Keravnos defend home court against Basic-Fit Brussels
NICOSIA (FIBA Europe Cup) - There was no stopping Keravnos in Nicosia with the Second Round already in their sight, as the Cypriot club brushed aside the visiting Basic-Fit Brussels on their home floor .
NICOSIA (FIBA Europe Cup) - There was no stopping Keravnos in Nicosia with the Second Round in sight, as the Cypriot club brushed aside the visiting Basic-Fit Brussels on their home floor on Tuesday.
The 90-77 victory over their Group D rivals from Belgium allowed the Christophoros Livadiotis-coached side to improve to a 3-1 mark in the standings and get within arm's reach of a ticket to the next round.
Keravnos get the job done against Belgian visitors at home in and improved to a 3-1 record! #FIBAEuropeCup
— FIBA Europe Cup (@FIBAEuropeCup) November 7, 2017
📊 https://t.co/S6tuKiyNNp pic.twitter.com/smWNIHTq8s
Having dominated the contest from start to finish, Keravnos were once again paced by big man Mohamed Abukar, who collected a team-high 20 points and notched down 5 rebounds.
Cade Davis and Tre Bussey poured in 15 points apiece, while Kenny Barker chipped in with 10 points, 5 assists and a pair of steals.
"I would like to say a big congratulations to my players tonight. We are 99 percent through to the next round, which was our target from the beginning," said coach Livadiotis in the post-game press conference.
FT :@keravnos - @BrusselsBasket5 : 90-77#OneTeamBrussels pic.twitter.com/MAEO6dLsvs
— Basic-Fit Brussels (@BrusselsBasket5) November 7, 2017
For the Brussels side, the spotlight was on K.T. Harrel, who led the game in scoring with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, with point guard Augustas Peciukevicius providing him with ammunition in the shape of a FIBA Europe Cup season-high 12 assists.
Keravnos could clinch a place in the Second Round as soon as Wednesday if Kormend can defeat BC Balkan at home in Hungary in the other game in Group D.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Sigal Prishtina suffered their first home loss in Group G this season, falling short 75-69 against Belfius Mons-Hainaut in spite of a 33-point effort by Dardan Berisha.
#PRIvsBMH Belle victoire des Montois ce soir! Les Renards s’imposent au Kosovo face à KB Sigal Pristina. Score final 69-75 🏀@FIBAEuropeCup pic.twitter.com/6vjtAK29Jw
— Belfius Mons-Hainaut (@mons_hainaut) November 7, 2017
Garlon Green played the key role for the victorious Belgian side with 20 points and 7 rebounds, as Christopher Jones and Juante Reddic added 15 points apiece.
In Group H, Nizhny Novgorod erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Falco Vulcano 84-79 in another nail-biting showdown between the teams.
We did it! 💪👊#FIBAEuropeCup #GoNizhny pic.twitter.com/OScp0nw5Ac
— BC Nizhny Novgorod (@BC_NN) November 7, 2017
Artem Komolov knocked down 6-of-10 from long-range for a team-high 23 points and came up big down the stretch for coach Zoran Lukic, while the club's newest addition Vladimir Veremeenko collected 14 points and 5 rebounds in his FIBA Europe Cup debut.
Having played the full 40 minutes for Falco Vulcano, the one-two punch of Darrin Govens and Zoltan Perl was in action once again. Govens scored 24 points, while Perl finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals.
Jakim fête la victoirec avec nos Musicos ... comme il se doit ! pic.twitter.com/ce4WIXhPr9
— ESSM Le Portel (@ESSMbasket) November 7, 2017
Meanwhile, ESSM Le Portel finished the four-game slate with an impressive defensive display against Donar Groningen, triumphing 60-49 at home at Le Chaudron.
Franklin Hassel was the only double-digit scorer for the hosts with 12 points and 5 rebounds, while Stephen Domingo was the top contributor for the visitors with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
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