SAMOKOV (Bulgaria) - France or Spain: which nation will have another team qualifying for the Basketball Champions League Regular Season? Who will join ALBA BERLIN, ERA Nymburk, and Sabah BC in Group B?
The answers will come on September 24 at 19:00 CET, but at least we have a certainty: following Monday's results, Elan Chalon and UCAM Murcia are both ready to deliver and get the job done.
FC Porto 79-100 Elan Chalon
FC Porto's dream of having two Portuguese teams playing in the BCL Regular Season must be waiting. The blue-and-white side's trajectory in the QRT3 stopped in the Semi-Finals, as Chalon prevailed 100-79.
Jeremiah Hill led the French side once again, inspiring the team with a performance of 20 points, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 3 rebounds. Justyn Mutts (11 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Zac Cuthbertson (17 points) followed his lead.
Despite the loss, Javian Davis was still effective and put up 21 points and 13 rebounds for Porto. Make sure to follow him and his teammates in the FIBA Europe Cup, where they will all make noise.
Dominating since the end of the first quarter, Chalon reached a 29-point lead (100-71) with two minutes to go. They will now go up against a former two-time bronze medalists in the BCL.
BC Juventus Utena 71-81 UCAM Murcia CB
Murcia entered the Qualification Round Tournaments in Samokov eager to make a statement. After their disappointing 2024-25 season, the Spaniards are now one game away from making it to Season X.
In the 81-71 win over BC Juventus Utena, David De Julius concluded with 19 points and 7 assists, shooting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Emanuel Cate had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lithuanians had an impressive showing in the Quarter-Finals against Fribourg Olympic, but couldn't pull off the ultimate upset against Murcia. Ivan Vranes had a 14-point losing effort off the bench.