Le Portel run circles around Istanbul BBSK; Mornar stun Szolnoki Olaj

LE PORTEL (FIBA Europe Cup) - ESSM Le Portel put the hammer down on Istanbul BBSK to get the ball rolling with a win in the Second Round, while Mornar Bar registered a miraculous escape against Szolnoki Olaj in a Group K clash in Montenegro.

Having closed out the Regular Season with five wins in a row, the Eric Girard-coached Le Portel made it six in a row in the FIBA Europe Cup with an 86-49 landslide victory in Group I over the visiting Istanbul BBSK, who also came into the game with a five-game winning streak.

The home side ran away to a double-digit lead in the second period, holding the Turkish club scoreless from the field and winning the quarter 19-4 to build a 15-point advantage at the interval and continuing the route in the second half.

"The players earned a lot of confidence and took a lot of pleasure today. We played a really good game," the French side's head coach Eric Girard smiled after the big win. "It's good to begin the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup like that. It shows other teams in the FIBA Europe Cup that they will have to watch out for us."

Jakim Donaldson led the well-rounded Le Portel scoring with a team-high 14 points, Jessie Begarin had 11 points, while Jean Victor Traore and Gary Chathuant added 10 points apiece.

La joie des Stellistes après la victoire en #FIBAEuropeCup pic.twitter.com/GTH7lruO8G

— ESSM Le Portel (@ESSMbasket) December 20, 2017

Ivan Buva and Ryan Toolson were the only double-digit scorers for Istanbul BBSK with 16 and 14 points, respectively.

In the other game in Group I, Nizhny Novgorod handled their business against Kataja Basket, inscribing an 84-75 win behind a customary 19-point and 5-rebound explosion from big man Stevan Jelovac in just under 20 minutes on the court.

Meanwhile, a heroic fightback earned Mornar Bar a momentous win in Group K, as the Nemanja Vranjes-led Montenegrin side erased a 17-point deficit to stun Szolnoki Olaj with a 73-68 scoreline.

With a game-high 24 points to his name, the 29-year-old Vranjes spearheaded a 22-point turnaround that turned a 51-34 scoreline midway through the third period into a clutch win down the stretch.

Elsewhere, a single free throw by DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell at the end of the fourth quarter was the difference between Bakken Bears and Tsmoki-Minsk in Group K, as the Danish champions from Aarhus started their Second Round adventure with an 86-85 win in Belarus.

In Group J, Nevezis had another up-and-down performance against Alba Fehervar in their unpredictable European campaign, triumphing 90-87 in overtime despite nearly letting a 15-point advantage slip away.

Gintautas Matulis and Gabrielius Maldunas paced the winners with 19 points apiece, while Trevis Simpson had 22 points and 7 boards in a losing effort for the Hungarian side.

The other Group J game ended with Demir Insaat securing a hard-fought 79-72 win over Egis Kormend at home in Istanbul, powered by 29 points from speedy point guard Erving Walker.

Following the example set by Donar Groningen in Group L on Tuesday, Keravnos completed their first test in the Second Round on a victorious note, downing the visiting Belfius Mons-Hainaut 89-72 in Cyprus behind another terrific game by Mohamed Abukar, who led the game in scoring with 25 points.

FIBA