Aris BSA remained undefeated during the second playing-day of the EuroCup's stages, sharing the first place with Turk Telekom with the record 2-0.
The game started with both teams playing good defense over their opponent. It was Aris BSA who scored first with Blagota Sekulic but Segado Belcher scored a 2 pt shot for Bnei Hasharon. The “yellows” took the lead in the score with American forward Spencer Nelson scoring a triple and two free throws, but then followed two alley-hoops shots by the Israeli making the 8-6. Aris BSA started playing solid defense over Bnei Hasharon leading them to many turnovers. Sean Marshall scored in the fast break while Clark scored a 3 pt shot making the 18-10. Bnei Hasharon scored in the fast break and the first quarter ended by 23-16 for the team of coach Mazzon. The second quarter started with Aris BSA taking the lead in the score by 8 points after a technical foul Erez Katz commited. But Bnei Hasharon managed to be close to the score due to the fact that Aris BSA could not score for 3'. It was Nikos Barlos and Dimitris Tsaladaris who scored for the “yellows” and then Nelson, making the score 34-25. Haminn Quaintance helped Bnei Hasharon in the scoring by adding 8 points and leading the Israeli team to 38-34, and then Belcher again scored a triple for the 38-37. The first half finished with Aris BSA having the lead in the score by 4 (41-37).
“I want to congratulate Aris BSA for the today's win. Aris BSA is a very strong team when playing in Alexandreio Melathron. As for us, we did play some good minutes during the game, but we did not manage to keep playing good in the entire game. Aris BSA is a team which uses all ten players and it is difficult for a team like us to have the advantage over our opponent. To be honest, we were not ready for today's match, and by the time we had made 22 turnovers and had not had good average in the free-throw shots, then it was getting more difficult for us to reach the win. It was the first time for me visiting Thessaloniki and Alexandreio Melathron, and I have to admit that it was a great experience for me playing in front of such a passionate crowd. Finally, Aris BSA is a totally different team from Turk Telekom, but I think that they have the advantage when playing in Thessaloniki.”
For the “yellows”, coach Andrea Mazzon stated:
“The coaching staff prepared the team very well for the today's game and the players were looking exactly for what we wanted in the game. They did what it was needed to win the game and as a coach, I am glad to have players who have reached double figures in this game. But on the other hand it is not the best night for me, because Barlos and Nelson have been injured and as a team we want some miracles in order to overcome these physical problems. During the second half, we played better, we won the battle of the rebounds against a team with 5 Afro-Americans and we have to be concentrated in the next game against Turk Telekom, which is a final for us. We are a team which does not underestimate any other team, but when we play back-to-back games it is sensible to get tired more easily. We had to adjust to the different style of play of Bnei Hasharon because they are a team with very athletic players, and in the Greek league there are no many players being so athletic. As for the fans, it is the biggest win for us to have them in our side in every game. They can take us in the next level if they continue to support us like the way the do, and they have to understand this.
