Giants punch ticket to next FIBA Europe Cup phase in Sopron

SOPRON (FIBA Europe Cup) – In a gutsy road performance, Port of Antwerp Giants picked up a 71-61 victory against Sopron in Group D of the FIBA Europe Cup to secure a place in the Second Round after improving to a 4-1 record in the standings.

Turning Point: The first two home games came down to the wire for Sopron and things were heading that direction in the early going, with a see-saw opening quarter. With the score tied at 23-23, the home side fell into a four-minute scoreless slump that allowed the Demitrius Conger-led Giants to create some breathing space, as they pulled away by 9 points, which carried over into the second half as well.

Stats Don't Lie: It wasn't the best of shooting nights for either of the clubs, with Sopron and Antwerp shooting 36% and 40% from the field respectively. As usual in cases like this, it was the grit and grind that swung the game in the direction of the Giants. The visitors won the rebounding battle 52-35 and had a 17-10 lead in second-chance points.

Game Hero: Three of the Giants players reached double figures, but none of them had as big a contribution as Dorian Merchant who scored 8 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 7 assists, while committing only 1 turnover in 26 minutes of play. In a generally solid all-around team performance, 9 of the 11 players who stepped on the court contributed with points.

The Bottom Line: There is little intrigue left in Group D before the final week of action in the Regular Season, with Giants joining Nanterre 92 in the Second Round as the top two teams in the standings. These two teams will face off for the first place in Group D in their final fixture. For Sopron, the loss spelled an end to any mathematical possibilities of advancing they held before Thursday night.

They Said: "It was a perfect evening. With our full court press we slowed down the Sopron team and our defence was good against their very dangerous three points shots. In offense we moved the ball fast, shared the ball well, and our young players played very well." – Antwerp Giants head coach Roel Moors.

"We could only play 13 minutes on the level we planned. After that, on both sides of the floor, Antwerp was better. In offense, we played slowly against their full court press and had a bad shooting percentage, but our greatest problem was with the defensive rebounds. We allowed them too many second chance points, we felt the absence of our two big men." – Sopron head coach Balazs Sabali.

FIBA