Newley continues to light it up in Eurocup
Brad Newley continued showing off his shooting touch from behind the arc in Herbalife Gran Canaria’s loss to Limoges CSP, while New Zealand's Isaac Fotu was the lone bright spot in CAI Zaragoza’s one-sided loss to Dolomiti Energia.
Kicking-off round 9 of the Euroleague top 16, Lokomotiv Kuban took on Anadolu Efes Istanbul in what was a phenomenal defensive showing from the Russian side. Anadolu Efes Istanbul had trouble stringing points together against the tough Lokomotiv defense; they forced Efes into 17 turnovers and held them to only 61 points in the game, on 39% shooting from the field. Lokomotiv was too much to handle for the Turkish opposition as they came out with the win 76-61.
Ryan Broekhoff had 5 points (2/4 FG) made one triple and hauled in 5 rebounds on the night, despite playing only 16 minutes. Although his offensive performance was quiet, the team didn’t need his shooting so instead he found other ways to contribute, by playing with the energy and hustle we’ve become accustomed to seeing from him on the defensive end of the floor. Lokomotiv Kuban now sits second atop the group E standings with a 7-2 record.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-iMrt1o3sw
NBL superstar and Adelaide 36er Jerome Randle made his debut in the Euroleague for BC Zalgiris Kaunas and he didn’t disappoint, showing out with his play in the fourth quarter, helping Zalgiris come out with the win over Brose Baskets Bamberg 75-73. Randle scored 12 points on 6-14 shooting from the field and dished out 5 assists on the night.
Through four quarters of action it was a game of tug of war with both teams looking to find an edge. However Zalgiris would start to separate themselves from the opposition thanks to a huge rebounding disparity (43-26) Zalgiris outrebounded their opponents 18-3 on the offensive glass, and all those extra possessions came back to hurt Brose Baskets as they came away as losers.
Brock Motum had a solid night despite seeing only 12 minutes of action. He came into the game and found a way to contribute by making winning plays and doing all the little things necessary for Zalgiris to come out as victors. Motum finished the game with 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal, helping Zalgiris get just their second win in the top 16.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM92IeAMD-M
Continuing his string of excellent shooting performances, Brad Newley was on fire hitting three shots from behind the arc on his way to scoring 13 points on 5/8 shooting from the field, in only 19 minutes of action. His usual defensive efforts were also on display, however the same couldn’t be said for his teammates as they had trouble closing out on shooters all game allowing Limoges to shoot 45% on three-point attempts.
Limoges CSP and Herbalife Gran Canaria would both end up trading leads for much of the game as the contest would come down to the wire with Limoges leading 75-71 in the final minute of action. Gran Canaria’s Kevin Pangos would step up for the Spaniards hitting two clutch three-pointers and helping Gran Canaria tie the game at 77 a piece. But a silly foul from Eulis Baez put Limoges at the free-throw line with 0.1 seconds left on the clock. They’d make one of two shots allowing them to come out as victors, with the final score 78-77.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXVkHmpF4wQ
Isaac Fotu’s excellent play wouldn’t be enough as CAI Zaragoza came away as losers to Dolomiti Energia Trento. From tip-off both teams would battle back and forth with Dolomiti Energia taking the slight lead 18-17. However a strong second quarter showing from Isaac Fotu would spark Zaragoza allowing them to outscore Dolomiti in the quarter (16-15) and go into halftime tied, with both teams sitting at 33.
In the second half Zaragoza would start to fall apart allowing the Italian opposition to score at ease. Their suspect defense would give up 46 points through the final two-quarters as Dolomiti came away with the win 79-65.
Isaac was one of the lone bright spots for Zaragoza, adding 12 points (5/7 FG) to go with 3 rebounds and 1 steal on the night. Although he did have a good showing on the offensive end, it was his effort on the defensive end that stood out; defensively he was phenomenal in pick and roll coverage’s as he did a great job forcing Dolomiti Energia’s guards into taking tough jump shots. His plus/minus showed just that, as he was the only player with a positive impact on the game for Zaragoza. They outscored Dolomiti Energia by 7 points in his 21 minutes of playing time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvjEejrKNp4