MUNICH (Germany) - Maroussi BC put on a dominant offensive display on Wednesday, while only two teams remain unbeaten in the FIBA Europe Cup.
The Greek side handed Casademont Zaragoza its first loss of the Second Round on a night when Tofas Bursa joined Bilbao Basket as the last unbeaten teams standing. There were also wins for Spirou Basket, JDA Bourgogne Dijon and MHP RIESEN Lugwigsburg.
On Thursday, PAOK mateco saw-off CSM CSU Oradea 73-68 to improve to 2-0 in Group M. Jackson Kreuser led the way with an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Greek side.
Key Storylines
Maroussi masterclass sees off Zaragoza;
Reed unstoppable as Tofas stay unbeaten in Porto;
Bilbao remains perfect after winning another unbeaten battle.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Marcquise Reed (Tofas Bursa)- 36 Points: Marcquise Reed (Tofas Bursa) - 31 Rebounds: Kalif Young (CSM CSU Oradea) - 16 Assists: Axel Julien (JDA Bourgogne Dijon) - 13 Steals: Lahaou Konate (ESSM Le Portel) - 4 Blocks: Lefteris Mantzoukas (Maroussi BC) - 4
Maroussi outclasses Zaragoza; Reed brings Tofas a win in Porto
Maroussi BC were flawless as they put together one of the performances of the season in a 104-95 win over Casademont Zaragoza.
The Greek side shot a deadly 62 percent from the floor and hit 13 triples, led by Marcus Keene's 23 points and 5 assists, as they secured their first win of Group K. Trae Bell-Haynes led Zaragoza with 19 points and 10 assists, but drop their first game in the Second Round.
Tofas Bursa were pegged back in the second half but overcame FC Porto 95-87 in Portugal to improve to 2-0 in Group K, thanks mainly to Marcquise Reed's 31 points along with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
Comfortably ahead 58-39 at the half, the Turkish side looked to be cruising. However, the hosts staged a fightback, bringing the deficit back to 82-79 with 6:08 left. But Tofas regrouped and recovered, maintaining their lead to stay unbeaten in the FIBA Europe Cup this season.
JDA Bourgogne Dijon lost a 20-point lead, but eventually came away with a 96-93 win over BC Kalev/Cramo. The win gives the French side their first win in Group M, dropping their Estonian counterparts to 0-2.
Christian Sengfelder was inspired as he went 10-of-14 from the floor for a game-high 29 points and 8 rebounds. However, Dijon were made to sweat; having lost their 20-point cushion, they managed to ice the game from the foul line and survive a long three-point attempt from Stefan Vaaks with 0.9 seconds left.
Spirou Basket collected its first win of Group N, as Cobe Williams starred in the 91-82 victory over winless Anwil Wloclawek, while MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg maintained their perfect home record with an 82-58 win against Fribourg Olympic in Group N.
Bilbao remains perfect, Le Portel keep Sassari winless
On Tuesday, Bilbao Basket improved to 2-0 in Group L thanks to a hard-fought 95-88 win over Cholet Basket, who suffered their first loss of the FIBA Europe Cup season.
Holding a slender 49-48 lead at the break, Bilbao managed to keep their advantage for most of the second half and just had enough to keep a stubborn Cholet side at bay.
Thijs De Ridder shot a solid 10-for-15 from the field, leading the Spanish side with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while Chris-Ebou Ndow led Cholet with 21 points - shooting a perfect 7-of-7 from the field.
ESSM Le Portel grabbed their first win of the Second Round with an 83-76 success over Banco di Sardegna Sassari, who suffered their second loss in Group L after going unbeaten in the Regular Season
In a first half with 10 lead changes, the French side used a 22-16 fourth-quarter surge to secure the win in a closely contested battle throughout. John Nunge and Digue Diawara both had 19 points to lead Le Portel with Lahaou Konate adding 18.
Brian Fobbs led Sassari with 12 points in a balanced scoring effort from the Italians that ultimately proved futile.
FIBA