MIES (Switzerland) - The second Wednesday of action in Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL smiled at the two German teams competing, as both ALBA Berlin and MLP Academics Heidelberg grabbed their first wins.
Moving to Greece, it was time for a black-and-gold home celebration as AEK BC dominated at home against a familiar opponent, faced for the first time in the very first game in BCL history.
Sabah BC 76-85 ALBA BERLIN
Shall we call this the Wednesday of firsts? By looking at the first clash of the day between Sabah BC and ALBA, the answer, frankly, is yes.
This was the first-ever BCL game played with Sabah as hosts, and it turned into the first-ever victory by the German powerhouse, which entered the competition with a home loss to Elan Chalon.
Needing to bounce back quickly, they reacted with the 85-76 away victory in the National Gymnastics Arena, propelled by the team's leading scorer, Boogie Ellis. He had 17 points in 18 minutes off the bench.
Conquering the first lead of the game at 18-16, moments after entering the second quarter, ALBA never looked back, also thanks to J'Wan Roberts (10 points and 13 rebounds) and Norris Agbakoko (10 points on 100% FG).
Justin Tillman had a losing effort of 22 points and 7 rebounds for Sabah, which is yet to win in the BCL.
They're winless with a 0-2 record, trailing ALBA, ERA Nymburk (1-1), and Elan Chalon (2-0) at the top of Group B.
MLP Academics Heidelberg 92-83 Rytas Vilnius
This was a very good Gameday for German teams in the BCL Regular Season. Following ALBA's first win in the competition, Heidelberg also had their inaugural victory in the league.
They did it by surviving Rytas Vilnius, one of the most experienced teams in the whole BCL, in front of their own fans, enjoying the 92-83 victory over the Lithuanian powerhouse.
In a positive three-point night for Heidelberg (10-of-25), DJ Horne surely was the main protagonist of this team, not only from the perimeter. He erupted for a game-high performance of 33 points over 6-of-9 from deep, including three straight to make it +9 from a tied game in the fourth quarter.
Despite committing his fifth foul at 2:21 to go, his teammates fought hard and kept their composure.
Osun Osunniyi added 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists to contribute to this historic win - also the first one of the season in all competitions, after starting 0-4 in the German league.
Rytas, still without the injured Jerrick Harding, needed Jordan Walker to perform even better than usual. However, he struggled shooting (3-of-14 from the field) and finished with 9 points and 5 assists.
The Lithuanian duo composed of Ignas Sargiunas and Simonas Lukosius combined for 29 points off the bench, while the team's captain, Gytis Radzevicius, had 15 points and 7 rebounds in the defeat.
AEK BC 91-77 NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz
It wasn't the first time that AEK and NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz squared off in a BCL game. Actually, they once met on the very first game of the competition back in 2016-17.
On Wednesday, the Queen witnessed winning flashbacks, as they once again beat the Hungarians. Not with a 43-point margin like nine years ago, but still enjoying a convincing 91-77 victory.
Last season's BCL Final Four hosts improved to 2-0 in Group F thanks to a solid night by Chris Silva, who made his presence felt on both ends of the floor with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Next to the Gabonian center, RaiQuan Gray promised a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
"It was a great win for us. We've taken a step in the right direction; we have some things to clean up, but we're taking the right strides. I'm excited for the future," he said.
Le'Tre Darthard (23 points over 4-of-6 from beyond the arc) and Brady Skeens (11 points and 11 rebounds) were among the best for NHSZ-Szolnoki, which had everybody scoring except for the 2005-born Akos Horvath.