tonight.”

### John Holland, Frutti Extra Bursaspor forward:

“I think it was our defensive intensity. We really brought more energy \[in the second half\] and that’s what we had to do. They were beating our ass, so we had to bring some intensity. So I’m glad we were able to do that. I’m glad. All my teammates, I can’t thank them enough. This is like my fourth day here. I appreciate them for helping me out. It was just a good win for all of us and hopefully we keep it going. This is a tough competition and this is a good team, so we have to keep it going. The energy \[from the fans\] was crazy. I can't thank the fans enough. They energized us in the third quarter, brought us back and I appreciate them.”

Dusan Alimpijevic - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Bursaspor) - EC21-RS13

### Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse pleyer Rasheed Sulaimon:

"Tonight’s game will be a great test and a tough match on the road. Both teams need to secure a win tonight so it will be like a playoff game already. I predict the level and intensity of the match will be very high. To win this game on the road, we will need to be focused, play hard and play as a team. Only then will we have a good opportunity to win tonight’s match. I’m looking forward to competing."

Here are some insightful comments about the game from the protagonists themselves.

Pre-game quotes: Bursaspor vs. Bourg

Pierre Pelos - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse - EC21

Frutti Extra Bursaspor guard Derek Needham, in his third 7DAYS EuroCup season with as many different teams, is currently playing better and more consistently than he ever has before in the competition.

Who's hot: Derek Needham, Frutti Extra Bursaspor

Needham is averaging career-high 12.9 points based on 48.5% three-point shooting and 50.9% two-point shooting, both his personal highs. He ranks second among all EuroCup players with 1.8 steals per game, another career best. He ranks ninth in assists, with 4.9 per game, while posting an average PIR of 13.4, yet another personal high for him.

Most of those better numbers are owing to Needham's improvement in the latter stages of the current regular season.

In the first eight games of this campaign, Needham scored in double figures just three times, albeit each of those times netting between 18 and 20 points while hitting at least 4 three-point shots per game. 

Needham dished 5.1 assists, had 2.1 steals, and shot a very good 43.2% from long range in those games, but also had three games without any three-pointers made.

Since those up-and-down performances, however, Needham has been one of the most prolific scorers in all of EuroCup.

Who's hot: Derek Needham Frutti Extra Bursaspor

Needham has scored at least 14 points in each of his last five games. He finished three of them with 17 points and bagged a season-high 26 in a Round 12 road loss against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.

Needham nearly doubled his scoring average before those last five games, posting 18.2 points on average but also improving his three-point accuracy to an impressive 55.2%.

The Bursaspor guard also significantly improved his two-point accuracy and his contribution in rebounds while more than doubling his average PIR to 19.6 from 9.5 before Round 9.

Still, the greatest part of his PIR jump comes from Needham's scoring, which he has done better than any EuroCup player in the last two months.

No player with more than four games played since Round 9 has averaged more than Needham's 18.2 points. And just seven players have scored more total points during that stretch, although each of them has played one game more than Needham.

This week, Needham and Bursaspor face visiting Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse. The first time they met, in Round 6, Needham played his worst game of the season, being held to 2 points and 4 assists for a PIR of 3. He will be poised for the first game of Round 15 on Tuesday to flip that narrative and continue his hot streak in a must-win game for his team.

Derek Needham - Frutti Extra Bursaspor - EC21