7DAYS EuroCup: Season Underway
Domestic global basketball is back from its summer hiatus and most leagues are underway. Now it is time to turn attention to the 7DAYS EuroCup. Yes, European hoops gets back in action this week and ahead of the EuroLeague we were treated to a full schedule of round 1 7DAYS EuroCup contests. There was action through Group A through D.
Group A
Cedevita Zagreb opened its European season with an 86-83 home win over FIAT Turin in Croatia. The Italian visitors secured a 17-18 first quarter lead before Cedevita exploded with 30 second quarter points for a 47-39 lead at halftime. Turin once against wrestled back the momentum with a 14-23 third quarter that made it 70-53 through thirty minutes. From there, the hosts eased to the win.
MorraBanc Andorra fell to defeat at home 68-76 to Unics Kazan with the Russian team leading for extended periods. Indeed, the Kazan outfit was 35-41 in front through the long break. Andorra never let the visitors run away with the game, but could never get fully back into proceedings during the second half.
Darussafaka Istanbul claimed a 64-69 road success over Levallois Metropolitans in the opening game.
Group B
Lietkabelis Panevezys started its continental season with a bang, thanks to an 86-72 home win over Hapoel Jerusalem. The hosts were pinned back by Jerusalem through halftime, and trailed 40-42 through the long break. Panevezys found more momentum in the second quarter, especially with a huge 29-14 third act.
Buducnost Voli Podgorica secured an 82-74 home win over Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia. Kyle Gibson’s 16 points paced the victory, but the hosts needed to fight back from a 39-41 losing first half. The Italian guests edged the third act 18-20 to lead 57-61 through thirty minutes. However, Buducnost rallied with a 25-13 run in the fourth to claim the win.
FC Bayern Munich laid down a major marker with a cruising 69-86 road win over Galatasaray in the heated atmosphere of Istanbul. The German team drained 50 points in the first half to secure a 16-point advantage. From there, Bayern rarely looked back and extended slowly through the second half to success.
Group C
Bilbao Basket bounced back from an indifferent start to the ACB Liga Endesa to down Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 83-93 on the road in the EuroCup. A high octane first quarter allowed the guests a 25-26 lead, and a 11-22 second period allowed Bilbao to lead 36-48 at the midway point. The hosts fought back to win the second half, but by nowhere near enough to reverse the difference.
In France, visiting Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar edged Limoges CSP 61-63 to open its win account this season. The Russian team scored just 8 points in the first quarter, but sparked into life with 24 second frame points to make it 33-32 at halftime. Lokomotiv had the momentum now, but Limoges did not back down. The teams traded buckets and the lead for the remainder, but the Krasnodar outfit edged the win.
ALBA Berlin put in the performance of the night, topping a century of points to see off Partizan Belgrade 111-85 in the German capital. The Berlin team was hot through the bucket and laid a real marker down in the 7DAYS EuroCup.
Group D
Ratiopharm Ulm had home advantage in round 1 and made it count with an 83-73 win over Tofas Bursa. The teams shared 21-22 quarters in the first half to tie 43-43 through the long break. The trading stopped in the third act as Tofas looked on course for victory with a 55-62 lead after three quarters. Spurred by the home fans, Ulm poured in 28 points and let in just 11 in a game-winning fourth act.
Dolomiti Energia Trento overcame ASVEL by 10 points to win 85-75 during round 1. The Italian hosts controlled the first period to lead 25-18. By halftime, ASVEL has reduced the lead to five points at 46-41. That was as good as it got for the French away team as Trento eased through the third quarter and went on to victory.
Herbalife Gran Canaria was pushed all the way by Zenit St. Petersburg at home, but eventually emerged with a 97-87 win. Zenit led 51-52 through halftime and it was just a three-point game after thirty minutes. The game was decided in the fourth act with a 20-13 run by Gran Canaria.