Name: Valencia Basket-Aris Midea Thessaloniki | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Valencia Basket-Aris Midea Thessaloniki | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Valencia Basket v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2025-01-22T19:30:00.000Z)

Isaac Bonga had the best performance of his EuroLeague career as KK Partizan beat Paris Basketball 92-86 in Round 23 of the 2024-25 EuroLeague season.

Isaac Bonga stars as Partizan outguns Paris, 92-86

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade made it three wins in a row in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague – following back-to-back road triumphs last week – by downing Paris Basketball 92-86 in an outstanding offensive battle at Belgrade Arena on Wednesday night. Zeljko Obradovic’s men improved to 12-11 on the season and have also won their last three home games, while Paris dropped to 13-9 and has now lost its last four games on the road. By emerging with a six-point win, Partizan made up for its three-point defeat (74-71) to Paris back in Round 8 and thus secured the tiebreaker.

Carlik Jones led Partizan in scoring with 17 points, and Isaac Bonga had an excellent all-around game with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Sterling Brown also had 15 points, Brandon Davies netted 13, and Iffe Lundberg poured in 11. Paris had four players finish in double figures in points: TJ Shorts (19 points), Tyson Ward (14), Nadir Hifi (13), and Collin Malcolm (10).

Game Videos

Paris was the team that started the game the better, with Shorts, Malcolm and Ward all combining to put the visitors 4-14 ahead. Bonga’s corner three out of a timeout provided a boost to the hosts, and scores inside by Tyrique Jones and Lundberg were followed by another corner three, this time by Carlik Jones, as Partizan trimmed the gap to 14-16. Hifi and Maodo Lo joined forces for Paris to give Tiago Splitter’s side some breathing room, but Bonga – who had a 17 PIR at the end of the first period – finished the quarter with a three to pull Partizan within six points at 26-32.

Brown started the second quarter with a block on Shorts and then followed that up with a three-pointer, resulting in a loud roar from the Partizan faithful. A couple of minutes later, Bonga continued his impressive first half with a floater, a towering defensive rebound and a layup in quick succession to make it a one-point ballgame, 35-36. When Arijan Lakic ended up draining a three to put Partizan 40-38 ahead, the crowd went crazy. From there, the wind was in Partizan’s sails as Lundberg, Davies and Tyrique Jones gave Partizan a 52-45 edge, yet Shorts and Malcolm made it a one-possession affair at 52-49. Tyrique Jones’s poster dunk on Mikael Jantunen gave Partizan a 54-49 lead at halftime.

Game News

Brown and Lundberg helped Partizan fight off Paris, which was getting contributions from Shorts and Hifi, in the opening stages of the third frame as Partizan led 63-57. An 8-1 Paris run that was capped by a Yakuba Ouattara tough score inside restored the advantage to the visitors, 64-65, but Davies scored five points for Partizan to make it 69-67. A big fast-break dunk by Brown and a Lakic three allowed Partizan to hold a 74-69 edge after 30 minutes.

Carlik Jones scored four points in the opening 70 seconds of the fourth quarter to put Partizan up by eight, 78-70, but then it was the turn of Aleksej Pokusevski – who hadn’t played through the first three quarters – to come into the game and bank in a three, 81-74. Paris refused to go away, getting baskets from Shorts and Hifi to pull within four at 83-79, but Pokusevski banked in another three at 86-79. Partizan managed the game the rest of the way, with Brown and Carlik Jones putting the icing on the cake in the final 20 seconds as the hosts ran out to a 92-86 victory.

The German forward posted a career-high 28 PIR in a very impressive individual display

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v Paris Basketball (2025-01-22T19:30:00.000Z)

In a thriller that came down to the final shot, Umana Reyer Venice improved its chances to reach the BKT EuroCup playoffs in Group B by edging Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 76-75 at home in Round 16 on Wednesday.

Mfiondu Kabengele lifts Reyer past Jerusalem, 76-75! 

In a thriller that came down to the final shot, Umana Reyer Venice improved its chances to reach the playoffs in Group B by edging Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 76-75 at home in Round 16 on Wednesday.

Reyer and Jerusalem are now 9-7 in Group B along with three other teams: Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse, U-BT Cluj-Napoca and Turk Telekom Ankara. Mfiondu Kabengele led the winners with 16 points and a game-saving block down the stretch. Carl Wheatle added 13 points while Tyler Ennis had 12 for Reyer. Khadeen Carrington led Jerusalem with 21 points and Jared Harper added 17.

Gabriel Chachasvili got Jerusalem going with a three-pointer. Kabengele answered from downtown before Jared Harper's fatsbreak layup gave the visitors a 3-5 lead. Carl Wheatle banked in a close shot and Jordan Parks added a tip-in that put Reyer ahead, 7-5. Ennis beat the shot clock with a triple and Xavier Munford also joined the three-point shootout to boost the hosts' margin to 13-7. Harper stepped up with a driving layup and Carrington erased Munford's jumper with a close basket. Carrington scored again and got help from Derek Ogbeide and Tarik Phillip to tie the game at 17-17 after 10 minutes.

 

Carrington remained on fire early in the second quarter and Jeremy Morgan's three-point play gave Jerusalem a 17-22 lead after a 0-11 run. Reyer found a go-to guy in Alessandro Lever, who had a put-back layup, a fastbreak basket and a dunk off a steal in an 8-0 run that made it 25-22. Simms matched Justin Smith's put-back slam with an off-balance jumper. Parks hit a running jumper and Carrington answered with a reverse layup before Harper tied it at 29-29. Kabengele stepped up for Reyer with a pair of free throws, a put-back layup and a dunk to put his team ahead, 37-35. Yovel Zoosman scored in penetration before Kyle Wiltjer gave Reyer a 38-37 edge at halftime.

Ennis buried a long three-pointer soon after the break and Wheatle added a layup off a steal for a 43-38 Reyer lead. After Zoosman struck from beyond the arc, Kabengele answered with a put-back layup and Carrington's big basket in transition drew Jerusalem within 45-43. Ogbeide's reverse layup got the visitors even closer. Carrington took over with a coast-to-coast dunk and Ogbeide matched Kabengele's slam with a tip-in for a 50-51 Jerusalem lead. After Kabengele bettered Chris Johnson's power basket with a three-point play, Rodney McGruder added an acrobatic basket-plus-foul of his own only to see Harper tie it again, 58-58. Juan Fernandez struck from downtown for a 61-58 Reyer lead after 30 minutes.

Smith scored around the basket early in the fourth quarter. McGruder made a close shot and added a fastbreak layup, which prompted Jerusalem to call timeout at 65-60. Carrington struck from downtown and Smith followed a fastbreak slam with a put-back layup to give the visitors a 66-67 lead with over 6 minutes left. Wheatle stepped up with a backdoor layup and Ennis Euro-stepped his way away from the defense, giving Reyer a 70-68 lead. Harper silenced the crowd with an off-balance three-point play, Wheatle dunked and Ennis made it 74-71 with 2:24 left. Phillip sank a corner triple and added a free throw for a 74-75 Jerusalem lead. Wiltjer downed foul shots and Jerusalem called timeout with 22.8 seconds remaining. Kabengele ignited the crowd with a game-saving block on Harper which allowed Reyer to get a good-as-gold win, as Carrington missed a mid-range shot at the buzzer.

The star center made a game-saving block with 3 seconds left


Mfiondu Kabengele lifts Reyer past Jerusalem, 76-75

Umana Reyer Venice v Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (2025-01-22T19:45:00.000Z)

Mfiondu Kabengele rejects Jared Harper's potential game-winning shot in the final seconds. Reyer wins!

Kabengele’s win-saving block! Magic Moment of the Night 

 Mfiondu Kabengele rejects Jared Harper's potential game-winning shot in the final seconds. Reyer wins!

Valencia Basket took the inside track for the number one overall seed in the BKT EuroCup as it dominated Aris Midea Thessaloniki 106-65 at home for a third straight win

Valencia routs Aris, 106-65, grabs lead for No. 1 overall seed

Valencia Basket took the inside track for the number one overall seed in the BKT EuroCup as it dominated Aris Midea Thessaloniki 106-65 at home for a third straight win. Valencia already led by 26 points in the first half and cruised to a 14-2 record in Group B - moving one victory ahead of Group A leader Bahcesehir College Istanbul. Valencia hit the century mark on the scoreboard for the 10th time this season.

Nate Sestina nailed 6 of 10 three-pointers for 18 points to lead the way for Valencia with Jean Montero adding 16 points and 7 assists, Xabi Lopez-Arostegui scoring 12 points, Semi Ojeleye having 11 and Stefan Jovic dishing 9 assists. Aris dropped its fourth straight game for a 3-13 record and just one victory in the last 10 games. Vassilis Toliopoulos tallied 15 points as Aris’s top scorer.

Aris stayed with Valencia in the first 3 minutes and even led 5-7. But Valencia raced away with a 12-0 run for a 17-7 lead. Four points from Montero had Valencia ahead 25-12 and the score was 28-16 after 10 minutes.

Valencia needed nearly 2 minutes to score in the second quarter and Aris pulled with 28-18. But Sestina drained 2 three-pointers for the hosts and it was 38-24 when Josep Puerto and Sergio De Larrea both made triples in a 12-0 surge for a 50-24 advantage. The home side led 55-33 at the break.

Aris trailed 57-37 early in the second half and watched Valencia make 4 three-pointers - including back-to-back triples from Ojeleye - in a 17-6 run for a 74-43 cushion. Aris was able to score a bit more consistently but could not really make a dent in the deficit and was down 82-51 after 30 minutes.

Aris held Valencia scoreless for nearly 2 minutes to start the fourth quarter and pulled within 82-55. Valencia delivered the final knockout punch with the next 12 points and it was 94-55 with 5 minutes left in the game.

All 12 players scored for Valencia, which reached 100 points for 10th time 

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2025-01-22T18:30:00.000Z)

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse took a big step towards booking a playoff berth in the BKT EuroCup after a hard-fought 87-82 home win in Round 16 over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Group B 

Bourg holds on for big win over Cedevita, 87-82

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse took a big step towards booking a playoff berth in the BKT EuroCup after a hard-fought 87-82 home win over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Group B, improving to 9-7 while the Slovenian side dropped to 10-6.

With two rounds to go in the regular season, the home straight appears set for a dramatic climax as six teams are in contention for the runner-up spot behind leader Valencia Basket, which has secured pole position and hence an automatic quarterfinal berth.

Maxime Salash paced Bourg on 22 points and 7 boards after a valiant effort, while Hugo Benitez and Xavier Castaneda scored 14 apiece for the home side, which weathered a late Cedevita storm after the visitors had slashed a 72-53 deficit with a 0-13 run.

Devin Robinson netted a team-high 17 points for Cedevita, DJ Stewart added 13 and Devante Jones chipped in with 10. Crucially, Bourg sank 11 three-pointers to Cedevita’s 6, as the visitors also made a modest 12 of 18 free throws while the hosts were 18 of 22 from the foul line.

Cedevita turned an early 5-2 deficit into a 13-18 lead but Bourg hit back with an 8-0 run late in the first quarter and nosed ahead 22-20 at the end of the opening period. Salash did not miss a shot in the first half as he racked up 12 points and 5 boards by the interval, keeping Bourg in the driving seat as the French team took a 38-36 advantage into the locker room at the interval.

The third quarter brought the best in Bourg as the home side romped away into a 68-53 lead ahead of the final 10 minutes, with Salash dominating the paint at both ends while Benitez and Castaneda pulled the strings in the backcourt, forcing Cedevita on to the back foot. 

The visitors looked out for the count after falling behind 72-53 early in the fourth, but they then had their best spell of the matchup by closing the gap to 72-66. Several minutes later, Bourg’s lead was 77-71 and the home team then prevented a nervy finish with a 6-0 run which effectively sealed the game as a contest.

Cedevita kept fighting but eventually ran out of time to force the final twist, as Bourg was able to run the clock down and hold on for what could turn out to be a priceless win.

The French team nearly blew a massive lead but regained its composure in crunch time 

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Bahcesehir College Istanbul (2025-01-22T17:45:00.000Z)

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica kept its BKT EuroCup Playoffs hopes alive by edging ratiopharm Ulm 82-85 in Round 16 of the BKT EuroCup

Buducnost wins thriller at Ulm, 82-85

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica kept its BKT EuroCup Playoffs hopes alive by edging ratiopharm Ulm 82-85 on Wednesday evening. The hosts started strong, but Buducnost led for most of the game before a comeback saw Ulm take a narrow lead in the closing stages. Yet, Buducnost tightened up its defense in crunch time and clinched the road victory. The visitors claimed the head-to-head tiebreak advantage over Ulm and improved their record to 8-8, with Ulm dropping to 9-7.

Rasheed Sulaimon led all scorers with a season-high 27 points. McKinley Wright netted 18 and Kenan Kamenjas chipped in with 12 points. Noa Essengue paced Ulm with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Ben Saraf recorded 14 and 5 assists, with Alfonso Plummer netting 10 in a losing effort.

Marcio Santos opened the scoring with a triple before 6 straight points from Karim Jallow gave Ulm a 9-4 cushion. Wright and Sulaimon scored inside, with the latter completing a three-point play to tie it up, 9-9. Buckets by Kamenjas and Juwan Morgan gave Buducnost its first lead of the game, 12-17. Andrija Slavkovic’s three-point play was followed by a triple from Fletcher Magee, who extended Buducnost’s run to 1-14 for a 13-23 lead. Yogi Ferrell netted a layup and Nikola Tanaskovic opened his account from the free-throw line, with the visitors securing a 16-27 cushion after 10 minutes.

Saraf took over with 7 points to start the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 25-31. The game turned into a back-and-forth affair, as Essengue converted a three-point play as a response to Ferrell’s triple before Jallow and Alen Omic traded buckets, 30-36. But Sulaimon drilled one from deep and Wright scored 7 straight points to restore a 34-46 cushion. A Sulaimon three was followed by a layup from Kamenjas and a jumper by Wright to make it 36-53. Justinian Jessup and Nelson Weidemann netted inside, but Sulaimon hit again from deep, allowing Buducnost to maintain a 41-56 cushion at halftime.

The hosts opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run inspired by Saraf and slashed the deficit to 52-58. Sulaimon ended Ulm’s momentum with his fourth triple of the evening before Kamenjas and Slavkovic scored inside, establishing a 55-65 lead. Plummer scored 5 consecutive points on the other end, but Sulaimon responded with an off-balance jumper, 60-69. Isaiah Roby drained a three and Essengue added 5 points to his tally to bring Ulm within 68-71 heading into the closing quarter.

Essengue opened the fourth with a powerful slam, which was the only field goal scored by either team in the first 3 and a half minutes before a Roby dunk made it 72-73. Sulaimon scored inside, but Plummer and Jessup drilled back-to-back triples to put Ulm ahead, 78-77, with 4 minutes remaining. Then, Saraf and Essengue made a couple of free throws each to maintain an 82-79 lead with 1 minute left on the clock. But Wright made 2 of 2 from the charity stripe and Sulaimon completed a three-point play to put Buducnost back in front, 82-84. Jessup didn’t manage to hit the midrange jumper on the other end, with Sulaimon sealing the outcome from the line.

The visitors claimed the head-to-head tiebreak advantage over their fellow playoff contender

ratiopharm Ulm v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2025-01-22T18:00:00.000Z)

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul held off a stiff challenge from Trefl Sopot before pulling away late for an 87-72 victory on Wednesday night at Besiktas Fibabanka Sports Complex in Round 16 of the BKT EuroCup

Besiktas climbs to fourth place with 87-72 triumph over Trefl

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul held off a stiff challenge from Trefl Sopot before pulling away late for an 87-72 victory on Wednesday night at Besiktas Fibabanka Sports Complex. The result lifted Besiktas into fourth place in Group A with a 9-7 record, while last-place Trefl fell to 1-15.

Jonah Mathews led five Besiktas scorers in double figures with 21 points. Kyle Allman netted 17 points, Uros Plavsic and Yigit Arslan netted 12 each and Dustin Sleva had 11. Geoffrey Groselle paced Trefl with 16 points, Aaron Best and Jakub Schenk scored 15 apiece and Nahiem Alleyne 14.

Mathews scored the first points of the game with a mid-range jumper, but it was Trefl that impressed the most in the early going, opening a 4-8 lead after baskets by Best, Mikolaj Witlinski and Jaroslaw Zyskowski. Mathews kept charging Besiktas, however, and scored 8 points in an 11-2 run to make it 15-10. Allman and Arslan helped swell the lead to double digits at 22-11, and Arslan’s three from the EuroCup logo to end the quarter boosted the hosts’ advantage to 27-15.

Wins have not accompanied Trefl this season but its fighting spirit has never been in doubt, as it showed in the second quarter. Best’s triple was followed by three free throws by Bartosz Jankowski, which reduced the gap to six points (27-21). Although Besiktas restored its double-digit lead at 31-21 and 33-23, Trefl responded through Best, Darious Moten, Groselle and Schenk to pull within one point at 33-32. Alleyne’s three-point play ended up giving Trefl its first lead since early in the first period, 36-39, but Allman scored 7 points in the final 2:42 minutes as Besiktas took a 49-39 lead into the break.

Plavsic scored twice while the Besiktas defense held the visitors scoreless in the first few minutes of the second half to extend the lead. Alleyne connected from deep and Best scored twice as Trefl went on a 0-8 run to get within 53-48. Alleyne twice made it a 3-point game before Schenk stepped up with an acrobatic layup and free throws to give Trefl a 57-58 lead. Besiktas scored the next 6 points, with Arslan knocking down a three, which caused Trefl to call timeout. Jumpers by Needham and Schenk left the scoreboard at 65-60 after three quarters.

Jumpers by Conor Morgan and Needham stretched the Besiktas lead early in the fourth quarter only to see Alleyne and Schenk respond from close range. Groselle made it 69-66. Besiktas bounced back through 5 points from Mathews. Groselle and Mathews traded shots with a turnaround jumper by the latter making it 78-70. Arslan’s fourth triple of the night restored a double-digit margin. Plavsic’s alley-oop slam all but sealed the outcome as Besiktas completed an 11-0 run to complete the victory.

Jonah Mathews led five Besiktas scorers in double figures with 21 points

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul v Trefl Sopot (2025-01-22T17:00:00.000Z)

Carrington coast to coast! Magic Moment

Sterling Brown with force! Motorola Magic Moment

Tyrique Jones posterizes Mikael Jantunen! Motorola Magic Moment 

Wolves' Marek Blazevic, Andrew Andrews made up for limited output from Cowan, Thurman

[Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-vilnius/roster/wol/?season=2024-25) shrugged off poor shooting nights by its top two scorers and still came up with enough offense to beat one of the best defenses in the BKT EuroCup and remain a master of its own destiny.

Wolves received a combined 10 points from [Anthony Cowan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/anthony-cowan-jr/012003/) and [Tre’Shawn Thurman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tre-shawn-thurman/012577/) but produced [an impressive 88-76 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/wolves-upset-gran-canaria-88-76-in-important-victory-in-playoff-race/) over [Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/roster/can/?season=2024-25) for an 8-8 record in Group A.

Cowan averaged 16.9 points coming into the home game and scored a season-low 7 points while Thurman had just 3 points - 10.7 points below his average. Cowan helped in other ways with 10 assists and 3 steals and Thurman picked up 5 rebounds.

“Everybody has to understand and accept that if you want to be part of a great team, it doesn’t matter how many minutes you play, it doesn’t matter how many points you score, it only matters that you show up offensively and defensively to help the team win the way we prepared the game,” Wolves head coach Alessandro Magro said.

“\[Cowan\] is the type of player who can score 6 out of 8 three-pointers. It can happen that you have a bad night shooting, but you see the will that he had - to play with the others, to create, to help and facilitate the short-roll passes. The defense, the important steal.”

Marek Blazevic shined with 27 points against Gran Canaria

Wolves still managed to score 88 points against Gran Canaria, which ranked second in defensive index rating and opponents scoring and allowed the fewest assists.

A major reason for that was [Marek Blazevic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marek-blazevic/008186/), who blew away his previous career high with 27 points - 11 more than his previous best. The 23-year-old big man, who averaged 8.5 points coming into the game, also contributed 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 8 fouls drawn, which resulted in 13 of 13 free throws.

“We came prepared. We know that Gran Canaria is probably one of the best teams in EuroCup. They have a great history of winning this competition. So it brings more energy for us and more motivation,” Blazevic said.

“He was ready,” Magro said of Blazevic. “Everything he did was pretty solid.  I’m really happy for him and his journey. He is growing game by game, being more consistent, more solid at both sides.”

The other major offensive weapon was [Andrew Andrews](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/andrew-andrews/011248/), who quickly forgot his nightmare showing from last week as he missed all 10 of his field goal attempts in scoring 4 points against Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul. Andrews buried 3 three-pointers and converted all 10 of his free throw attempts for 25 points against Gran Canaria to make up the difference.

“This was one of the best games we had so far. We are alive and we showed ourselves that we can really compete,” Magro said.

But the road is still long for Wolves.

“It was the first of three finals. Fortunately we won the first one and now we have to go to Italy \[against Dolomiti Energia Trento\] and play the second one and then Buducnost for the last. We are masters of our own destiny,” the coach said.

Wolves still master of its own destiny after sweeping Gran Canaria 

Wolves' Blazevic, Andrews made up for limited output from Cowan, Thurman 

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2025-01-22T17:00:00.000Z)

Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul-Trefl Sopot | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul v Trefl Sopot (2025-01-22T18:00:00.000Z)

Lever steal and dunk! Magic Moment

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius-Dreamland Gran Canaria | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup   

Johnathan Motley of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv showcased his passing skills in Round 16 


Johnathan Motley showcased Hapoel's potential

[Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/roster/hta/?season=2024-25) showcased its full power in [an 84-77 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/hapoel-knocks-off-bahcesehir-84-77/) over [Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/roster/bah/?season=2024-25), in which several players stepped up and its defense stopped some of the visitors' pillars.

[Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/johnathan-motley/011157/) had an outstanding all-around performance, finishing the game with 19 points and a career-high 7 assists. He scored 8 of those points in the first quarter and kept sharing the ball well throughout the game, finding [Marcus Foster](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marcus-foster/010386/) and [Tomet Ginat](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tomer-ginat/010550/) around the baskets. Motley enhanced their performances with his passing skills. Ginat had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Foster added 17 points. Those two players combined to make 12 two-point shots without a miss.

All of them allowed Hapoel to finish the game with 22 assists and just 7 turnovers, in what was one of the biggest keys to this game. Hapoel shot the ball with better shooting percentages, making 21 of 37 two-pointers (56.3% 2FG) and 9 of 19 from downtown (47.4% 3FG). Bahcesehir was less accurate from all distances (47.5% 2FG, 42.1% 3FG). 

Johnathan Motley had 7 assists against Bahcesehir College Istanbul

Motley sets career-high in assists

Stopping some of Bahcesehir's main players was also really important in Hapoel's 10th win of the season. [Axel Bouteille](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/axel-bouteille/003840/) was held scoreless for the first time in 82 games. Bouteille had not been without points in a EuroCup game since November 27, 2013, when he played less than 2 minutes for Elan Chalon-sur-Saone in [a 73-83 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/game-center/2013-14/ewe-baskets-oldenburg-elan-chalon-sur-saone/U2013/149/#boxscore) against EWE Baskets Oldneburg. 

[Jaleen Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaleen-smith/011192/), who averaged a PIR of 35.5 in the last two games, had a PIR of 10 against Hapoel. [Tai Odiase](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tai-odiase/011823/) had 15 points or more in the previous five games and was limited to 10 at Samokov Arena.

After the game, Motley highlighted his team's change of mentality after the break.

"We wanted to go make sure we fix the mistakes we made in the first half, giving guys the shots that we didn't want to give up. So we did a better job of that. Good defense, they only scored 77 points. And I think we scored like 50 points \[46\] in the second half so our offense picked up, too," Motley said. 

"I just try to do whatever it takes to help my team win. I try to be an extra extension of the coach, play extra playmaker out there from the big spot. 

"We wanted to be able to finish games. We finished the game pretty good getting the plays we wanted, the shots we wanted. So we wanted to do a better job of that."

The Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv center displayed his passing skills in Round 16 
