Stark, Blumbergs give Aris spark

Aris Midea Thessaloniki took an important step forwards to reach the playoffs in Group B, downing Turk Telekom Ankara 85-95 in the Turkish capital on Tuesday. Aris now has a 5-7 record and a 2-0 sweep over one of its pursuers in Turk Telekom.
Vassilis Toliopoulos was once again Aris's floor general, getting 20 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, but an inspired newcomer and a teammate posting career-best numbers had to do a lot with this win.
What a EuroCup debut by Stark!
It was Jonathan Stark's first EuroCup game ever, and he made sure it was one that Aris fans will remember. Stark stepped up big late in the third quarter, when Turk Telekom rallied to get within 53-56. He scored around the basket, buried a jumper and added a three-pointer to give Aris plenty of fresh air, 59-66, after 30 minutes.
Stark kept it going, too, ultimately getting 17 of his 19 points in the final 12 minutes. He buried 5 of 6 two-pointers, 2 of 3 three-pointers and 3 of 4 free throws, drawing 4 fouls to amass a PIR of 20.
Blumbergs came back strong
Additionally, Roberts Blumbergs had been battling with injuries this season, missing eight games. In five previous appearances, he had averaged 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and a PIR of 2.4, hitting 18.2% of his shots from beyond the arc.
This time, Blumbergs was very active from the very beginning of the game. He needed just 4 seconds to become the first player to score, on a two-handed dunk. Blumbergs soon added a layup-plus-free throw that helped Aris build an early 5-13 lead.
He finished with a career-high 12 points with no shots missed, going 3-for-3 on two pointers, 1-for-1 behind the arc and 3-for-3 from the foul lines. Blumbergs added 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 20. In five previous games, Blumbergs has amassed a combined PIR of 12.