MIES (Switzerland) - Surprising, unprecedented, shocking: how could you describe a night of action in the Round of 16 of the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL?
You choose the adjective, we share what was behind a five-game package that had it all: wild crowds, wild comebacks, wild individual performances. Follow us to find out what happened on this wild Tuesday night.
Hapoel Netanel Holon 85-106 Le Mans Sarthe Basket
Once the Regular Season and the Play-Ins ended, everybody expected one of two teams to stand up alone on top of Group I, unbeaten: Rytas Vilnius and Galatasaray MCT Technic.
Well, everybody not named Le Mans Sarthe Basket.
Coming off a dominant Play-Ins win over Mersin Sports Club, the French side entered the BCL Round of 16 with a shocking road win over Galatasaray, before crushing Hapoel Netanel Holon 106-85, also away from home.
Le Mans are one of the teams with the best recent stretches in the whole European landscape (9-2 in last 11 games in all competitions), and surely in the BCL: they have now won five straight games in the competition for the first time ever.
They led for 38:13 minutes in Bulgaria, dominating the opponents for the whole encounter.
David DiLeo had a 26-point winning effort over 6-of-9 from deep, while Johnny Berhanemeskel and TaShawn Thomas each added 17 points for Le Mans.
Holon haven't had a fantastic tradition going up against French teams in the BCL: this was their seventh defeat over their last nine games played with French opponents on the court.
Jordan McRae (17 points and 5 assists) led the yellow-and-purple side on Tuesday, with four more players scoring in double-digits: Adama Sanogo (15), Netanel Artzi (14), Darin Green Jr (12), and Idan Zalmanson (10.
Rytas Vilnius 85-89 Galatasaray MCT Technic
Le Mans are now up 2-0 in Group I, immediately followed at 1-1 by the two sides which put up the game of the night on Tuesday: Galatasaray came back from -12 to surprise Rytas and their beloved fans in Vilnius.
Karditsa Iaponiki 79-93 Tofas Bursa
Both Karditsa Iaponiki and Tofas Bursa started their campaign in the BCL Round of 16 by suffering defeats, respectively against AEK BC and ALBA BERLIN. They needed to bounce back on Tuesday.
After the first balanced twenty minutes, the Turkish team came out with authority in the second half, winning 93-79 to interrupt a five-game losing streak away from home in the Round of 16.
I think this was one of our best games this season in terms of togetherness: we should build on that and be proud of it.
Tofas shared well the ball and enjoyed the rims in Greece, shooting 12-of-23 (52.2%) from beyond the arc. Since they regained the lead (49-46) with a buzzer-beater by Alex Perez at the end of the second, they never lost it.
Hugo Besson had a leader kind of night, stepping up with 22 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 4-of-7 from the perimeter. Marek Blazevic joined him with 19 points and 7 rebounds to push Tofas to the win.
Awarded before the game as MVP of the Play-Ins, Brandon Jefferson had a rough night shooting-wise (2-of-8 FG). Damien Jefferson (15 points and 9 rebounds) and the newest arrival, Aaron Eestrada (13 points), weren't enough.
Karditsa had their second straight home defeat against teams from Türkiye, having lost previously to Mersin as well. Group J action will also be featured on Wednesday night, as AEK are set to host ALBA at 18:00 CET.
ERA Nymburk 64-67 Dreamland Gran Canaria
Perfect on the road? Perfect on the road! Dreamland Gran Canaria entered their second game in the Round of 16 eager to get back on track after their loss to Pallacanestro Trieste at home, and they didn't disappoint.
Now at four consecutive games won far from the Canary Islands, Jaka Lakovic's team went through it all to take down ERA Nymburk in Czechia. Eventually, they will come home with the 67-64 win in their pockets.
In a game where defenses slowed down their respective opponents, Nymburk enjoyed a 9-point lead (37-28) entering the third stanza, but Gran Canaria fought back with a 10-2 run.
Later on, they eventually were clutch at the charity stripe, with both Mike Tobey and Nicolas Brussino converting crucial free throws down the line. Vojtech Hruban's three-point attempt to tie didn't go in as time expired, and Nymburk suffered the loss.
Nobody really stood out with significant individual performances. On Gran Canaria, Brussino and Tobey each put up 11 points, while Isaiah Wong followed with 9 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds.
Sir' Jabari Rice and Tony Perkins, Nymburk's newest guard, both had a 10-point losing effort. Perkins also added 7 assists and 5 steals in the making.
La Laguna Tenerife are set to host Trieste on Wednesday night at 21:00 CET to conclude the action of the week in Group L.
Elan Chalon 86-75 Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets
Last but not least, the final game of the night. Usually, the dessert helps us go to sleep with a sweet taste, wanting to get a bite of it the following day. If you're wondering, yes: we want to get straight to action on Wednesday.
At least, that's what Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets would think after this 40-minute clash against Elan Chalon on the road. It looked like they were always there to spoil the party, but the hosts prevailed 86-75 in France.
Getting their last lead of the game with six minutes to go in the third stanza at 52-50, Wurzburg reacted with pride in the final quarter, getting as close as they could to Chalon at 71-70 following Charles Thompson's bucket.
They were within reach at -3 with just two minutes left to play, but that's when Jeremiah Hill decided this was his backyard.
The fan favorite point guard sealed the game with a personal 8-0 run, taking the game from 78-75 to 86-75. Keep in mind, the final margin could make all the difference at the end of Gameday 6 in the Round of 16.
Hill had 16 points and 6 rebounds, while the newest paint dominator, Grant Golden contributed with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Chalon were a +20 team with Golden on the floor.
Wurzburg stayed in contention mainly thanks to a great three-point night (9-of-19) and to the usual suspect Marcus Carr, who had a 22-point losing effort.
Wednesday's schedule will include the other game in Group K as well, with Joventut going up against Unicaja in a special Spanish derby at 19:00 CET.