Jānis Strēlnieks | Photo: FIBA
FIBA European Cup
Latvian basketball player Kaspars Vecvagars scored 11 points in a FIBA European Cup game on Wednesday, she and by Werner Koch the represented Hertogenbosch “Heroes Den Bosch” team experiencing a loss.
In the match of group K of the second stage, the Dutch team lost to the German team “Merlins” of Crailsheim at home with the result 97:102 (27:33, 20:27, 20:20, 30:22). Vecvagars, who joined Heroes Den Bosch just last week, played 20 minutes and 16 seconds, during which he made two of four two-point shots, his only long shot and four of five free throws. The Latvian defender also had one rebound, two assists, three fouls, one steal, a team-best +/- (+10) and ten efficiency points.
Koch scored seven points, making both two-pointers and one of three long-range shots in 14 minutes, eight seconds. He also has four turnovers, one assist, five points, one interception, a positive +/- (+4) and 11 efficiency points.
In this same group Mārtiņa Meier and Sigmar Raimo “Kalev”/”Cramo” represented by Tallinn lost to the Turkish club “Gaziantep” at home with the result 70:92 (9:24, 20:23, 24:33, 17:12). Meyer scored six points in 20 minutes and two seconds, making two of seven 2-pointers and two of three free throws. Also, the Latvian basketball player won three rebounds, distributed one assist, violated the rules once, blocked one shot, had the worst +/- indicator in the team (-23) and five efficiency coefficient points. In eight minutes and 33 seconds, Raimo did not shoot a basket, grabbed two rebounds, gave one assist, had a positive +/- indicator (+2) and three efficiency coefficient points.
In group K, after four games, the leader is “Gaziantep” with four victories, “Merlins” has won two, while both teams represented by Latvians have one victory each.
After the first stage of the main tournament, the winners of the first two places in the subgroups entered the second stage, where 16 teams are divided into four subgroups, playing another round tournament with games at home and away. The winners of the first two places in the subgroups of the second stage will enter the quarterfinals. The FIBA European Cup is the fourth-ranked tournament in the Old Continent.
ULEB Eurocup
Latvian basketball player Andrejs Gražulis scored 12 points in the ULEB Eurocup match on Wednesday as his Italian team Trento Dolomiti Energia suffered their fourth straight loss in the tournament. In the match of the 12th round, the Trento club recognized the superiority of “Paris” with a score of 75:86 (16:23, 20:17, 15:24, 24:23).
Gražulis spent 30 minutes and 55 seconds on the court on Wednesday, making five of eight two-point shots and two of three shots from beyond the perimeter. The Cockney native also had eight rebounds, one assist, two steals, three turnovers, three fouls, one fumble and nine efficiency points.
Only Derion Atkins, who scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds, was more productive than the Latvian. Tyrone Wallace scored 25 points for the Parisians, while Izmael Kamagat had 16 points and 12 rebounds. With two wins in 12 games, the Trento team ranks penultimate in ninth position in Subgroup B, while the Paris team is third with eight wins.
In the ULEB Eurocup main tournament, 20 teams are divided into two groups of ten teams each. The eight best teams from each group will enter the elimination tournament, which will start from the round of 16. Last season, the basketball players of “Virtus” from Bologna, who beat “Bursaspor” in the final, became the champions.
FIBA Champions League
Latvian basketball player Mareka Mejera and Jānis Strēlniekas the represented teams lost on Wednesday in the first games of the second stage of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Champions League. Meyers scored four points as his Israeli team overcame Dijon JDA 77:84 (21:23, 20:23, 20:21, 16:17) in a Subgroup I match between Hapoel Jerusalem.
The Latvian basketball player made three out of five two-point shots in 21 minutes and 59 seconds and missed the only long shot. Mejeris also had three rebounds, two assists, one foul, two turnovers, one steal, a positive +/- (+4) and seven efficiency points.
Zach Hankins was the most productive for the home team with 13 points and ten rebounds, while David Holston scored 20 points and 13 assists for the winners, and Gavin Ware supported him with 24 points and seven rebounds. In the meantime, the shooter scored four points, as AEK Athens basketball players lost 66:88 (20:29, 19:15, 15:15, 12:29) to Malaga “Unicaja” in the duel of subgroup K.
The archer, playing 20 minutes and nine seconds, made both two two-point shots, missed the only long shot, assisted two accurate attacks, had two notes, a negative +/- indicator (-5) and five efficiency coefficient points. Akil Mitchell led the Athens team with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while David Krevish and Kendrick Perry scored 22 points for the opponents.
In subgroup I, both French teams JDA and Strasbourg SIG, represented by Rodion Kurucs and coached by Luka Banki, started the second stage with victories, while both Israeli clubs Jerusalem Hapoel and Holon Hapoel suffered losses. Istanbul Galatasaray and Unicaja won the first games in subgroup K, beating CSB Limoges and AEK, respectively.
In the second stage, 16 teams are divided into four subgroups of four each. The winners of the first two places will qualify for the quarterfinals, where the winners will be determined in duels up to two victories, and the season will end with the “Final Four” tournament in May.
