Mons-Hainaut get off to hot start in Iceland, beat KR by 21
REYKJAVIK (FIBA Europe Cup) - Belfius Mons-Hainaut got their FIBA Europe Cup campaign off to the desired start, storming past Icelandic champions KR with an 88-67 scoreline in the first leg of the QR1 tie.
REYKJAVIK (FIBA Europe Cup) - Belfius Mons-Hainaut got their FIBA Europe Cup campaign off to the desired start, as they stormed past Icelandic champions KR with an 88-67 scoreline in the opening game of the season in the Qualification Round 1.
Turning Point: The game was relatively balanced in the first half of play, but Tre Demps and Matthew Tibey drained a couple of three-pointer each in the third quarter to fuel a 30-point period out of halftime for Mons-Hainaut, as the Belgians pushed their lead into double-digit territory.
Tre Demps carried the Belgian team offensively
Game Hero: The hosts could not contain 24-year-old American point guard Demps, who collected a game-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, including 5-of-6 three-pointers while also grabbing 6 rebounds.
Stats Don't Lie: KR put all of their eggs in the three-point basket and their 7-of-35 shooting from outside let them down severely, with the visitors from Belgium being much more selective and finishing with a 12-of-20 mark from beyond the arc.
Iceland international Jon Stefansson couldn't lift KR past Mons-Hainaut
Bottom Line: Mons-Hainaut are now the clear favorites to book a date with Bulgarian NBL runners-up Beroe in Qualification Round 2, as they hold a 21-point cushion against KR before the return game in Belgium on September 26.
They Said: "We were trying to play hard and push the pace. This is a two-game series, so we had to give ourselves a good cushion. They are a tough team, we just have to get ready for the next game. We will try to do it again, to win by as many points as we can." - Mons-Hainaut forward Garlon Green.
"Our performance was OK in first 25 minutes but there were a lot of things we could have done better. In the third and fourth quarters, they got a good point difference. They got too many open looks today and, defensively, we made a lot of mistakes. We can not allow 88 points against us in our home court." - KR coach Finnur Freyr Stefánsson.
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