LUDWIGSBURG (Germany) - MHP RIESEN kicked off their Play-In series against Limoges CSP with an 85-81 win at home sparked by Jhonathan Dunn, giving them a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

Turning point: Limoges trailed by as many as 8 points in the first quarter but went on an 8-0 run to tie the game to close out the quarter. RIESEN went on a 16-5 run of their own to take a 42-32 lead into halftime.

The game of runs theme continued in the second half. Limoges trailed 61-51 and then proceeded to go on an 11-0 run that stretched from the end of the third quarter into the fourth quarter. Back-to-back threes by Dunn in the final couple minutes ultimately sealed the win for RIESEN.

Game hero: Dunn had himself quite the game. The 24-year-old drained 9-of-12 three-pointers and scored a game-high 29 points along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Dunn's nine made threes are the most in a BCL game this season and the most by any player in a BCL game since October 2020 when Steven Gray made 10 three-pointers with Peristeri.

Honorable mention: Justin Johnson, who finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

Stats don't lie: RIESEN were better in fast break points (20-7) and points in the paint (34-22) with Johnson doing most of his work around the basket. They also outscored Limoges by 12 points from beyond the arc.

Bottom line: RIESEN have grabbed a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series and the German club will go for the sweep in Game 2 on Wednesday January 11, where Limoges will be the home team. The winner of this series will advance to the Round of 16 Group K.

Limoges were led in defeat tonight by Javontae Hawkins who finished with 17 points and 5 rebounds.

They said:

"It was a good team effort. We played the way we wanted to play. We played defense. They made a little run, but overall, we came together at the end and played defense and got some stops and got the win. My team allowed me to take those shots and it's a great feeling to be a part of it, especially in this atmosphere." - Jhonathan Dunn, MHP RIESEN

"I think it was a game of runs. I felt like it was back-and-forth all game. I thought we had a nice little push at the end of the second quarter and then again, Limoges wasn't going away. I thought for the most part, we kind of controlled the game, but we found a group there at the end that made plays down the stretch." - Joshua King, Head Coach MHP RIESEN

"I just think that we took the foot off the gas. We just have to make those little mistakes. I feel like we gave the game away in the fourth quarter. We played a solid game in the second half, but those last five minutes are crucial, and they took advantage of it." - Javontae Hawkins, Limoges CSP

"Basically, they won the game with only one player, and we were not able to stop him. We know he's a shooter and I don't get why we let him shoot 12 times from three. At the end, the team is lacking a little bit of that flow that comes when you work together and is the flow that led us to the Play-In." - Massimo Cancellieri, head coach Limoges CSP