MIES (Switzerland) - A four-game Wednesday saw a BCL record getting tied in Belgrade, while the defending BCL champs eased away in the second half in Malaga to maintain a perfect record.
FMP SoccerBet 97-101 Manisa Basket
For more than five years, Keifer Sykes had been in sole possession of the record for most points scored in a single BCL game, since he poured in 43 points for Sidigas Avellino against Bandirma back in January 2019. On Wednesday, he was joined by Saben Lee.
In the wake of media reports that he's attracted interest from several clubs with his amazing performances at Manisa, the shooting guard showed up in Belgrade and decided to showcase his talents in the BCL once again.
"Saben is a good person and he will rise in Europe, but this is not my job," Manisa coach Ertug Tuzcukaya responded to the question if this was Lee's last game for Manisa.
Lee was unstoppable all night, hitting 10-of-17 from two-point range, knocking down 3-of-4 three-pointers, two of which in crunch time, and making 14-of-18 from the charity stripe for a total of 43 points.
He became the first player in BCL history to score 30 or more points in his first two games in the competition, after scoring 36 against UCAM Murcia last week.
"We tried everything to stop Lee and he still scored 43 points," FMP coach Sasa Nikitovic said in a matter-of-fact way.
The Manisa star also had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and did not commit a single turnover in 35 minutes of work.
His clutch shots pushed the gap beyond FMP's reach, and the Serbian team did a good job in cutting the final deficit to just four points in the closing seconds, but the win was sealed.
Lee's heroics sent Manisa basket to 2-0 now, with a pair of road wins giving them plenty of confidence before they play three of the final four Regular Season games at home in Turkiye.
Hugo Besson gets a mention, too - he had 21 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds, making all 12 of his free throws on the day.
Unicaja 83-60 King Szczecin
The Polish side went toe to toe with the defending champions in the first half, but Unicaja just switched through gears after the break for a comfortable win to take them to 2-0.
Jonathan Barreiro had 14 points, same as David Kravish, Kendrick Perry added 12 to the mix, and Kameron Taylor 11. The scary part about Unicaja winning by 23 points is the fact that they made just 6-of-23 from beyond the arc, meaning there's still room for improvement there.
Friendly reminder: Unicaja are now 9-0 in official games across all competitions this season.
Aliaga Petkimspor 77-74 Filou Oostende
Unicaja are not the only 2-0 team in their group, and Manisa Basket aren't the only newcomers from Turkiye at 2-0, either, as Aliaga Petkimspor edged out the Belgian champions at home on Wednesday.
They hit them with a well known weapon of choice, as former Oostende guard Breein Tyree played his best game of the season.
Tyree had 33 points in 34 minutes, knocking down 5-of-7 threes, and coming up with 5 steals. More than enough for coach Burak Goren to enjoy a calm finish to the game, DeWayne Russell icing it from the free throw line as time expired.
Timmy Allen had 14 for Oostende, who find themselves down at 0-2 ahead of back-to-back matchups with King Szczecin. Every point will matter in those games.
RASTA Vechta 86-88 Promitheas Patras
Promitheas Patras knew they needed something special after they dropped their home game to ERA Nymburk last week. They bounced back effectively, getting a late bucket by Wes Iwundu to steal a road win in Germany.
Iwundu had 16 points on the night, leading all starters, but the bench unit did an amazing job for coach Ilias Papatheodorou. KJ Williams dominated inside the paint with 21 points, while Michail Lountzis did a bit of everything with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Vechta did have a chance to win it, but Jayden Gardner's three-pointer did not fall, sending them to 0-2 instead. They are in a tough spot now, as the schedule sets them up for a doubleheader with the 2-0 ERA Nymburk.