Andorra beats Promitheas for second place in Group A

MoraBanc Andorra finished the 2019-20 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season with an important victory, 65-80, on the road at Promitheas Patras on Tuesday. Andorra finished second in Group A with a 7-3 record and Promitheas fourth at 6-4. David Walker led the winners with 16 points, Clevin Hannah added 15, Nacho Llovet, Jeremy Senglin and Dejan Musli each had 12 and David Jelinek 11 for Andorra. Octavius Ellis paced Promitheas with 13 points and Leonidas Kaselakis added 12. The hosts led 36-35 at halftime before a rain of three-pointers gave Andorra a 51-59 margin after 30 minutes. Little changed in the fourth quarter, as Andorra padded its lead and held on until the final buzzer.

Kaselakis got Promitheas going with a three-pointer. Dejan Musli answered with a jump hook and Walker followed a triple with a coast-to-coast layup for a 3-7 Andorra lead. Gerald Robinson scored in penetration, but Llovet and Walker combined for all the points in a 0-7 run that boosted the visitors' lead to 5-14. Kaselakis and Eleftherios Mantzoukas each struck from downtown in a 9-0 run that Robinson capped with a close-range basket to tie the game at 14-14. Musli scored again and Jelinek added a corner three-pointer to restore a 16-19 Andorra lead after 10 minutes. Ellis scored around the basket early in the second quarter, but Hannah followed a floater with a triple for an 18-24 Andorra lead. It didn't last long, however, as a long jumper by Kaselakis and a three-pointer by Chris Babb ignited an 11-0 run in which Ellis downed a couple of mid-range shots, giving Promitheas a 29-24 lead. Llovet scored twice in the paint and then Singler followed a jumper with a three-pointer to make it 31-33 lead. Babb struck from beyond the arc and Dimitris Katsivelis dunked off a steal, but Hannah brought the visitors within 36-35 at halftime.

Musli scored down low soon after the break and Walker added a driving layup for a 36-39 Andorra lead. Ellis stepped up with a put-back layup, a steal and a jump hook to help Promitheas regain the lead, 42-41. Andorra answered from the perimeter as Walker, Hannah and Jelinek each struck from beyond the arc to give the visitors a 46-52 edge. Llovet scored close to the basket and Senglin joined the three-point shootout, prompting the hosts to stop the game at 48-57. Mantzoukas answered from downtown, but Senglin quickly responded with a driving layup for a 51-59 Andorra lead after 30 minutes. Jelinek made it a double-digit game, 51-62, early in the fourth quarter. Daniel Clark found his first points and Llovet scored again, but Anastasios Bazinas and Oleksandr Lypovyy each hit a triple to give Promitheas hope at 58-66. Jelinek kept leading Andorra and got help from Senglin and Llovet to break the game open, 58-72. The hosts kept trying, but Andorra kept full control of the game until the final buzzer.

Pivotal performer

Llovet made the difference under the boards, stepping up big due to Andorra frontcourt's injury situation. He finished the game with 12 points on 6-of-7 two-point shooting and added 8 rebounds and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 20 in less than 24 minutes on the floor.

Game-changing moment

Promitheas led 42-41 midway through the third quarter, but Andorra started to circulate the ball better and created open shots from downtown. Walker, Hannah, Jelinek and Senglin each made three-pointers and Andorra regained the lead for good, 48-57, at the end of the third quarter.

Did you notice?

Andorra did not get past the regular season in the 2017-18 season when it finished with a 3-7 record. It reached the Top 16 last season with a 6-4 record and has done even better this time around with a 7-3 record at the end of the first group stage.

Next game

Promitheas and Andorra will return to 7DAYS EuroCup action when the Top 16 begins in the second week of January.