Bahcesehir College Istanbul announced on Monday that it has signed veteran shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz for the remained of the season. 

Bahcesehir brings Furkan Korkmaz home to Istanbul 

Group A leader Bahcesehir College Istanbul announced on Monday that it has signed veteran shooting guard [Furkan Korkmaz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/furkan-korkmaz/005763/) for the remained of the season. Korkmaz (2.02 meters, 27 years old) joined AS Monaco over the summer after seven seasons in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, but he played sparingly with the Roca Team. Korkmaz appeared in only three Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games during which he averaged 4.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12 minutes.

<center> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">🚨 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐦𝐚𝐳, 𝐁𝐚𝐡𝐜̧𝐞𝐬̧𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐫 𝐊𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐣𝐢&#39;𝐧𝐝𝐞!<br><br>🤝 Son olarak EuroLeague ekiplerinden Monaco forması giyen, 2017-2024 yılları arasında Philadelphia 76ers formasıyla NBA’de gururla izlediğimiz Milli oyuncumuz Furkan Korkmaz ile 2024-2025 sezonu sonuna… <a href="https://t.co/PX4gtZgisc">pic.twitter.com/PX4gtZgisc</a></p>&mdash; Bahçeşehir Koleji Spor Kulübü (@BKBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BKBasketbol/status/1873759654016127473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A product of the Anadolu Efes Istanbul youth system and native of Istanbul, Korkmaz played three seasons in the EuroLeague for the club. He appeared in 40 EuroLeague games between 2014 and 2016. Korkmaz won the Turkish Cup twice with Efes. He also spent time on loan at fellow Turkish clubs Pertevniyal and Banvit Bandirma early in his career. Korkmaz will make his EuroCup debut with Bahcesehir.

During the NBA part of his career, Korkmaz appeared in a total of 328 NBA games plus 33 playoff games. His best season was 2019-20, when he averaged 9.8 points on 40.2% three-point shooting and 2.3 rebounds per game. Last season Korkmaz was traded to the Indiana Pacers, but never suited up for that team.

More Bahcesehir news

The shooting guard will see his first EuroCup action with Bahcesehir 

Trefl Sopot announced on Monday that it has signed veteran forward Darious Moten for the remainder of the season

Trefl Sopot reunites with Darious Moten 

Trefl Sopot announced on Monday that it has signed veteran forward Darious Moten for the remainder of the season. The move came several hours after it parted ways with Andy Van Vliet. Moten Moten (2.02 meters, 32 years old) returns to the club he first joined in March 2020 and left in the summer of 2023. He most recently played for Reales De La Vega in the Dominican Republic.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="pl" dir="ltr">Darious Moten wraca do Trefla Sopot! Amerykański skrzydłowy, który w żółto-czarnych barwach rozegrał już 79 meczów, podpisał umowę do końca sezonu 2024/2025 ✍ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/plkpl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#plkpl</a> <br><br>🗨 &quot;Po rozmowach ze sztabem szkoleniowym doszliśmy do wniosku, że jedną ze zmian, które musimy przeprowadzić,… <a href="https://t.co/Keem7oX2EV">pic.twitter.com/Keem7oX2EV</a></p>&mdash; MISTRZ POLSKI 2024 🏆 (@treflsopot) <a href="https://twitter.com/treflsopot/status/1873742209582813669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Moten has also played for the Svendborg Rabbits in Denmark, Espoo United and Ura Basket in Finland, Eisbaren Bremerhaven in Germany, Olomoucko in Czechia and Union Neuchatel Basket in Switzerland. He could be in uniform as soon as this week when Trefl takes on Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in Round 13 on Thursday.

"After talking with the coaching staff, we came to the conclusion that one of the changes we need to make is to sign a defensive player for the 3-4 position," club president Marek Wierzbicki said in a statement released by the club. "We considered various options. During the talks, Zan Tabak stated that he could use someone like Darious. He has good memories of working with him; he is a basketball player who knows his requirements, wants to work and, above all, looks after the good of the team. We contacted Darious and quickly reached an agreement. As I mentioned at the beginning, this is not the end of the changes at Trefl Sopot."

The forward previously spent three and a half seasons with Trefl

Guarding possessions used by opposing ball handlers and screeners effectively is a game-changing ability in the BKT EuroCup of Euroleague Basketball

Stats review: Who has the best pick-and-roll defense?

Round 12 of the BKT EuroCup featured a key matchup in Group A as Bahcesehir College Istanbul scored an 8-point victory at home to move one game clear of second-place Dreamland Gran Canaria.  In a low-scoring affair, defense was the difference for the hosts.

Bahcesehir held Gran Canaria to just 15 points over 28 possessions created out of pick-and-rolls - one of the better single-game efforts in recent years in terms of efficiency. Allowing only 2 points to their pick-and-roll ball handlers - well below their 10.1 per game season average - they made things a struggle for the visitors in a game with obvious seeding implications.                 

They flipped the script on Gran Canaria who - even after conceding 41 points over 43 possessions in pick-and-rolls to Bahcesehir - remains far and away the best ball screen defense in the EuroCup on the year overall. Guarding possessions used by opposing ball handlers and screeners more effectively than anyone else by a comfortable margin, Gran Canaria has jammed up some of the better offenses in Group A. That held up against Bahcesehir who may not have gotten much scoring from their ball handlers or screeners, but found their shooters consistently out of two-man actions to the tune of 22 points over 21 spot-up possessions. 

The table above lists the top pick-and-roll defenses in the EuroCup so far in terms of points per possession allowed.  The main differentiator keeping Gran Canaria in a tier by itself to this point has been the way it has protected the paint without giving much back on the perimeter.  Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem and Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv have fallen in between Gran Canaria and the pack in terms of how well they contest shots inside the arc, but they have better-defined strengths and weaknesses with Jerusalem fairing better guarding screeners and Hapoel doing a relatively better job not just defending the ball, but forcing ball handlers to beat them.

The strategy that goes into how teams defend ball screens at this level is significant and there can be as much value in dictating the action as defending it some nights.  Aris Midea Thessaloniki embodies that with the pressure it brings to the ball and clogging up the passing lanes as it forces turnovers on around 20% of the pick-and-rolls they face, which is the top mark in the EuroCup. While Aris pays a price at times when passes get through, it forces enough mistakes to make up for it more often than not.

With the average possession created out of a pick-and-roll being converted for 0.96 points per possession this season due to Gran Canaria’s outlier performance, only six teams have been able to stay ahead of the curve, including the top two teams in both groups. With teams employing different strategies to stop pick-and-rolls against not just different teams, but individual players, that glances over a great deal of nuance, but with most teams creating over 40% of their total possessions out of those actions, the results certainly paint a picture.

Guarding possessions used by opposing ball handlers and screeners effectively is a game-changing ability

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul upgraded its frontcourt with the addition of Uros Plavsic. The center arrives on loan from Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade for the remainder of the season

Besiktas loans Uros Plavsic from Crvena Zvezda

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul has upgraded its frontcourt with the addition of [Uros Plavsic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/uros-plavsic/006240/). The center arrives on loan from Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade for the remainder of the season. Plavsic (2.17 meters, 26 years old) joined Zvezda over the summer on a three-year deal and averaged 5.2 points and 2.7 rebounds over 11:25 minutes in 10 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Uros Plavsic Beşiktaş Fibabanka’da<br><br>Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi ve BKT EuroCup’ta yoluna devam eden Beşiktaş Fibabanka Takımımız, Sırbistan Milli Takımı’nda forma giyen 2.16 boyundaki pivot Uros Plavsic’i kiralık olarak kadrosuna kattı.<br><br>Beşiktaş Fibabanka Takımımız, son… <a href="https://t.co/IXnQbaTzmE">pic.twitter.com/IXnQbaTzmE</a></p>&mdash; Beşiktaş Fibabanka (@BJK_Basketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJK_Basketbol/status/1872658759966773581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Plavsic grew up with Mega and was moved to the club's first team in the 2015-16 campaign, before getting his feet wet in professional basketball as a teenager the following season with Smederevo in the Serbian League. He then spent four seasons playing college basketball at the University of Tennessee. Plavsic returned to Europe last season and averaged 15.4 points on 68.5% two-point shooting and 7.7 rebounds for Mega, which he helped reach the ABA League semifinals. He will now make his EuroCup debut with Besiktas.

More Besiktas news

The center appeared in 10 EuroLeague games this season

ratiopharm Ulm laid down a marker against Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul in rolling to a 17-point home victory after losing their Round 4 matchup in Turkiye back in October by 33 points. Albeit in a game that Ulm had an entirely different mind frame.

Ulm keeps rolling, showed its real self against Besiktas 

[ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/ratiopharm-ulm/ulm/) laid down a marker against [Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/besiktas-fibabanka-istanbul/bes/) in rolling to a 17-point home victory after losing their Round 4 matchup in Turkiye back in October by 33 points. Albeit in a game that Ulm had an entirely different mind frame.

On Thursday night, Ulm extended its winning streak to five games by [beating Besiktas 104-87](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/ulm-overpowers-besiktas-104-87/) in a critical game in the fight for a top-two spot in Group A. Ulm continued to shine with its high-octane offense, having scored at least 100 point for the third straight game and improved to a 9-4 record.

“It’s nice to go out of 2024 with a victory. Also the fact that we lost really badly in Istanbul against what I think is a very good basketball team. I think we played really well today. Maybe one of our best performances,” said Ulm head coach [Ty Harrelson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/ratiopharm-ulm/ulm/harrelson-ty/?season=U2024), whose team dished out 28 assists and shot 54.5% on three-pointers.

Ulm dropped the Round 4 game in Istanbul 107-74 for its first EuroCup loss of the season. But that was the third game of a six-game road trip for Ulm which the team travel 25,000 kilometers over a 15-day period.

The EuroCup game at Besiktas came on the Monday following Ulm’s heart-breaking buzzer-beater 103-100 loss in the German Cup to Bamberg on Saturday, October 12. The first Besiktas game was also two days before the young Ulm team would play in a high-profile exhibition game against the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers in the United States. So, it wouldn’t be a shock if some of those Ulm players were already thinking about the honor of playing on an NBA court.

Ulm’s first road game in that stretch was at Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius in Round 3 and the remaining road contests came against Oldenburg in the German League and at Dreamland Gran Canaria in Round 5, when Ulm gave up a EuroCup-record 125 points. 

Coming back to its home game on Boxing Day, Ulm also had what could be considered a road game as the Besiktas fans were louder than the home supporters for large parts of the contest.

“This atmosphere was amazing. The Besiktas fans put on a great show, but also our fans were ready to come and celebrate basketball today,” said Ulm guard [Thomas Klepeisz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/thomas-klepeisz/010582/), who scored a season-high 15 points. “I fed off that energy and it was a lot of fun to play basketball today.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Capitano showing them how it&#39;s done 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/uuulmer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#uuulmer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/weareone?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#weareone</a> | 📷 Harry Langer <a href="https://t.co/m9v1y0LBge">pic.twitter.com/m9v1y0LBge</a></p>&mdash; ratiopharm ulm (@ratiopharmulm) <a href="https://twitter.com/ratiopharmulm/status/1872386909252555084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Besiktas head coach [Dusan Alimpijevic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/besiktas-fibabanka-istanbul/bes/alimpijevic-dusan/?season=U2024) tried to warn his players against thinking about the home win back in October.

"I told them forget about this first game and this 33-point win. I told them this is a completely different team. This is a completely different approach. And we didn’t exist today,” Alimpijevic said.

Ulm now holds a two-game lead over Besiktas – 9-4 to 7-6 – in the group, but Harrelson admitted he and the team was thinking about the tiebreaker. 

“I was telling the guys, we want to get the head-to-head. (Laughs). At some point they made a little run and it became apparent that would be really difficult to do without forcing stuff,” Harrelson said. “For most of the game we were very efficient with our offense. A couple of turnovers late led to some fast breaks so we couldn’t push it out to that type of score. Of course, that is what we would have liked to do but it just didn’t happen.”

The victory also meant a lot because Ulm had lost its last two games in the German League.

“It was an important game for our team today before a little bit of a break and New Year’s. I am just really proud of the group. 28 assists was the key. When we move the basketball, we are dangerous.”

Ulm certainly showed that in its final game of 2024 as the team looks ahead to 2025 with hopes of even further development.

Game News

Ty Harrelson’s men showed just how much they have changed since losing to Istanbul team by 33 points 

ratiopharm Ulm v Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul (2024-12-26T18:00:00.000Z)

ratiopharm Ulm roared for a 104-87 home victory over Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul to extend its winning streak to five games in a crucial Group A matchup. 

Ulm overpowers Besiktas 104-87

ratiopharm Ulm roared for a 104-87 home victory over Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul to extend its winning streak to five games in a crucial Group A matchup. Ulm lost a 13-point first-half lead but never allowed Besiktas to get back ahead and cruised to a 9-4 record, including a 5-1 mark at home. Ulm had six players score in double figures in reaching the 100-point mark for the third straight game.

Marcio Santos and Justinian Jessup both scored 16 points while Thomas Klepeisz had the game of his season with 15 points - two more than his combined total thus far, and Ben Saraf added 10 points and 6 assists. Besiktas dropped to 7-6 with a second straight loss after a three-game winning streak. Kelan Martin was the top scorer for the visitors with 17 points and Dustin Sleva and Jonah Mathews both had 13 points. 

Game Videos

After Derek Needham opened the proceedings with a three-pointer for Besiktas, there were three lead changes and Ulm used 2 triples to go up 12-7. A second long ball from Jessup gave Ulm its first double-figure advantage at 19-9. Santos took over with 9 straight points for Ulm in building a 27-14 cushion. Besiktas pulled within 9 points but trailed 34-23 after 10 minutes.

After giving up 34 points in the opening frame, Besiktas held the hosts to just a put-back basket in the first 3 minutes of the second quarter and Martin scored 6 points in a 2-10 run to get the deficit down to 36-33. Besiktas erased the 13-point gap on a Mathews layup to knot it up 38-38. Jessup answered with a three-pointer and Saraf sparked the offense with three scores as Ulm led 50-42 and went into the break ahead 52-44.

Noa Essengue threw down a dunk and Klepeisz drained a triple as Besiktas head coach Dusan Alimpijevic called a timeout just 51 seconds into the second half. Isaiah Roby followed with 5 points for Ulm, which pushed the advantage to 64-47. Klepeisz drained his third triple and Ulm increased the margin to 20 points - 72-52. Besiktas was not ready to hand over the game and trimmed it to 74-60. The home side led 81-64 after 30 minutes.

Ulm got two transition baskets in the first 2 minutes of the fourth quarter for an 85-66 lead and Alimpijevic called another timeout. Ulm kept up the pace and Nelson Weidemann hit 2 three-pointers for a 95-70 lead with 5 minutes to play. The only question was if Ulm could actually catch the 33-point deficit from the road game in Istanbul. But that was the closest the German side could make it.

Ulm captures big win in fight for top spots in Group A

ratiopharm Ulm overpowers Besiktas 104-87

Maxime Courby is not only the EuroCup’s deadliest three-point shooter this season, but the face of the JL Bourg franchise ranks first all-time in competition history for long-range accuracy. But slowly he is thinking about calling it a day – starting with handing over the captaincy.

Face of Bourg franchise Maxime Courby: Last season was ‘magical’, but end is coming soon

[Maxime Courby](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/maxime-courby/010450/) is not only the BKT EuroCup’s deadliest three-point shooter this season, but the face of the [Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/cosea-jl-bourg-en-bresse/bou/) franchise ranks first all-time in competition history for long-range accuracy. But slowly he is thinking about calling it a day – starting with handing over the captaincy.

The 34-year-old Courby has been with Bourg since 2015, signing with the team from east-central France when they were still in the second division ProB. And his journey with the club crescendoed last season by reaching the EuroCup Finals, where it lost to Paris Basketball.

“It was magical because when I signed with Bourg, we grew up fast,” Courby told David Hein. “It was amazing because we are a small city, so everybody talked about the EuroCup games every week. When I signed with Bourg, the first two years we were in ProB. And now they talk about us everywhere in Europe. We reached a level that we were not supposed to. And it's amazing.”

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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ciad9i5NKoR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Maxime Courby (@maxjuemyno7)</a></p></div></blockquote>
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All this was not really part of the plan for Courby, who hails from Roubaix in northern France.

“When I signed, the goal was just to move up to ProA and stay there,” he said. “Now the goal is to each year be second, third or fourth in the championship so we are close to AS Monaco, Paris and \[LDLC\] ASVEL \[Villeuerbanne\]. We are a big, big team in France now.

“I could not have imagined when I signed 10 years ago that we would reach this level. It was a really big dream for me to play at this level. But I never imagined playing in the EuroCup in Bourg-en-Bresse. For me, it was just a step. And afterward, I would try to find another club to play at this level.”

Courby has now totaled 74 appearances for Bourg in the EuroCup, dating back to the 2020-21 season. He has connected on 79 of 159 three-pointers in his EuroCup career for a breathtaking 49.7% clip. That is top all-time, with Jurica Ruzic ranking second at 48.3% followed by Sergei Chikalkin at 48.2%.

“I can’t believe that because when I was young, I didn’t have a good shooting form and I worked \[on it\] a lot,” he added. “And it's just about working, because it was not natural at the beginning. I don't shoot a lot; I have a good selection of my shots so maybe that's why I have a high percentage. But it's a lot of work.”

Despite turning 34 on November 23, Courby is actually having his best shooting season thus far – hitting 11 of 16 three-point attempts for 71.4% in 11 games. That comes after he had his poorest shooting season last year.

After making 50.7%, 64% and 42.9% respectively his first three seasons in the EuroCup, Courby connected on just 26.3% in 2023-24.

“I think it was just a mental thing because I was not in a good shape mentally last season to reach the high percentages than I had before,” he commented “I was sometimes mad because I didn't play, so it was tough last season. When you don't play some big games, you are naturally a bit sad.”

Courby’s mind was also preoccupied with another matter last year. At the end of last season, he received his coaching degree. The veteran also worked last season as an assistant coach for Bourg’s U21 team that won the French championship.

“It was a really good experience for me,” he stated. “It's another way of looking at basketball. It's not the same when we are players as when you are outside of the court. It's really interesting. When I come back to my home, it's not the same. We think about basketball differently. It's interesting to prepare the practice for the young teams. It's really different. So it was a good experience.”

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Another big difference between this season and last is that Courby is no longer the team captain. He handed that honor over to Hugo Benitez. The team’s starting point guard will turn 24 in January but has been with the club since starting in the youth ranks in 2016.

"It was natural to give the captain armband to Hugo,” Courby said of Benitez, who has now played in 72 EuroCup games, all with Bourg. “He's the new generation. He's really talented. He's our point guard. He has been playing all the time – not just for a few weeks – and is in the starting five. He's important for us. So for me, it's normal.”

Courby is slowly wondering how much longer he will play the game. In October 2023 he agreed to a contract extension until 2026.

When asked if he plans on playing after that, he said: “That’s the question I don’t know at the moment. If my health is good, maybe I can keep playing, but I don't know.”

About the possibility of something in coaching, he mentioned: “If the club proposes me something...”

Until then, Courby will just continue to knock down those three-pointers.

Latest Bourg News

The most accurate three-point shooter in EuroCup history has handed the captaincy to Hugo Benitez and is already thinking about the future 

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys has reunited with veteran center Djordje Gagic, who previously played for the club from 2020 through 2022

Lietkabelis reunites with center Djordje Gagic

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys has reunited with veteran center [Djordje Gagic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/djordje-gagic/004229/), who previously played for the club from 2020 through 2022. Gagic (2.10 meters, 33 years old) played for Wolves Vilnius last season and averaged 7.3 points on 60% shooting in less than 12 minutes over 10 BKT EuroCup games.

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Gagic has also played for Partizan Belgrade, Borac Cacak and Hemofarm Vrsac in Serbia; Mornar Bar in Montenegro; Tenerife in Spain; Tsmoki Minsk in Belarus; Royal Hali Gaziantep, Yesilgiresun Belediye and Istanbul BB in Turkey; Aris Thessaloniki in Greece, Igokea in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brindisi in Italy, Blois Basket in France and Sports Club Doha in Qatar. He is a two-time Serbian League champion, won the Serbian Cup twice and the Adriatic League in 2013. Gagic has also been a member of the Serbian national team, with which he won a bronze medal at the 2013 World University Games.

The latest Lietkabelis news

This will be his seventh season in the EuroCup 

Lietkabelis Panevezys pulled off the shock of the 2024-25 EuroCup season so far on Friday night by beating Valencia Basket 106-107 in overtime at La Fonteta. 

Lietkabelis stuns Valencia in OT, 106-107

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys pulled off the shock of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season so far on Friday night by beating Valencia Basket 106-107 in overtime at La Fonteta. This was a rescheduled game from Round 6, as the initial matchup had to be postponed due to the severe floods in the Community of Valencia. Lietkabelis improved to a 4-8 record, while Valencia is now 11-1.

Oleksandr Kovliar had a night to remember for Lietkabelis with a career-high 25 points, while Martynas Varnas had a personal-best 21, Dovis Bickauskis 14, Georgios Kalaitzakis 13, and Danielius Lavrinovicius 12. Valencia had six players finish in double figures in points: Xabi Lopez-Arostegui (20), Semi Ojeleye (17), Nate Sestina (12), Jean Montero (11), Brancou Badio (11), and Josep Puerto (10).

Lietkabelis started the game the way it intended to go on, scoring the first 5 points of the night to take a 0-5 lead. Valencia soon came back into it and took an 11-10 advantage on the back of 5 points by Nate Sestina, but Lietkabelis went on a 7-0 run to go 11-17 ahead again. Both teams were scoring with relative ease, and it was 26-24 after 10 minutes.

Valencia led for the majority of the second quarter, only falling behind once at 33-34, after a triple by Bickauskis, and the hosts' advantage swelled to nine points at 48-39 after a 12-3 stretch in which Ojeleye scored 7 straight points. It became a double-digit ballgame soon after, with Badio opening a 14-point lead at 57-43, but Kovliar's basket ensured there was a 12-point difference, 57-45, at the interval.

Badio's three-pointer to open the third period restored a 14-point edge for Valencia, 59-45, then Puerto opened a game-high 16-point lead at 61-45 with a couple of free throws. But from that point on, Lietkabelis decided to step up in the face of adversity. Two of the visitors' players reeled off 13 straight points to make it a one-possession contest at 61-58, with Kovliar scoring 6 points in that stretch and Kalaitzakis netting 7. Kalaitzakis later made it 65-65, and a 10-0 Lietkabelis run to finish the quarter saw it take a 72-79 lead into the final frame.

Lietkabelis stayed in front for the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter, even if Valencia kept hitting back and making in a one-possession affair time and time again. It looked as though Lietkabelis's effort was not going to pay off when Ojeleye drained a couple of free throws and Lopez-Arostegui converted a three-point play to put Valencia back in front at 97-95, but Kovliar had a chance to win it after being fouled on a three-point shot by Lopez-Arostegui with just over one second left on the clock. In the end, Kovliar missed his first free throw but hit the following two, setting a 97-97 score and forcing the extra session.

It was Valencia which struck first in overtime, with Lopez-Arostegui making a couple of free throws, before Varnas returned the favor down the other end. Free throws were the order of the day through the first two and a half minutes, but Badio's triple with 2:17 minutes left gave Valencia a 104-101 edge. Varnas made more free throws, then Bickauskis scored a high-arcing layup to put Lietkabelis 104-105 ahead. Lopez-Arostegui responded in kind for the hosts, but Gabrielius Maldunas became the hero with a clutch layup with 16.7 seconds remaining, which proved to be the last score of the game. 

The Spanish side's unbeaten run in the EuroCup has come to an end

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