Fourth-quarter rush lands Bruinsma Top Performer honors

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - Evan Bruinsma of Donar Groningen picked up his second Top Performer award of the season, leading the Dutch side's victorious fourth-quarter charge against U-BT Cluj-Napoca.

The 25-year-old power forward collected 23 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and added a pair of assists, as the Groningen side pulled away late to celebrate a 92-72 win over their visiting Group L rivals at the MartiniPlaza.

Having entered the last period up by just a single point, Donar outscored U-BT Cluj-Napoca 34-15 the rest of the way, as Bruinsma paced the hosts with 14 points down the stretch.

"I think the team as a whole didn't play the best basketball. We got together at halftime, made a couple of adjustments and we played a lot better in the second half," summarized Bruinsma to Donar TV after the win.

He posted a league-high efficiency index of 31 thanks to a proficient 9-of-13 shooting night and the fact he did not commit a single turnover.

His teammate Brandyn Curry also had a big game, sharing the team-high 23-point mark, while also chipping in with 5 assists, 4 rebounds, a steal and a block.

Tsmoki-Minsk big man David Kravish posted a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double to help the Belarusian side end a three-game losing streak in the FIBA Europe Cup, racing to a 96-75 road upset against Bakken Bears.

Having missed just one shot all night, Ivan Strebkov paced Nizhny Novgorod to an 89-80 triumph over Kataja Basket. The guard went 5-of-6 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free-throw stripe, finishing the game with 18 points and 7 assists.

Meanwhile, Szolnoki Olaj star David Vojvoda exploded for 27 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals against Mornar Bar, but couldn't prevent a 92-89 defeat that put the Hungarian side in a difficult situation in Group K.

FIBA