Overview of Round 3 of Second Stage

Basketball Champions League is at the halfway of the Second Stage and there are still another 3 rounds left. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Round 3 most important game was a defeat of Spanish Tenerife (2-1). They were edged by Gran Canaria (2-1) 72-70 on Wednesday night. It was a great evening for Canadian guard Kassius Robertson (190-1994, college: Missouri, agency: Octagon Europe) who led his team to a victory scoring 16 points (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). American-Slovenian center Mike Tobey (213-1994, college: Virginia) helped adding 7 points and 7 rebounds. The best for the losing side was Georgian center Giorgi Shermadini (216-1989, agency: Octagon Europe) with 15 points (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Tenerife will play next round against strong Nymburk trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Gran Canaria will try to continue on its current victory against Trieste on the road.
Important game to mention about took place in Bursa. Greek AEK (3-0) saved a 3-point victory on the road edging Turkish Tofas (1-2) 93-90 on Tuesday evening. It was an exceptional evening for American forward RaiQuan Gray (203-1999, college: FSU) who led the winners and scored 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Frank Bartley IV accounted for 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Lithuanian center Marek Blazevic (209-2001) came up with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 13 rebounds for Tofas in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. AEK will play against Karditsas (#4) on the road in the next round. Tofas will play against ALBA in Berlin and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
A very close game took place in Wuerzburg between Spanish Joventut and German s Oliver Baskets. Joventut (3-0) got a very close victory on the road over s Oliver Baskets (0-3). Joventut managed to escape with a 2-point win 85-83 on Tuesday evening. The best player for the winners was Ricky Rubio who scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Joventut's coach used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the other side the best for losing team was Marcus Carr who recorded 19 points and 9 assists. Joventut will meet Chalon/Saone (#3) on the road in the next round, which may be the game of the day. s Oliver Baskets will play against Unicaja and hope to get finally their first victory.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 3: Chalon/Saone was destroyed by Unicaja on the opponent's court 111-82. Galatasaray managed to outperform H.Holon in a home game 86-81. Winless Karditsas recorded a loss to ALBA on the road 84-80. Le Mans defeated Rytas on its own court 78-72. Nymburk beat Trieste in a road game 91-85.



Tofas - AEK 90-93

Important game to mention about took place in Bursa. Greek AEK (3-0) saved a 3-point victory on the road edging Turkish Tofas (1-2) 93-90 on Tuesday evening. AEK players were unselfish on offense dishing 28 assists. It was an exceptional evening for American forward RaiQuan Gray (203-1999, college: FSU) who led the winners and scored 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. His fellow American import guard Frank Bartley IV (191-1994, college: Louisiana) accounted for 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side. Bartley IV is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Lithuanian center Marek Blazevic (209-2001) came up with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 13 rebounds and Mexican-American point guard Alexander Perez-Kaufmann (191-1993) added 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists respectively for Tofas in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. AEK will play against Karditsas (#4) on the road in the next round. Tofas will play against ALBA in Berlin and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Tofas: A.Perez-Kaufmann 17+6reb+6ast, M.Blazevic 16+13reb+1ast, H.Besson 15+2reb, J.Floyd 11+2ast, I.Whaley 9+6reb, L.Kidd 8+4reb
AEK: G.RaiQuan 23+5reb+5ast, B.Frank 21+6reb+4ast, L.Lukas 13+1reb+2ast, C.Vasileios 10+5reb+5ast, F.Dimitris 9+2reb+3ast, N.James 7+3reb+6ast

Wuerzburg - Joventut 83-85

A very close game took place in Wuerzburg between Spanish Joventut and German s Oliver Baskets. Joventut (3-0) got a very close victory on the road over s Oliver Baskets (0-3). Joventut managed to escape with a 2-point win 85-83 on Tuesday evening. Joventut outrebounded Wuerzburg 35-22 including 25 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was point guard Ricky Rubio (192-1990) who scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. American Cameron Hunt (192-1997, college: Southwestern, KS) chipped in 18 points. Joventut's coach used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the other side the best for losing team was Canadian guard Marcus Carr (188-1999, college: Texas) who recorded 19 points and 9 assists and American guard Davion Mintz (191-1998, college: Kentucky, agency: Octagon Europe) added 18 points respectively. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Joventut will meet Chalon/Saone (#3) on the road in the next round, which may be the game of the day. s Oliver Baskets will play against Unicaja and hope to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Wuerzburg: M.Carr 19+3reb+9ast, D.Mintz 18+1reb+1ast, B.Ivey 15+2reb+1ast, J.Stove 11+6reb+1ast, D.Muenkat 8+4reb+1ast, E.Edigin 4+1reb
Joventut: H.Cameron 18+4reb+2ast, R.Michael 15+4reb, R.Ricky 13+5reb+7ast, K.Yannick 10+5reb+3ast, B.Simon 8+5reb, T.Ante 6+6reb+2ast

Unicaja - Chalon/Saone 111-82

Unicaja used a home court advantage and crushed the opponent from Chalon 111-82 on Tuesday night. Unicaja forced 20 Chalon/Saone turnovers and outrebounded them 30-18 including 19 on the defensive glass. Unicaja shot the lights out from three sinking 15 long-distance shots on high 62.5 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was American-Montenegrin point guard Kendrick Perry (183-1992, college: YSU) who scored 17 points and 4 assists (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). Bosnian-German Nihad Djedovic (197-1990) chipped in 15 points. At the other side the best for losing team was Cameroonian-American point guard Jeremiah Hill (188-1995, college: Valdosta St.) who recorded 18 points and American center Grant Golden (208-1998, college: Richmond) added 9 points respectively. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Unicaja will meet Wuerzburg (#4) on the road in the next round. Chalon/Saor will play against Joventut and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Chalon/Saone: J.Hill 18+2reb+3ast, T.Yanis 10+1reb+1ast, Y.Choupas 10+1ast, G.Golden 9+3reb+3ast, N.Darling 8+3ast, Z.Cuthbertson 8+4reb
Unicaja: P.Kendrick 17+2reb+4ast, D.Nihad 15+4reb+1ast, B.Aleksander 12+2reb+3ast, A.Chase 10, R.Augustine 9+3reb+1ast, S.Emir 9+7reb+1ast

Galatasaray - H.Holon 86-81

Rather predictable result in Istanbul where Turkish Galatasaray (2-1) defeated Israeli Hapoel Holon (0-3) 86-81 on Wednesday. The best player for the winners was American guard Errick McCollum (188-1988, college: Goshen) who scored 18 points and 4 assists. His fellow American import James Palmer Jr (198-1996, college: Nebraska) chipped in 14 points and 6 rebounds. Galatasaray's coach allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Xavier Munford (193-1992, college: URI) who recorded 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) and Mali center Adama Sanogo (206-2002, college: UConn) added 20 points and 12 rebounds respectively. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Galatasaray will meet Le Mans on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Hapoel Holon will play against Rytas and looks forward to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
H.Holon: X.Munford 21+6reb+6ast, D.Walton Jr. 20+2reb+5ast, A.Sanogo 20+12reb, I.Zalmanson 10+4reb, L.Carreira 3, D.Green Jr. 3+5reb+3ast
Galatasaray: M.Errick 18+2reb+4ast, P.James 14+6reb+2ast, Y.Muhsin 13+4reb, M.John 12+4reb+2ast, R.Jerome 8+3reb+5ast, T.Ahmet 7+3reb+3ast

ALBA - Karditsas 84-80

Not a big story in a game when Greek Karditsas (0-3) were defeated on the road by German ALBA Berlin (2-1) 84-80 on Wednesday. ALBA shot 25 for 35 from the free-throw line, while Karditsas only scored seven points from the stripe. The best player for the winners was point guard Jack Kayil (191-2006) who scored 20 points and 5 rebounds. Malte Delow (197-2001) chipped in 8 points and 11 rebounds. Four ALBA Berlin players scored in double figures. ALBA Berlin's coach used entire bench in such tough game. At the other side the best for losing team was American point guard Brandon Jefferson (175-1991, college: MSU Denver) who recorded 23 points and 7 assists and British-American Noah Horchler (204-1998, college: Providence) added 17 points and 10 rebounds respectively. ALBA Berlin will meet at home Tofas (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Karditsas will play against AEK and look forward to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Karditsas: B.Jefferson 23+1reb+7ast, N.Horchler 17+10reb+1ast, D.Jefferson 13+4reb+2ast, A.Madsen 8+3reb+1ast, A.Estrada 7+1reb+9ast, L.Kaselakis 7+2reb
ALBA: K.Jack 20+5reb+3ast, B.Justin 14+3reb+1ast, H.Martin 11+3ast, G.Sam 10+2reb+2ast, D.Malte 8+11reb+3ast, A.Norris 7+4reb

Le Mans - Rytas 78-72

Everything went according to plan when French Le Mans (3-0) beat at home Lithuanian Rytas (1-2) 78-72 on Wednesday. Le Mans made 20-of-25 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. Le Mans outrebounded Rytas 41-29 including 29 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was Eritrean-Canadian guard Johnny Berhanemeskel (188-1992, college: Ottawa) who scored 20 points. American point guard Trevor Hudgins (181-1999, college: NW Missouri St.) chipped in 12 points and 5 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was American-North Macedonian center Jacob Wiley (203-1994, college: EWU) who recorded 9 points and 6 rebounds and Gytis Masiulis (206-1998) added 11 points and 5 rebounds respectively. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Le Mans will meet at home Galatasaray in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Rytas will play against H.Holon and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Rytas: G.Masiulis 11+5reb, J.Walker 9+1reb+1ast, J.Wiley 9+6reb+3ast, L.Simonas 8+4reb+3ast, K.Smith 8+1reb+4ast, A.Gudaitis 8+6reb+1ast
Le Mans: B.Johnny 20+3reb, H.Trevor 12+4reb+5ast, B.Shannon 10+2reb, D.Lucas 9+8reb+1ast, W.Travante 7+3reb, Y.Wilfried 7+7reb

Trieste - Nymburk 85-91

There was a minor upset when Italian Trieste (1-2) was defeated at home by Czech Nymburk (1-2) 91-85 on Wednesday. Nymburk outrebounded Trieste 49-35 including 21 on the offensive glass. Nymburk looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was point guard Ondrej Sehnal (189-1997) who scored 17 points and 5 assists. Forward Matej Svoboda (200-1996, college: Dayton, agency: Octagon Europe) chipped in 15 points and 7 rebounds. Five Nymburk players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American Markel Brown (193-1992, college: OK State) who recorded 19 points and 4 assists and the other American import Jarrod Uthoff (206-1993, college: Iowa) added 13 points and 8 rebounds respectively. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Nymburk will meet at home Tenerife in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Trieste will play against Gran Canaria and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Trieste: M.Brown 19+4reb+4ast, J.Uthoff 13+8reb+1ast, J.Ramsey 12+5reb+2ast, J.Brooks 8+3reb+2ast, M.Sissoko 8+2reb, J.Toscano-Anderson 7+4reb+2ast
Nymburk: S.Ondrej 17+4reb+5ast, S.Matej 15+7reb+1ast, R.Sir'Jabari 15+4reb+2ast, K.Martin 13+4reb+2ast, P.Tony 12+3reb+6ast, B.Jaromir 6+5reb+3ast

Gran Canaria - Tenerife 72-70

Round 3 most important game was a defeat of Spanish Tenerife (2-1). They were edged by Gran Canaria (2-1) 72-70 on Wednesday night. It was a great evening for Canadian guard Kassius Robertson (190-1994, college: Missouri, agency: Octagon Europe) who led his team to a victory scoring 16 points (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). American-Slovenian center Mike Tobey (213-1994, college: Virginia) helped adding 7 points and 7 rebounds. The best for the losing side was Georgian center Giorgi Shermadini (216-1989, agency: Octagon Europe) with 15 points (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) and British-Canadian Thomas Scrubb (198-1991, college: Carleton, agency: Octagon Europe) scored 11 points and 6 rebounds. Five Tenerife players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Tenerife will play next round against strong Nymburk trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Gran Canaria will try to continue on its current victory against Trieste on the road.
Top scorers:
Tenerife: G.Shermadini 15+4reb, W.Van Beck 13+2ast, T.Scrubb 11+6reb, J.Fernandez 10+1reb+4ast, B.Fitipaldo 10+4ast, A.Doornekamp 5+4reb+1ast
Gran Canaria: R.Kassius 16+2reb, W.Isaiah 9+2reb, B.Nicolas 9+3reb+1ast, K.Kur 8+4reb+2ast, T.Mike 7+7reb, P.Pierre 7+6reb