SAMOKOV (Bulgaria) - What better way than starting the season with early upsets and surprising results? Because that's what Monday unfolded in Samokov.
The Round of 16 in the Qualification Round Tournament 2 ahead of Season 11 in the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL started with some bangers.
Fitness First Würzburg Baskets 73-74 Manchester Basketball
Out of the 16 teams competing in the QRT2, only VEF Riga (seven), Promitheas Patras BC (four), and SL Benfica (four) had more appearances in the Basketball Champions League Regular Season than Fitness First Würzburg Baskets, tied with RASTA Vechta and BK Opava at two.
However, the Germans, among the favorites to compete until the weekend in Bulgaria, won't be playing their third campaign in the BCL from October 6. That's because Manchester Basketball pulled off one of the most impressive upsets in the BCL QRTs, winning 74-73.
The British team looked in perfect control heading into the final ten minutes of the game, as they reached the biggest lead at 16 points (58-42) with 4:10 on the clock in the third.
Wurzburg managed to come back and even led 73-72 with a few seconds to play, but Luke Nelson turned clutch from the line, and ultimately Sam Griffin (26 points) missed the shot to win it all for the Germans.
Four players finished by scoring in double digits on the British side, led by Keon Thompson (14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, with excellent lockdown defensive efforts).
Manchester will now compete against Rio Breogan Lugo on September 17 at 15:30 CET for a spot in the Semi-Finals.
They already made history, becoming the first British team to win a BCL Qualifiers game, as the London Lions, Leicester Riders and Caledonia Gladiators went 0-7 in previous participations.
Rio Breogan Lugo 126-80 Rilski Sportist
The most impressive performance of the day came from the Spanish side that will go up against Manchester in the Quarter-Finals, as Rio Breogan stormed over the tournament's hosts Rilski Sportist 126-80.
It was a dominant showing from the tip-off by Luis Casimiro's team, which could count on seven players ending the 40-minute clash in double digits. Breogan never lost control of the lead and finished by shooting 63.9% (23-of-36) from the three-point line, out-assisting the opponents 29-14.
The Croatian connection worked pretty well for Breogan, as Dominik Mavra (16 points and 13 assists, 4-of-4 from three) and Danko Brankovic (19 points and 7 rebounds, 8-of-8 from the field) combined for 53 in efficiency.
Alan Arnett and Isaiah Richards combined for 30 points in their team's loss.
VEF Riga 105-88 Landau Lions
We’ve been used to seeing Riga play fearlessly in the Basketball Champions League, and their first performance in the Qualification Round Tournament 2 was no exception. The 105-88 win over LANDAU Lions was another proof of that.
The two teams entered the game by combining for 57 points in the first quarter in a high-tempo matchup from the very beginning. The Latvians, however, created separation in the third (35-23) to run away with the win.
Jevgenijs Kosuskins' team had significant help from two of their newcomers. Jordan Sears recorded his all-time career high in scoring with 38 points, adding 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and shooting 7-of-15 from beyond the arc; Luis Rodriguez flirted with a double-double at 21 points and 9 rebounds.
The Azeri team, on the losing side, couldn't recover fully from the biggest margin of the game at a 24-point difference, and they are now eliminated from contention. In his first and only game in Samokov, De'Ondre Jackson led LANDAU with 21 points.
BK Opava 99-116 Dziki Warszawa
Expanding the list of surprises from the first game day in Samokov's Arena SamElyon, another former BCL participant, BK Opava, won't return to the Group Stage for Season 11.
Dziki Warszawa want to become the 9th ever team from Poland to participate in the competition, and they have started well in the QRT2 by beating their opponents from Czechia 116-99 after escaping in the second half.
The Polish team, coached by Marco Legovich, will now face VEF Riga on September 17 at 13:15 CET to try to take out another familiar face in the BCL. They'll need another collective effort like Monday's, when seven players scored in double digits, led by Austin Luke's 22 points.
On the team from Czechia, Jakub Sirina's 22 points and 4 assists weren't enough to progress.