MIES (Switzerland) - Everything can happen in the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL. You can have dominant performances or games decided in the clutch.
That's what pretty much happened in the remaining encounters of the second Tuesday of action in Season X, with a biting-nails ending in Trapani and two comfortable victories by two-time champions.
La Laguna Tenerife 108-85 Bnei Penlink Herzliya
Back on December 8, 2021, coach John Patrick enjoyed a masterful performance by Jonah Radebaugh, Jordan Hulls and five other players in double digits as MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg defeated La Laguna Tenerife in the Santiago Martin Arena.
Turns out, it was the last time Tenerife lost a home game in the BCL.
Nearly four years later, the winning streak reached a round number, as Txus Vidorreta's men won their 30th straight BCL game at home, cruising to triple digits against Bnei Penlink Herzliya.
Giorgi Shermadini is the only player who played in all 30 games during that streak, and he was as efficient as ever in this one, scoring 14 points in 16 minutes of action.
However, his numbers are not that big of a deal when you compare them to Jaime Fernandez.
The guard is back to his best, scoring in double figures in all four games in all competitions this season, getting a season-high with 25 points in just 21 minutes of work. He shot 9-of-13 from the field, getting an efficiency rating of 26.
For Herzliya, the trio composed of Elijah Stewart, Chinanu Onuaku, and Jordon Varnado combined for 47 points, but they suffered their second defeat in Tenerife during the aforementioned run.
Trapani Shark 89-91 Tofas Bursa
Looking at this game's lead tracker, it may seem like Tofas Bursa was always in full control. Despite the fact they led for 38:41 minutes and Trapani Shark never got the full upper hand, it was a close game.
The Italians had a crazy 18-2 run to reduce the deficit from 71-54 to 73-71 with six minutes to go in the fourth, and at a certain point entering the second half, they were even down by 21 points (57-36).
However, their attempt didn't turn into an actual comeback, as the Turkish side emerged victorious 91-89 away from home with Marek Blazevic's 21-point effort to grab the win.
Blazevic is on a similar run to Fernandez's, he scored 20+ points in all five of his games for Tofas this season, both in the BCL and the Turkish League, while shooting 43-of-56 from the field.
Timmy Allen (15 points) and Amar Alibegovic (14 points) were among the best ones for Trapani, but they weren't enough for the Italians team to get their first-ever European victory.
Karditsa Iaponiki 55-72 Unicaja
The defending champions Unicaja put emphasis on the "defending" part, getting the job done with a 72-55 win over Karditsa Iaponiki on the road in Greece.
As it usually happens for Ibon Navarro's team, everybody got involved on the scoresheet, with Tyler Kalinoski leading the side with 12 points. Chris Duarte silenced the doubters: he can be a good defender as well.
For Karditsa, Demajeo Wiggins had a losing effort of 15 points and 9 rebounds off the bench.
"We try to make secure steps in the club. Four years ago it was a totally different story. After four years I think that club has grown up a lot," Nikos Papanikolopoulos said after his team faced the back-to-back champions.
"The city grew up a lot as far as basketball and how they support the team from day one. You cannot put limits on your dreams and as long as we dream here, we can reach the highest things."