MIES (Switzerland) - The Holidays are over, but Patrioti Levice surely don't want to stop celebrating, as they welcomed 2026 with open arms, playing amazingly on the road in Germany.
There aren't many better ways to start a new year than by getting the club's first-ever Play-Ins victory in the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL. Here's how they did it.
Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets 89-92 Patrioti Levice
Patrioti Levice's run in their first season playing in the BCL has been nothing but admirable. Going from the Qualifiers to the Play-Ins was already a success, but the Slovaks decided once again to surprise everybody.
Starting the game on an 18-4 run and keeping their composure, the Slovak champs delivered the upset to beat Fitness First Würzburg Baskets 92-89 away from home, getting the 1-0 advantage in the series.
It took them an extraordinary night from beyond the arc, shooting 58 percent from the perimeter; the team's leader, Rickey McGill, shot 6-of-7 from the three-point line, finishing with a team-high 29 points while playing all 40 minutes.
"It was a good win. It's time to get prepared for Thursday, that's really what's on my mind, you know. Take it a game at a time. It was a good win but we gotta go back to Slovakia and get the job done," McGill said.
Four more players ended in double-digits for Levice: Novak Music (17 points and 6 assists), Boris Bojanovsky (14 points), Gabe Dorsey (13), and Andre Wesson Jr (10).
For the hosts, Davion Mintz had a 30-point losing effort, Charles Thompson added 14 points, 9 boards, and 6 assists; Brae Ivey (16 points and 7 assists) scored from deep to reduce the deficit to one possession with one second to go, but that's all they got.
The series will now move to Slovakia, where Levice will host Würzburg for Game 2 in two days at 18:00 CET.
With another win, Patrioti would qualify for the first time to the BCL Round of 16, joining Joventut Badalona, Unicaja, and the winner of the series between Elan Chalon and Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola in Group K.
NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz 62-82 Pallacanestro Trieste
Pallacanestro Trieste entered 2026 with a rough defeat in Trento, failing to bounce back after a tough period.
Their emotional rebound came on the road in Hungary, winning Game 1 of their Play-In series against NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz 82-62.
Five players scored in double-digits on Trieste's side, with Jahmi'us Ramsey leading the team at 17 points. The road side prevailed 44-25 in the second half, imposing their superiority.
Brady Skeens had his third straight double-double in the BCL, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds for Szolnoki.
Israel Gonzalez's team are now one win away from reaching Group L of the BCL Round of 16, where they would face La Laguna Tenerife, Dreamland Gran Canaria, and one between MLP Academics Heidelberg and ERA Nymburk.
"We have been playing much better these last weeks but we didn't get the reward to win. Today, finally we got this gift because they deserved it," Trieste's playcaller said. Game 2 of this Play-In series will be played in PalaTrieste on January 8 at 20:00 CET.
Mersin Sports Club 65-92 Le Mans Sarthe Basket
Levice and Trieste weren't the only teams getting victories on the road to start their 2026 in the BCL, with Le Mans Sarthe Basket celebrating too, following their appointment away from home.
The French side got the upper hand over Mersin Sports Club, which led for only 2:23 in the game. Eventually, they won 92-65 on the road to get the 1-0 lead in the Play-In series with the Turkish side.
David DiLeo propelled Le Mans' victory with a 22-point effort, while the team's leader, Trevor Hudgins, flirted with a double-double at 19 points and 7 assists, shooting 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Le Mans need one win to reach Rytas Vilnius, Galatasaray MCT Technic, and Hapoel Netanel Holon in Group I of the BCL Round of 16.
Justin Cobbs (14 points and 4 assists), Ronald March Jr. (12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists), and Jack White (10 points and 5 rebounds) weren't enough for the hosts.
Game 2 will be played in France on January 8 at 20:00 CET.
MLP Academics Heidelberg 63-72 ERA Nymburk
ERA Nymburk played with fire in the BCL Regular Season, qualifying as the third-best team in Group B. Before the Play-Ins, they lost five games in a row in the competition.
However, visiting MLP Academics Heidelberg, they demonstrated why they have always been one of the toughest teams to face in the BCL. Game 1 is theirs, and they now lead 1-0 after winning 72-63 away from Czechia.
Nymburk's win was pretty much never in doubt, as they led for 34:12 in the matchup, outrebounding the opponents 56-31 and having a solid contribution from non-starters with 44 points off the bench.
After putting up 20+ points in each of his six games in the BCL, Sir' Jabari Rice led the Czech side in scoring once again, this time with 17 points. Ondrej Sehnal added 11 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Heidelberg's trio, composed of DJ Horne (16 points and 5 rebounds), Ryan Mikesell (15 points), and Marcel Keßen (13 points and 4 rebounds) wasn't enough for the Germans.
With another win in Game 2, scheduled in Prague on January 8 at 18:30 CET, Nymburk would qualify for the Round of 16, joining La Laguna Tenerife, Dreamland Gran Canaria, and either Olajbanyasz or Trieste in Group L.
KK Spartak Office Shoes 82-89 Karditsa Iaponiki
Playing at home could obviously be a factor in clutch series like these, but Tuesday's action all over Europe proved it's not enough. With Karditsa Iaponiki coming out on top in Serbia, five teams won on the road in Game 1.
At the end of a 40-minute battle with five lead changes, the guests took down KK Spartak Office Shoes 89-82 away from Greece, leading 1-0 in the series. Game 2 will be played on January 8 at 17:30 CET.
Brandon Jefferson had a brilliant performance away from Karditsa, leading his team with 29 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals, shooting 5-of-7 from two-point range and 5-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Shevon Thompson ended with a 21-point losing effort for KK Spartak, while his teammate Olivier Hanlan finished with 15 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds in the Serbian team's defeat.
With another victory on Thursday, Karditsa would join their countrymen of AEK, ALBA BERLIN, and either Tofas Bursa or Cholet Basket in Group J of the Round of 16.