MIES (Switzerland) - Before the Regular Season, if anybody told you Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball would have eliminated Galatasaray in the Basketball Champions League Play-Ins, you wouldn't believe it. However, that almost happened.
In Hungary, another do-or-die showdown needed two overtime and the shot of the season to decide the winner. Tuesday night was one for the ages in the Basketball Champions League.
Galatasaray 75-73 Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball
Entering Game 3 of this Play-Ins matchup, Galatasaray had the certainty of coming off five wins in their latest six home games in the BCL. They are now six in seven, but with scaring ghosts of elimination.
Saint-Quentin exceeded everybody's brightest expectations, showing they belonged to the elite of this competition. Their comeback on Tuesday night was one for the ages, but the hosts survived and won the game 75-73. Will Cummings was decisive to turn things around again, finishing with 24 points.
"We had a very tough schedule in the last three weeks. We had a six game stretch, we played two EuroLeague teams in this stretch. We are tired, we had injured players. Players had to play more minutes than usual. I thanked the players in the locker room. Unfortunately, Otis (Livingston) and Will were really sick today. Otis couldn't perform, but Will found a way to find the extra energy and he saved the day for us," coach Yakup Sekizkok said.
Galatasaray opened the second half with a three by Sadik Emir Kabaca to create a 17-point gap (48-31), but Julien Mahe's team replied with a majestic 15-0 run to temporarily tie it at 51-51.
Nolan Traore had 10 of his final 20 points in that stretch. The projected 2025 NBA Draft pick ended his BCL campaign with 6 rebounds and 4 assists too, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 at the line.
"After a slow start, I loved the way he bounced back during the game. he found the big man, he made good choices and was able to get shots at the rim. He's very young and at 18 years old to have so much responsibility in a team like this, to have the ball in your hands all the time, it's not easy to handle. I think he learned from the games against Karsiyaka and Tenerife, and also Game 1. I am pretty optimistic about what he can do in the second part of the season," SQBB coach Mahe praised his point guard.
Saint-Quentin had a 25-9 run in the third quarter, heading to the fourth up 56-54 with a Loic Schwartz's three. The last ten minutes opened with an alley-oop on the Traore-Santos Silva connection, but concluded with the Turkish team on top as the 18-year-old point guard couldn't send it to overtime on a running layup attempt at the buzzer.
Galatasaray will extend their schedule after January for the fourth straight season, heading to the next phase by reaching Unicaja, Rytas Vilnius, and Manisa Basket in Group J.
Falco-Vulcano Szombathely - Maccabi Ramat-Gan
While the spectacle in Istanbul was all about big runs by both teams throughout Game 3, in Hungary Falco-Vulcano Szombathely and Maccabi Ramat-Gan switched leads 19 times. The win-or-go-home clash featured two overtimes after Marcell Pongo's unbelievable back-court buzzer beater.
In the end, the hosts managed to come out on top 106-100, finding themselves in the Round of 16 for the first time after three seasons - their last appearance in this stage occurred in the 2021-22 season.
Hungarian crowd favorites Zoltan Perl (29 points) and Benedek Varadi (22 points) led the black-and-yellow team in scoring on Tuesday night in Szombathely, making their people happy. Thinking they were just a few seconds away from frustration and disappointment makes everything even sweeter for the Hungarians.
"I've been in Falco for eight years and this was the craziest games I've seen. In this arena, with these fans and the energy, the intensity, every basket. I really enjoyed the game and this game will stay in my memory from my entire career for sure as one of my favorite games. Also my oldest son had his birthday today so this is why I can celebrate with a smile on my face," Falco coach Milos Konakov said.
Amin Stevens hoped to continue his outstanding season in the BCL, but still finished with a 24-point and 9-rebound night, shooting 10-of-16 from the field including the go-ahead bucket for Ramat-Gan's latest lead with 13 seconds left in the first overtime.
Kendale McCullum shot poorly from the field (2-of-14), but still had a double-double with 14 points and 12 assists. Moreover, he was perfect at the line (9-of-9).
Group L isn't completed yet. Szombathely reached ERA Nymburk and UCAM Murcia, waiting for Wednesday night's Play-In series between Nanterre 92 and Filou Oostende to be decided.