MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA Europe Cup Qualifiers got off to a flying start on Tuesday night, as the road teams stole the spotlight on the campaign's opening day.
While there were home wins for BC Prievidza and Maroussi Basketball Club, last season's Semi-Finalists Bilbao Basket secured a vital road win along with JDA Bourgogne Dijon, BC Dnipro and Anorthosis Famagusta, ahead of the second-leg ties, which begin on Thursday.
However, there was nothing to separate Spirou Basket and Sporting CP as their tie is evenly poised after a first leg draw in Belgium.
Neptunas Klaipeda 66-74 Bilbao Basket
Bilbao Basket heads home with a crucial road win over a tough Neptunas Klaipeda side as they look to stake their claim for a spot in the Regular Season.
Melwin Pantzar was the driving force behind the Bilbao victory. He shot 66 percent from the floor for his team-high 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Kristian Kullamae added 13 for the winners. Zane Waterman led Neptunas with 13 points but struggled, going just 4-of-13 from the field, in a game where Bilbao led for the majority of the game, with their lead peaking at 10 points.
BC Prievidza 102-85 Alba Fehervar
BC Prievidza were comfortable winners over their Hungarian counterparts Alba Fehervar, thanks to a 9-0 run early in the first quarter, all scored by Keith Jordan that ultimately settled the tie. Jordan's game-changing burst was part of a 27-point, 14-rebound showcase supported by 21 from Daishon Smith.
The Slovakian side also had stellar performances from Hunter Dean, who posted 16 points and 11 rebounds, and C.J Jackson, who amassed 10 points and 15 assists.
David Nichols led Alba with 26 points, but they have work to do on their home floor in the second leg.
BC Dinamo Zagreb 84-95 JDA Bourgogne Dijon
A 16-4 finish in the final four minutes lifted JDA Bourgogne Dijon to a big road win over BC Dinamo Zagreb, having trailed in the latter stages to the Croatian side.
Markis McDuffie led the French side with 19 points, going 5-for-7 from the field and hitting two three-pointers as Dijon heads home with a vital First Leg advantage. Ivan Novacic led all scorers with 26 points for Dinamo Zagreb, but his haul wasn't enough.
CSM Constanta 69-71 BC Dnipro
BC Dnipro were made to sweat in the final seconds, as CSM Constanta's Kevaughn Allen's potential game-winning three-pointer missed its mark, giving the Ukrainian side a slight edge going into the second leg.
Both teams jostled for position in the final minute as they took the lead from each other, but Stanislav Tymofeyenko settled the game from the foul line with 1:13 left, and Dnipro never surrendered its lead from there.
Tymofeyenko, helped by Volodymyr Koniev, both scored 17 points to pace Dnipro to victory. Allen led the Constanta charge with 17 points and 7 assists.
Maroussi Basketball Club 98-75 KB Peja
Maroussi eased to a home win over KB Peja as a devastating first period set the tone for the win and a comfortable cushion heading into the second leg.
A 34-20 opening ten minutes saw the Greek side race to a 17-3 start within five minutes and never look back. Ismael Sanogo secured a double-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals in the victory. Darnell Cowart had 21 points on 53.8 percent shooting for KB Peja.
Visit Malta Starlites Naxxar 74-81 Anorthosis Famagusta
Naxxar made history by becoming the first-ever side from Malta to compete in the FIBA Europe Cup Qualifiers; however, their first taste of continental basketball was sour, and Anorthosis Famagusta left Valetta with an important seven-point victory.
Jarvis Garrett hit three triples on his way to 19 points for the victors as they take a seven-point lead back home with them. Joseph Davis had 21 points and 5 assists for Naxxar.
Spirou Basket 69-69 Sporting CP
It was as you were in the second leg between Spirou and Sporting. Free throws from Yordan Minchev with 0.2 seconds left knotted the game at 69-69 for the hosts with the Bulgarian international finishing the game with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Nicholas Ward and Kenneth Funderburk both had 13 for the Portuguese side, who will fancy their chances on home soil in the second leg.
FIBA