Richard's buzzer-beater sinks Sakarya in Oradea; Donar halted by Spirou

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) – Kristopher Richard delivered the first game-winning buzzer-beater of the FIBA Europe Cup season, draining an ice-cold dagger against Sakarya BSB to give CSM CSU Oradea their first win of the campaign in Group A on Wednesday.

After defeats against s.Oliver Wurzburg and ZZ Leiden, the Romanian title holders got on the board with an 86-84 triumph in front of their fans in Oradea to boost their chances in the race for the Second Round.

The game hero Richard made his game-high 26-point performance count by denying Sakarya an overtime, which Toney Douglas nearly forced by draining an equally impressive three-pointer to tie the game at 86-all just moments earlier on the other end.

"We needed this victory the same way we need to breathe," Oradea head coach Christian Akim spoke after the game. "I am happy that this victory comes against such a team like Sakarya. A team that beat Anadolu Efes a few days ago, one of the best clubs in European basketball."

Having just recently returned from an injury, Sean Denison received high praise from the man in charge after collecting 15 points, while Giordan Watson chipped in with 17 points and 5 assists.

"I am also very happy for the return of Sean Denison. We missed him for more than a month due to injury. He played extremely well tonight," Achim pointed out.

Kristopher Richard celebrated the game-winner with Oradea fans

Junior Etou of Sakarya matched Richard's game-high mark of 26 points and also had 10 rebounds, while Douglas finished with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in a losing effort.

In the other Group A contest, a late fourth-quarter push yielded s.Oliver Wurzburg a 75-65 victory against the previously undefeated ZZ Leiden on the road in the Netherlands.

Cameron Wells paced the victors with 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Darius Thompson collected a game-highs of 24 points and 3 steals for the Dutch club, who saw their four-game winning streak, including a pair of wins in the Qualifiers, snapped.

Spirou Basket handed Donar Groningen the first defeat in Group C

The only other team to see their perfect record snapped was Donar Groningen, who ended up on the wrong side of a 92-64 blowout against Spirou Basket in a Group C contest in Charleroi.

Pinar Karsiyaka defeated Istanbul BBSK 81-55 in an all-Turkish duel to join Donar and Spirou at the top of the standings with matching 2-1 records, while the Hakan Yavuz-coached Istanbul club fell to 0-3.

🏆🌍 «АВТОДОР» В ОКТЯБРЕ: 5 ПОБЕД КРЯДУ!
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Уступая на выезде @NewHeroesBB в середине 3-й четверти «-13», «Автодор» вновь проявил недюжинные волевые качества и вырвал свою 5-ю победу подряд благодаря 54 очкам на двоих Трэ МАКЛИНА и Трэя ГОЛДЕНА - 97:93.
📖https://t.co/d42wKkKutl pic.twitter.com/PsYVfKAPyO

— BC Avtodor Saratov (@AvtodorSaratov) October 31, 2018

A 31-point performance by Trae McLean and a 23-point contribution by Trae Golden allowed Avtodor Saratov to breathe a sigh of relief in a close-fought battle against New Heroes Den Bosch, with the Russian side safeguarding their unbeaten record in Group D with a 97-93 triumph away from home.

Meanwhile, Ironi Ness Ziona registered a 111-77 victory against BK JIP Pardubice to improve to 2-1 behind 17 points and 7 rebounds from Chris Dowe.

Szolnoki Olaj just barely avoided an upset in an 82-79 contest against the visiting Leicester Riders in Group H, while the top-of-the-table Dinamo Sassari eased past the other Hungarian side Falco Vulcano 104-69 to stay on the straight and narrow, record-wise.

Dinamo Sassari kept their status perfect in Group H

In Group G, Lukoil Levski finished the first half of the Regular Season with a 3-0 record after beating Aris 77-66, while Kataja Basket kept Dnipro winless with an 84-77 victory in Finland.

Elsewhere, Tsmoki-Minsk held on to an 87-75 win over Petrolina AEK in Group B even without Darrin Govens and D.J. Shelton, FC Porto edged Rilski Sportist 88-81 to get on the board in Group F, as Cherkaski Mavpy also recorded their first win by defeating Steaua Bucuresti 90-64 in Group E.

FIBA