MUNICH (Germany) - Casademont Zaragoza and Cholet Basket opened the Second Round of FIBA Europe Cup action with contrasting home wins.
Zaragoza needed a strong third quarter to eventually see off FC Porto, while Cholet had T.J. Campbell to thank for their home win over fellow French side ESSM Le Portel.
There will be six more games on Wednesday, as the remaining 12 sides continue their campaigns.
Key Storylines
Campbell and Diawara guide Cholet to thrilling win over Le Portel;
Zaragoza use a strong third period to see off Fayne-led Porto;
Unbeaten Sassari and Bilbao meet on Wednesday.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Philip Fayne (FC Porto) - 29 Points: Jilson Bango (Casademont Zaragoza) / Philip Fayne (FC Porto) - 22 Rebounds: Jamuni McNeace (Cholet Basket) - 11 Assists: T.J. Campbell (Cholet Basket) - 7 Steals: Devyn Marble (FC Porto) - 3 Blocks: Multiple players - 1
Zaragoza, Cholet emerge victorious to open Second Round
T.J. Campbell and Mohamed Diawara were the heroes as Cholet Basket came out with an 85-82 win over ESSM Le Portel in a breathtaking all-French encounter in Group L.
With the game tied at 82-82 in the final 15 seconds, Campbell stepped up to drain a three-pointer from the top with 1.7 seconds left to send the home crowd into a frenzy. That doubled when Diawara got the vital block on Deandre Gholston's attempt, which could have taken the tie to an extra five minutes.
Campbell ended with 16 points, which included four triples and 7 assists for Cholet Basket. Gholston had a game-high 17 for Le Portel.
Despite owning a lead as big as 16 points in the latter stages of the third, Cholet found themselves pegged back by a determined Le Portel side who narrowed the deficit to as little as 66-65 after three periods.
A back-and-forth final 10 saw Le Portel enjoy a slender advantage in the final two minutes, but Cholet had enough left in the tank down the stretch, especially with the game on the line.
Earlier, Casademont Zaragoza broke the deadlock in the third quarter to come away with an 86-70 victory over FC Porto in the opening game of Group K. The Spanish side outscored their opponents 21-13 to take a double-digit cushion into the final quarter, and they never looked back.
Jilson Bango had 22 points - going 8-of-9 from the field - along with 8 rebounds to lead Zaragoza, canceling out Philip Fayne's 22 points and 9 rebounds for their Portuguese counterparts.
FIBA