A full schedule of Eurocup action saw the Euroleague teams redeem themselves slightly in week two in what is turning out to be an interesting second round of action.
Group I
Nanterre went 2-0 in the group following an 84-79 win at Pinar Karisyaka. Esteban Batista’s 24 points were not enough for the Izmir-based side as a 22-10 second quarter proved to be enough despite a second half fight back from the hosts.
Trenton Meacham led all scorers with 28 points for the victors but he played all 40 minutes. Deshaun Thomas added 17.
Ratiopharm Ulm dished out 30 assists en route to a 106-97 win against Cantu, who drop to 0-2.
A close first quarter saw Ulm lead 18-16 and then they saw their lead balloon to 54-32 at the half and from there, the German side sailed to the win.
Edgar Sosa hit seven three-pointers for his 24 points to lead the winners.
Group J
Aykon Ankara edged Gravelines 71-68 to collect its first victory in Group J.
Vladimir Golubovic scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Ankara as they force Gravelines further down the table at 0-2.
Brose Baskets remain top of the group following an 83-72 win over a stubborn Dinamo Sassari side.
Anton Gavel led the winners with 21 points.
Group K
CEZ Nymburk edged Montepaschi Siena 78-75 at the CEZ Arena as the side that began in the Euroleague have an uphill climb to advance in the Eurocup Round of 32.
Dylen Page led Nymburk with 22 points as the Czech side picks up their first win.
The other game saw Khimki thrash Maccabi Haifa 87-48 in Moscow as the Russian improve to 2-0.
Group L
The Eurocup’s surprise team Nizhny Novgorod were victorious as they trumped Red Star Belgrade 86-75.
Ex-Portland Trailblazers forward Luke Babbit hit 25 points, including five triples for Novgorod as they go 2-0 in Group L.
Group M
Budivielnik Kiev beat Union Olimpija 88-76 in the Ukrainian capital as they earned their first victory in the Eurocup since moving from the Euroleague.
The Slovenian champions drop to 0-2 with this loss as a 12-2 charge in the fourth quarter proved to be their undoing.
Lithuanian Darjus Lavrinovic led the Budivelnik attack with 23 points.
Hapoel Jerusalem go top of the group after a 92-73 home win against BK Banvit. Josh Duncan led the Israeli side with 17 points.
Group N
Alba Berlin defeated Radnicki 85-75 in overtime to remain perfect in Group N in what was probably the most thrilling match of the round.
Reggie Redding tied the game up at 71-71 at the end of regulation for the visitors and then Berlin followed it up with a 10-0 spurt to begin overtime as they go 2-0.
Cliff Hammonds led the German side with 21 points.
Khimik Yukhne caused a slight upset when they defeated Strasbourg 78-72 in France.
Trailing 41-27 at half-time, the Ukrainian side stormed back to narrow the gap to 54-52 after three quarters of play and then, led by Romeo Travis, who scored seven straight points for Khimik in the last quarter, took the lead at 67-62 and they never relinquished the lead from there.
Jamal Shuler led the winners with 25 points. Travis added 17 points and 7 rebounds.
Group O
Unics Kazan remains unbeaten in Group O after an 82-75 win against a highly fancied Valencia side.
Kostas Kaimakoglou hit 19 points as Kazan not only went 2-0, but a perfect 12-0 in the competition overall.
Telenet Ostend scored a 76-74 win over Stelmet Zielona Gora in Belgium, as they got their first victory of the Last 32.
Mateusz Ponitka hit a last second three-pointer for Ostend as they nearly gave away a 16-point advantage, only for Ponitka to save their blushes. The Poles go 0-2 with this loss.
Group P
Besiktas ousted Zaragoza 70-63 in Istanbul to remain unbeaten in Group P. Chris Lofton led the Turks with 19 points in a routine win.
Zaragoza were led by Damjan Rudez who paced them with 14 points.
A mid-range jumper from Darius Songaila with 23 seconds remaining gave Lietuvos Rytas an 84-83 win over Cedevita Zagreb as they collect their first win of the Eurocup since coming over from the Euroleague.
The Croatian side; meanwhile lose their first game of the Last 32.
