Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv improved its Group A record in the BKT EuroCup to 2-1 after romping away to an 87-101 road win over Besiktas Fidabanka Istanbul, largely thanks to a superb display from its off-season acquisitions Jonathan Motley and Patrick Beverley 

Hapoel blows by Besiktas, 87-101, as Jonathan Motley shines 

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv improved its Group A record in the BKT EuroCup to 2-1 after romping away to an 87-101 road win over Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul, largely thanks to a superb display from its off-season acquisitions.

Center Jonathan Motley racked up a game-high 24 points to go with 6 boards and 4 assists for Hapoel while guard Patrick Beverley chipped in with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Marcus Foster also scored 16 points and Bar Timor added 15 for a well-oiled Hapoel outfit which fired on all cylinders throughout the contest.

At the other end, Derek Needham paced Besiktas with 17 points, Dustin Sleva amassed 14 and Emanuel Terry netted 12. Kyle Allman posted 11 points and Kelan Martin added 10 for the Turkish side, which slipped to a second successive defeat after its opening win against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica.

Following a balanced start to the game, Hapoel went on a 2-12 run midway through the first quarter to open up an 11-21 lead before Besiktas hit back to slash the deficit to 22-24 at the end of the opening period.

The home team then nosed ahead 29-28 but that turned out to be its only lead of the game, as Hapoel replied with a staggering 3-19 run moments later, which gave the visitors a whopping 34-51 advantage in the closing stages of the first half.

Game News

Having closed the gap to 41-54 at halftime, Besiktas was unable to keep up its comeback in the third quarter, with Motley running riot as he propelled Hapoel into a 60-81 lead ahead of the final 10 minutes.

Besiktas was able to take some comfort from occasional flashes of brilliance, namely spectacular alley-oops crafted out by Kyle Allman and Emanuel Terry, but Hapoel stood firm to maintain its insurmountable 21-point lead, 72-93, midway through the fourth.

Only then did Besiktas manage to put a few strings together on offense and go on an 11-1 run, but it was just too little too late as Hapoel closed the game out comfortably and celebrated an impressive win, which will surely boost the Israeli side’s confidence ahead of upcoming challenges.  

The Israeli side ran out a comfortable winner on the back of a huge performance from its big man 

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2024-10-08T18:00:00.000Z)

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Breese showed no mercy against Umana Reyer Venice to record a convincing 66-88 win at Palasport Taliercio on Tuesday night that gave it a 3-0 record after 3 rounds. 

Bourg demolishes short-handed Reyer, 66-88, to remain unbeaten

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Breese showed no mercy against Umana Reyer Venice to record a convincing 66-88 win at Palasport Taliercio on Tuesday night that gave it a 3-0 record after 3 rounds. The hosts, who fell to 1-2, were without several important players as Xavier Munford, Tyler Ennis, Jordan Parks and Amadeo Tessitori couldn’t take the floor for Reyer. After a balanced first period, Bourg got going in the second quarter thanks to an incredible accuracy from behind the arc to build a 36-44 edge that grew to 20+ entering the last period.

Kevin Kokila paced the winners with 15 points - including 13 in the third quarter. Jean-Marc Pansa and Xavier Castanea followed with 10 apiece. Mfiondu Kabengele signed off a monster double-double of 19 points and 15 boards for Reyer, while Aamir Sims and Davide Moretti joined him on offense with 16 and 13 points, respectively, in the losing effort.

Both teams swapped baskets in the early going, but since the hosts pushed hard in the paint, the visitors had a better response from the perimeter to hold on, 6-6. That’s when Sims showed up to make the first three of the night, which helped Reyer construct an 11-6 edge midway through the first period. Another bomb by Moretti right after the TV timeout seemed to get the Italians going, 14-8, but consecutive missed offenses gave Bourg a chance to come back through Joel Ayayi and Pansa, who combined to make it 14-13 entering the last minute. The visitors kept collecting value from bench players, as Brandon Paul used an unsportsmanlike foul drawn on Kyle Wiltjer to tie it from the line, 17-17, to finish the first quarter.

Paul continued rocking after the break with a corner three - the first for his team, that put the visitors on the right track. On the opposite side, Wiltjer’s misses from the line were a prelude to what was coming next, as back-to-back triples by Adrian Nelson and Maxime Courby fueled Bourg to a 19-28 advantage after 13 minutes. Reyer tried, but no one except Kabengele and Moretti were able to produce. Meanwhile, Bourg continued punishing from outside, nailing more triples with Castaneda joining the party to make it 27-36. Castaneda kept pulling the strings on offense for Bourg, as even though he missed 3 free throws in a row, it didn’t stop him from scoring another deep three soon after and the last bucket of the half to hold the visitors comfortably ahead, 36-44 at the end of the second quarter.

Jordan Usher and Kokila made it a double-digit lead for the first time in the game with consecutive inside buckets, turning on Reyer’s alarms, 36-48. Kabengele tried to come to the rescue once again for the home team, but he crashed against Kokila’s hottest moments. Kokila provided 9 of Bourg’s next 11 points to boost Bourg to a 44-59 lead right after a TV timeout, and Hugo Benitez made it from deep - his first, to make it even worse, 44-62, for the home side. Reyer seemed to keep losing power as the game went on, with Bourg easily finding points from each and every player who took the court. Nelson dug it deeper with another corner three that made Bourg surpass the 20-point mark, 48-69. Free throws and a buzzer-beater bucket off-the steal by Nelson closed the third period with the visitors dominating 53-76.

With the outcome no longer in doubt, Bourg’s offense slowed down a little bit early in the last stanza. As such, Pansa was the only one able to score for the visitors in the first 4 minutes, but Reyer didn’t take advantage of that to reduce the gap. Courby ended Bourg’s offensive drought with a couple of free throws to make it 59-80 and Usher followed. Reyer’s head coach Neven Spahija called for his second timeout of the quarter to give his team a needed push to finish the game in the best mood possible, but even though Moretti took over with a triple right after, he found no help to prevent Bourg from finishing over the 20-point mark.

The visitors made 7 threes in the second quarter to set the foundations for the win

Umana Reyer Venice v Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (2024-10-08T18:00:00.000Z)

A dominant performance in the paint by Turk Telekom Ankara centers Kyle Alexander and Yoan Makoundou inspired the hosts to a 78-70 home victory over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana on Tuesday. 

Turk Telekom’s bigs Alexander and Makoundou overpowered Cedevita

A dominant performance in the paint by Turk Telekom Ankara centers Kyle Alexander and Yoan Makoundou inspired the hosts to a 78-70 home victory over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana on Tuesday. The Turkish side outrebounded the visitors 40-24 with Alexander recording his second double-double of the season by picking up 10 boards and netting a joint game-high 16 points. His fellow big, Makoundou, registered the same scoring tally and downed a season-high 8 rebounds. Between the two, they managed 8 offensive boards – 2 more than the whole Cedevita team.

Alexander went 5-for-7 (71.4%) on two-pointers and 6-for-9 (66.7%) from the free-throw line. He also recorded 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, as well as 8 fouls drawn, for a game-high PIR of 30.

Turk Telekom's dunk show against Cedevita

“As a team, we are getting better,” Alexander said in a post-game interview with EuroLeague TV. “Every single game, every single practice, we made a big jump this week. I’m proud of us. We keep fighting away. It’s not perfect, but we keep grinding away.”

Makoundou also nailed 5 of his 7 attempts from inside the arc and drilled 2 three-pointers to finish the game with a PIR of 17. The two Turk Telekom bigs got fans off their seats with some powerful dunks on several occasions. Both posterized Cedevita’s 18-year-old center Joan Beringer in the first quarter, with Makoundou slamming home a two-handed put-back dunk, after a missed triple from Olivier Hanlan, to make it 59-56 with 7:44 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Game Videos

Turk Telekom came into its third game of the season ranking second-top on offensive, as well as top on defensive and total rebounds, with 16.5, 31.0 and 47.5 per game. On Tuesday evening, head coach Erdem Can’s side demonstrated once again that their dominance inside will be key in their bid to build momentum as they grow into the season.

Next week, Turk Telekom travels to France, where it’s scheduled to face Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse on Tuesday. Should they manage to control the boards again, the Turkish side will have laid the foundation for a fourth consecutive victory in what would be a sublime start to the campaign.

The two combined for 32 points and 18 rebounds

Turk Telekom Ankara v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2024-10-08T16:30:00.000Z)

Justinian Jessup poured in 27 points with 5 three-pointers in Ulm’s 76-94 road victory over Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius. 

Justinian Jessup showed he deserves some attention too with undefeated Ulm

Most of the attention this off-season and start to the year at ratiopharm Ulm has been on the team's star teenage prospects [Ben Saraf ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ben-saraf/011437/)and [Noa Essengue](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/noa-essengue/011391/). But the man to really shine the brightest thus far has been [Justinian Jessup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/justinian-jessup/013290/). 

Jessup poured in 27 points with 5 three-pointers in Ulm’s 76-94 road victory over Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius. 

“Getting an easy one early on helped me. And then the coaches and teammates were finding me and putting trust in me and let me shoot the ball and play freely,” said Jessup, who also chipped in 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal for a performance index rating of 30. 

Jessup puts on a show against Wolves

It was the second time in three EuroCup games that the 26-year-old forward has reached the 20-point mark in his debut season. In the opening round against Trefl Sopot, Jessup knocked down 6 three-pointers in tallying 20 points to go with 6 rebounds. 

Jessup helped Ulm in other ways in the Round 2 win over Joventut Badalona as he collected 9 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. 

Jessup returned to the club after being a late-season addition in 2023-24. But the sharpshooter, who had played at Zaragoza in 2022-23 and then the New Zealand Breakers before joining Ulm, was not high on the list of pre-season storylines for Ulm. The top of that was the dynamic pair of young NBA prospects 18-year-old Saraf and Essengue, who will turn 18 in December. 

But Jessup has shown he can really light it up. He is averaging 13.3 points in the German League for the 3-0 Ulm team, making 50 percent (14 of 28) from long range, including scoring 28 points with 5 three-pointers against Wurzburg in the first game of the season. 

When asked about Jessup, Ulm head coach Ty Harrelson just laughed and said: “When he gets hot, he’s really tough to stop.”

Ulm has not lost in six games in the two competitions, and Jessup just wants to enjoy the moment. 

“We’re just going to embrace it and take it one game at a time,” he said. 

After a big game vs. Wolves, the shooting ace is averaging 18.7 points so far this season

Justinian Jessup showed he deserves attention with undefeated Ulm

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius v ratiopharm Ulm (2024-10-08T16:00:00.000Z)

Aris Midea Thessaloniki visited 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys at Kalnapilio Arena in a game in which both teams look for their first win in the 2024-26 BKT EuroCup. Aris prevailed 74-92 and three-point shots had to do a lot with it. 


Three-pointers lead Aris to first win 

Aris Midea Thessaloniki visited 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys at Kalnapilio Arena in a game in which both teams were looking for their first win in the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup. Aris prevailed 74-92, and three-point shooting had to do a lot with it.

Aris ended up burying 11-of-21 three-pointers (52.4%) to get a no-doubt-about it win. The team had struggled from beyond the three-point line until now, hitting just 16 of 46 attempts (34.8% 3FG) in the previous two rounds. Aris had relatively poor numbers when it came to turnovers (18) and offensive rebounds (4) but its three-point accuracy made the difference in the game.

Vassilis Toliopoulos buried 6-of-8 shots from beyond the arc, finishing the game with a career-high 26 points. He was one three-point shot away from tying Aris's club record in the competition. Dimitrios Tsaldaris made 7 three-pointers for Aris in an 89-86 loss against Bnei Hasharon on January 13, 2008.

Vassilis Toliopoulos buried 6-of-8 shots from beyond the arc, finishing the game with a career-high 26 points.

Toliopoulos makes it rain in Panevezys

"First of all, I am very happy that I helped my team win. It was our first win of the year and was really important for us. It doesn't matter if it is me or another player, the most important is the team's win," Toliopoulos said after the game. "I think that was a great performance from our team. We are getting better on offense. We try to get better every day. We have a new team and I think we are going to be very good."

On the other hand, Lietkabelis was completely off-target from three-point territory, missing all of its 15 attempts. Only two teams in EuroCup history missed more three-pointers in a game without making one, Valencia Basket (25 vs. Le Mans Sarthe Basket, January 12, 2010) and Rytas Vilnius (16, vs. Limoges CSP, December 26, 2017). GasTerra Flames also missed all of its 15 three-point shots against Panellinios Athens on November 23, 2010.

"I am very happy for this win, especially for our players, because since the beginning of the season we had a very tough pre-season period, and our first official games were against very, very competitive opponents, so we had some bad results for us," Aris head coach Ioannis Kastritis added. "As you know, winning is very important regarding our psychology and our confidence in the beginning of the season, so I am very happy for our guys, for the effort they showed tonight at both ends."

Aris hopes to keep its momentum going in its upcoming two home games, as it hosts Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem in Round 4 and Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Round 5.

While Aris shot well from downtown, Lietkabelis was historically bad

Three-pointers led Aris to first win 

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2024-10-08T16:00:00.000Z)

ratiopharm Ulm remained perfect in the BKT EuroCup with its second road victory as the German side defeated Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius 74-96 in Group A. 

Ulm stays perfect with big late run, Wolves still winless

ratiopharm Ulm remained perfect in the BKT EuroCup with its second road victory as the German side defeated Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius 74-96 in Group A. The score was tight for most of the game until Ulm put together a 2-14 run in the fourth quarter to decide the game. 

Justinian Jessup hit 5 three-pointers in scoring 27 points, Alfonso Plummer scored 16, Philipp Herkenhoff and Nelson Weidemann both had 12 and Ben Saraf chipped in 10 points and 7 assists for the winners. Andrew Andrews tallied 19 points to pace Wolves, which fell to 0-3.

Wolves jumped ahead with the first 8 points including 5 from Kristupas Zemaitis. After missing its first six shots, Herkenhoff finally gave Ulm its first score on a triple after more than 3 minutes. Saraf and Weidemann both netted 5 points in a 0-10 surge to give Ulm a 10-13 lead. Wolves immediately knotted the game while 5 points from Jessup had Ulm up 20-21 after 10 minutes.

An unsportsmanlike foul on Daniel Baslyk resulted in 5 more points from Jessup for a 20-26 lead. Andrews put Wolves on the board with a four-point play only to have Herkenhoff hit another three-pointer to make it 29-35. Andrews continued his great quarter with 7 points to keep Wolves close but Weidemann and Plummer both hit three-pointers and the visitors were up 41-45 at the break. 

Tobias Jensen buried a triple to start the second half for a 41-48 Ulm lead. And it was 44-52 after a coast-to-coast lay-up by Noa Essengue. Wolves charged back into the game with a Garrison Brooks three and 3 free throws and a triple from Anthony Cowan to lead 53-52. Ulm reclaimed the lead and Plummer and Jessup both drained three-pointers for a 63-68 Ulm lead. But Jeffrey Taylor hit a triple at the buzzer and Wolves trailed just 66-68 after 30 minutes.

Andrews’s free throws to start the fourth quarter tied the game. Wolves could not score the next 2 minutes and Ulm scored 8 points to lead 68-76. The hosts punched back with the next 5 points only to see Ulm answer with a 2-14 run for a 75-90 cushion with 2 minutes to play to decide the game. 

Justinian Jessup remained red-hot with 5 three-pointers and 27 points

Turk Telekom Ankara maintained its perfect start to the 2024-25 EuroCup season by beating KK Cedevita Olimpija 78-70 in Round 3.

Turk Telekom downs Cedevita, 78-70, grabs third straight win

Turk Telekom Ankara remains unbeaten in the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season after defeating Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 78-70 at Ankara Spor Salonu on Tuesday. In a tight affair, the hosts managed to stay ahead throughout the game and played some solid defense in the last three quarters en route to clinching their third win in a row. Turk Telekom improved to a 3-0 record, with Cedevita dropping to 2-1.

Kyle Alexander and Yoan Makoundou dominated in the paint, scoring 16 points each and collecting 10 and 8 rebounds, respectively. Ismet Akpinar and Anthony Brown netted 12 apiece, with Olivier Hanlan adding 11. For the visiting side, Devante Jones, Aleksej Nikolic, Jaka Blazic and Derek Ogbeide recorded 10 points each.

Turk Telekom offered its fans an entertaining start to the game, with both Makoundou and Alexander posterizing Joan Beringer before the former drilled a triple for an 11-5 lead. Makoundou took his tally to 8 first-quarter points, but Nikolic responded beyond the arc and Ogbeide nailed a mid-range jumper to bring Cedevita within 16-12. Then, an Alexander three-point play was followed by buckets from Jones, Ogbeide and Devin Robinson to cut the difference to 23-22.

Akpinar made 3 of 3 from the line to extend Turk Telekom’s lead to four points heading into the second quarter, with Javon Bess netting one from inside for a 28-22 cushion. But Cedevita fought back, as Martinas Geben and Jones brought the guests within 32-30. Five points from Hanlan, who took his first-half tally to 9 points, were followed by an exchange of blows from inside and a series of free throws that saw Turk Telekom maintain a 43-37 lead at the break.

Brown and DJ Stewart traded mid-range jumpers before an Alexander hard-fought bucket restored a 48-43 cushion for the hosts. Following a Javon Bess layup in transition, the two teams went scoreless for two and a half minutes before the Turk Telekom forward beat the buzzer with a triple to extend his side’s lead to 53-45. Berkan Durmaz threw down a put-back slam, but Jones beat the third-quarter buzzer with a layup to bring Cedevita within 57-52 heading into the fourth.

Makoundou pulled off a spectacular put-back slam in the opening stages of the closing quarter, but four points from Ogbeide trimmed the deficit to 61-58. Alexander and Makoundou were on fire in the paint, netting a basket each after a Jaka Blazic triple to make it 67-61. Four points from Nikolic brought Cedevita within 71-66 in crunch time, but Akpinar nailed one from deep to make it a three-possession game with 1:22 remaining. Cedevita didn’t give up and pushed for a comeback, but a mid-range make from Brown sealed it for the hosts.

The visitors' unbeaten start to the season has come to an end

Aris BC recorded its first win in Group B by downing Lietkabelis Panevezys 74-92 at Kalnapilio Arena in Round 3 on Tuesday. 


Vassilis Toliopoulos leads Aris past Lietkabelis, 74-92

Aris Midea Thessaloniki recorded its first win in Group B on Tuesday night by downing 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 74-92 at Kalnapilio Arena in Round 3. Aris improved to 1-2 in the standings while Lietkabelis dropped to 0-3. 

Vassilis Toliopoulos paced the winners with 26 points on 6-of-8 three-pointers. Lefteris Bochoridis added 13 while Emmanouil Chatzidakis and David DeJulius each had 12 for Aris. Mantas Rubstavicius led Lietkabelis with 15 points. Marko Pecarski added 13 Georgios Kalaitzakis got 12 while Dovic Bickauskis had 10 for the hosts.

Rubstavicius got Lietkabelis going with a driving basket and Gabrielius Maldunas added a jump hook. James Banks scored twice in the paint to tie it at 4-4. Banks matched Pecarski's dunk with his third jump hook, then Oleksandr Kovliar's jumper restored an 8-6 Lietkabelis lead. Eleftherios Mantzoukas took over with a fast-break layup and Toliopoulos buried back-to-back three-pointers to make the hosts call a timeout at 10-14. Rubstavicius and Kalaitzakis stepped up to bring Lietkabelis within 16-17. Toliopoulos scored in penetration to restore a 16-19 Aris lead after 10 minutes.

Bickauskis surprised Aris's defense with a backdoor layup, then Martynas Varnas kept the hosts within 20-21. Mantzoukas and Bochoridis each struck from downtown in a 0-10 Aris run in which Rawle Alkins added a jumper and a two-handed dunk, good for a 20-31 lead. Pecarski scored in the low post before DeJulius hit back with a floater. Rubstavicius and Grantas Vasiliauskas fueled a 6-0 run that brought Lietkabelis within 28-33. Chatzidakis scored in the paint, getting help from Toliopoulos and Bochoridis to keep Aris out of trouble, 32-42, at halftime.

Pecarski and Trey Woodbury traded baskets soon after the break. Rubstavicius and Pecarski kept pacing Lietkabelis but Aris started to find easy baskets in the paint, with Banks and Joshua Roberts keeping the guests fully in charge, 40-49. Bochoridis downed a six-meter jumper and found Chatzidakis for a layup. De Julius added a fast-break basket and Woodbury's second-chance layup made Lietkabelis stop the game at 45-57. Toliopoulos buried an off-balance floater in the lane and added a three-pointer that broke the game open, 48-64. Bochoridis took over with a layup-plus-foul, then Kalaitzakis and Bickauskis brought Lietkabelis a bit closer, 55-70, after 30 minutes.

Chatzidakis stepped up with a put-back layup early in the fourth quarter and a red-hot Toliopoulos sank his fifth triple in as many attempts, good for a 55-75 Aris lead. Vasiliauskas followed a fadeaway jumper with a big dunk in traffic to give Lietkabelis hope, 61-75, with 8 minutes left. Toliopoulos struck from beyond the arc and Chatzidakis scored again to seal the outcome, 65-80. Lietkabelis could not come back in the final 4 minutes, as Aris kept full control of the game until the final buzzer.

The Greek side notched its first win of the season

Devin Robinson has been key in helping KK Cedevita Olimpija get off to a flying start in this year's EuroCup, which have come after two tough years for the club.

Devin Robinson looking to bring Cedevita Olimpija back where they belong in the EuroCup

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana had a tough time in last year's BKT EuroCup. The team’s first victory of the season came at the end of January, meaning it had gone on a 15-game losing streak. After finally breaking that unwanted streak on the road in Hamburg, two other defeats against the London Lions and Paris Basketball concluded a thoroughly disappointing season.

The Slovenian powerhouse knew it couldn't fail on an ambitious but important mission: finding the right assets in the summer market to reshape a winning mentality for the Dragons.

First and foremost, Cedevita brought in a former EuroCup champion as head coach in Zvezdan Mitrovic, then went about bringing in several new faces who could make a difference. Adding strength to solid players like DJ Stewart and Jaka Blazic, Brynton Lemar and Devante Jones joined the team. Somebody could even fly: his name is Devin Robinson.

Read more about Devin Robinson and his impact at Cedevita [HERE](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/eurocup/1724375/devin-robinson-cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana-bkt-eurocup-2024-2025/).

The American forward has been huge in helping the Slovenian team already get better results than last year