Wednesday Preview: Can Benfica stay in victory lane against Bakken Bears in Group B?

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - The second week of action in the FIBA Europe Cup will continue with a packed 11-game lineup on Wednesday featuring teams from all across Europe.

The central clash of the day will take place in Denmark, where Bakken Bears will be hoping to inscribe their first win in Group B, as they welcome SL Benfica who already have a win under their belt.

Having been on a brink of an upset in Russia last week, the Danes will be hoping for a similar contribution from DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, who was the top-scorer of the side with 17 points.

SL Benfica will have an opportunity to build on their season-opening victory against BC Nevezis and could get a very nice cushion in the group table, if they able to improve to a 2-0 mark.

Group E: Istanbul BBSK (0-1) v Lukoil Academic (1-0)

Few could have expected Istanbul BBSK to lose by 21 points in Romania

Time: Wednesday, 16:00 CET
Key Matchup: Stefan Bircevic v Justin Knox
Last Game: Istanbul BBSK were shocked with a 90-69 upset by U-BT Cluj-Napoca in their first game. Lukoil Academic also came close to losing, but held off Dinamo Tbilisi 73-70 at home in Sofia.
Domestic Form: Istanbul BBSK are in 9th place in the Turkish Basketball Super League with a 1-2 record; lost to Trabzonspor 111-93 in the last game. Lukoil Academic are in 7th place in the Bulgarian NBL with a 1-1 record; did not play this week, but lost to BC Balkan 69-65 the week previous.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group A: Bosna (0-1) v Donar Groningen (1-0)

Donar Groningen will be looking to move to 2-0 in Sarajevo

Time: Wednesday, 17:00 CET
Key Matchup: Cory Bradford v Brandyn Curry
Last Game: Bosna fought well against Telenet Antwerp Giants in the first game before eventually surrendering 91-84. Meanwhile, Donar got their campaign off on the right note, downing ESSM Le Portel 77-72.
Domestic Form: Bosna are in 3rd place in the Bosnia and Herzegovina championship with a 1-1 record and in 3rd place in the ABA League 2 with a 1-2 record, defeating Rogaska 87-61 in their last game (ABA 2). Donar Groningen are in 3rd place in the Dutch Basketball League with a 2-1 record; did not play this week, but defeated Rotterdam 108-68 the week previous.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group E: Dinamo Tbilisi (0-1) v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (1-0)

Zeljko Sakic proved huge in the FIBA Europe Cup opener

Time: Wednesday, 17:00 CET
Key Matchup: Lavell Boyd v Giordan Watson
Last Game: Dinamo Tbilisi pushed Lukoil Academic to the limit, but came up short 73-70, with U-BT Cluj-Napoca bringing smiles to the faces of their fans with a 90-69 blowout against Istanbul BBSK.
Domestic Form: Dinamo are in 2nd place in the Georgian Superleague with a 2-0 record; defeated Rustavi 102-65 in the last game. U-BT Cluj-Napoca are in 1st place in the Romanian Liga Nationala with a 3-0 record; defeated Dinamo Bucharest 103-44 in the last game.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group C: Kataja Basket (1-0) v FC Porto (0-1)

FC Porto showed they can be successful in the Qualifiers; now they need to do the same in the Regular Season

Time: Wednesday, 17:30 CET
Key Matchup: Vesa Makalainen v Sasa Borovnjak
Last Game: Kataja Basket ran away late to take an 86-72 win over Kapfenberg Bulls on the road against Austria, while FC Porto's road adventures in Montenegro did not have a happy ending, with the Portuguese side losing 81-70.
Domestic Form: Kataja Basket are in 8th place in the Finnish Korisliiga with a 2-2 record, losing to Kouvot Kouvola 87-74 in their previous game. FC Porto are in 11^th place in the Portuguese Basketball League with a 0-3 record; lost to SL Benfica 77-71 in their previous game.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

Group D: Keravnos (1-0) v BC Balkan (0-1)

Balkan wasted a double-digit lead against Kormend last week

Time: Wednesday, 18:00 CET
Key Matchup: Theron Bussey v Devin Brooks
Last Game: Keravnos got the FIBA Europe Cup season underway with a 68-58 win over Basic-Fit Brussels, while Balkan wasted a double-digit lead against Kormend and lost 84-83 at home.
Domestic Form: Keravnos are in 4th place in the Cypriot Division A with a 1-1 record; defeated Apoel 74-67 in their last game. BC Balkan are in 5th place in the Bulgarian NBL with a 2-0 record; defeated Cherno More 82-75 in their last game.
Live Stream:  YouTube.com/FIBA

Group G: Demir Insaat (1-0) v Belfius Mons-Hainaut (0-1)

Belfius Mons-Hainaut lost their season-opener in heart-breaking fashion 

Time: Wednesday, 18:00 CET
Key Matchup: Erving Walker v Tre Demps
Last Game: Demir Insaat eased past Khimik in Yuzhne, to record an 80-60 victory, while Mons-Hainaut were punished by Lis Shoshi's dagger buzzer-beater, which gave Sigal Prishtina a 74-72 win in Belgium.
Domestic Form: Demir Insaat are in 14th place in the Turkish Basketball Super League with a 1-2 record; lost to Banvit 84-82 in the last game. Mons-Hainaut are in 3rd place in the Belgian EuroMillions Basketball League with a 3-2 record; defeated Limburg 79-69 in the last game.
Live Stream:  YouTube.com/FIBA

Group B: Bakken Bears (0-1) v SL Benfica (1-0)

DeVaugn Akoon-Purcell had six dunks against Avtodor Saratov

Time: Wednesday, 18:30 CET
Key Matchup: Tony Bishop v Antywane Robinson
Last Game: Bakken Bears gave Avtodor Saratov a scare in Russia with a 76-73 challenge, while SL Benfica cruised to an 88-83 win over BC Nevezis in Portugal.
Domestic Form: Bakken Bears are in 5th place in the Danish Basketligaen with a 2-0 record; did not play this week, but defeated Horsens 81-78 in their last league game. Benfica are in 2nd place in the Portuguese Basketball League with a 4-0 record; defeated FC Porto 77-71 in the last game.
Live Stream:  YouTube.com/FIBA

Group H: Falco Vulcano (0-1) v Szolnoki Olaj (1-0)

Szolnoki Olaj are undefeated in the Hungarian championship

Time: Wednesday, 18:30 CET
Key Matchup: Zoltan Perl v David Vojvoda
Last Game: Falco Vulcano fell short 94-92 in an overtime thriller in Niznhy Novgorod, while Szolnoki Olaj brushed aside Karposh Sokoli 94-73 on their end last week.
Domestic Form: Falco Vulcano are in 9th place in the Hungarian Division A with a 2-2 record; lost to Kormend 91-76 in their last game. Szolnoki Olaj are in 1st place in the Hungarian Division A with a 4-0 record; defeated Atomeromu Paks 91-86 in their last game.
Live Stream:  YouTube.com/FIBA

Group F: Bnei Rav-Bariach Herzliya (1-0) v Tsmoki-Minsk (0-1)

Jeff Adrien picked up the Top Performer honors in Week 1

Time: Wednesday, 19:35 CET
Key Matchup: Jeff Adrien v Aliaksandr Semianiuk
Last Game: Guided by a monstrous performance by Jeff Adrien, Bnei Herzliya picked up a 93-74 win over Alba Fehervar in Hungary. Tsmoki Minsk, meanwhile, had the initiative against Proximus Spirou, but let it go to waste, as they were defeated 78-76. The teams also met last season in the FIBA Europe Cup, splitting one win apiece in the Second Round.
Domestic Form: Bnei Herzliya are in 5th place in the Israeli Super League with a 1-2 record; losing to Hapoel Holon 90-85 in the last game. Tsmoki are in 9th place in the VTB League with a 1-2 record; defeated Astana 75-66 in the last game.
Live Stream:  YouTube.com/FIBA

Group F: Sigal Prishtina (1-0) v Khimik (0-1)

Dardan Berisha had a tough shooting night in Mons, but Prishtina came out victorious anyway

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Key Matchup: Andrew Lawrence v Derrick Colter
Last Game: Sigal Prishtina celebrated a 74-72 victory over Belfius Mons-Hainaut after a game-winner by Lis Shoshi in Belgium, while Khimik will want to forget the 80-60 defeat inflicted on them by Demir Insaat last week.
Domestic Form: Prishtina are in 1st place in the Kosovo Superliga with a 4-0 record; defeated Trepca 108-42 in their last game. Khimik are in 8th place in the Ukrainian SuperLeague with a 3-0 record; did not play this week, but defeated Zaporizhye-ZOG 105-78 in the last game.
Live Stream:  YouTube.com/FIBA

Group H: Karposh Sokoli (0-1) v Nizhny Novgorod (1-0)

Nizhny Novgorod registered a dramatic overtime win over Falco Vulcano

Time: Wednesday, 20:30 CET
Key Matchup: Thaddus McFadden v Ivan Strebkov
Last Game: Karposh Sokoli picked up a big 94-73 loss against Szolnoki Olaj for the opposite of a dream start to their FIBA Europe Cup campaign. On the other side of the fence, Nizhny Novgorod showed composure down the stretch against Falco Vulcano in their 94-92 overtime win.
Domestic Form: Sokoli are in 3rd place in the MKD Superleague with a 3-0 record; they defeated Kumanovo 94-83 in their last game. Nizhny Novgorod are in 6th place in the VTB League with a 1-1 record; lost to Enisey 98-90 in the last game.
Live Stream:  YouTube.com/FIBA

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