MIES (Switzerland) - Another comeback by AEK BC, the first OT of the season that gave Trabzonspor an inaugural win in the league, and a lot more.
That's how Wednesday's action in the Opening Round of the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, started with the four afternoon clashes.
Concluding the night, four teams from Belgium, Serbia, Germany, and Spain could celebrate the opening wins of Season 11 in front of their own fans. A pretty nice way to enter the European campaign.
Two outcomes showed impressive blowouts, while the remaining couple featured close matchups until the very end. Stay with us to figure out what happened on Wednesday evening.
Worried coach gets 27-point win
Let's start with one blowout taking place in Spain, as two notable European names made their return to the BCL. Itelyum Varese fans, however, won't be remembering such a comeback, taking place after a decade.
That's because UCAM Murcia, which can count on two bronze medals in their past competing in the BCL, wanted to make their return on such a stage with a strong statement at home. Indeed, they did it, winning 85-58.
With their 27-point margin against Varese, Sito Alonso's team managed to register their second-biggest victory in BCL history after a +36 against FMP Belgrade in October 2024.
And yet, he was worried...
"Believe me, I was very worried. Because (Varese) play very good basketball, but it’s true, during some minutes of this game, we defended very well," coach said.
It was a dominant victory by the Spaniards, who conceded only a 45-second lead to the Italian side, out-rebounding the opponents 49-36 while also getting 14 more assists (27-13).
Murcia won thanks to their usual collective effort, with Dylan Ennis (16 points and 5 assists) leading the whole side by inspiring on the offensive end. The team's captain, Jonah Radebaugh, added 11 points and 4 assists.
Without a scoring torch like Amedeo Della Valle, forced to miss the Opening Round due to injury, Varese had to rely mainly on Hunter Hale. He answered with 17 points and 6 rebounds, but shot 6-of-16 from the field.
Not Enoch for Falco-Vulcano
Luckily for us and beloved fans all over Europe, these games are only the beginning of an eventful BCL Season 11. But if the season randomly ended after the opening rounds, Windrose Giants Antwerp would be unbeatable.
That's because, for the third time in three participations, the Belgian team entered the season with a victory, 99-93 against Falco-Vulcano Szombathely: the perfect way to celebrate their comeback in the competition.
Looking at the lead tracker, with Antwerp staying ahead for 37:12 minutes, it may have looked like an easy win for the team coached by Roel Moors, who already led this side to a bronze medal at the BCL Final Four 2019.
Instead, the Hungarians were very close at the beginning of the final stanza, cutting the gap from -18 (43-25, in the second quarter) to -1 (78-77). Antwerp needed everybody to step up, including Jelhoni James, who had a chase-down block on Darrion Trammell to block the visitors' comeback attempt.
On the offensive end, the black-and-red team's shooting guards combined for 44 points: Enoch Cheeks had 23 over 4-of-8 from deep, while Noel Coleman provided 21 points over 5-of-7 from way downtown.
Despite the defeat, it was the usual night at the office for Zoltan Perl, who became the 6th-best scorer of all time (963 points) in the history of the BCL.
Against Antwerp, he had a 25-point losing effort off the bench, tying the all-time record for most games in double digits in a row, now at 20, the same as DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell.
Largest Serbian win, ever
Entering their second straight BCL season, the Serbian champs Spartak Office Shoes already made history just with the tip-off of their home game against RASTA Vechta, becoming the first Serbian team to appear in multiple campaigns.
Once the game was on, it was even better: they dominated the Germans 96-64, which happens to be their biggest victory in a BCL game, while also the highest winning margin by a Serbian team in league history.
Partizan, Mega and FMP were the other three Serbian participants in the BCL.
Spartak, led by the newcomer Jalon Pipkins, who finished with 18 points, were significantly helped by their second unit, outscoring Vechta 46-18 in points from the bench.
Christian Held's team, which looked particularly remarkable in the BCL Qualification Round Tournament, will have to bounce back soon in Group F. Matt Lewis led the team with 12 points and 5 rebounds.
Former champs return with a win
For one German team that approach Season 11 with a defeat, another representative from Germany started their European journey with a success. And it's a victory that reminds their fans of good old memories.
Returning to the BCL for their 7th appearance, a legacy that also includes the 2023 title, Telekom Baskets Bonn won 78-74 against FC Porto while being the only team that never trailed during this Opening Round.
Leading by 22 points midway through the third quarter, Marko Stankovic's team showed resilience in the ultimate quarter and survived Porto's comeback attempt.
"I believe we were able to control the game defensively. We rebounded the ball very well. We were also feeding off each other, playing in the gaps and team defense collectively," Alijah Comithier, who had 18 points, said.
"I believe we were able to turn that into offense and feed off of both sides of the ball to control the game and win the game," he concluded in the post-game press conference.
For the Portuguese newcomers, James Woodard, who's the only player with BCL experience on the roster, having won the bronze medal in 2022 with MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg, ended with a 13-point losing effort.