Strasbourg wins at overtime buzzer


Matt Howard tipped in a shot at the overtime buzzer as Strasbourg edged CAI Zaragoza 88-86 at home on Wednesday. It marked second week in a row Strasbourg won a game on a buzzer-beater. The team sits atop Group A with a 2-0 record, while CAI dropped to 1-1. The visitors were in control in the first half and led 26-37 at halftime, but Antoine Diot and Ali Traore fueled a 13-0 third quarter run, giving Strasbourg a 48-43 advantage. The hosts stayed in front until the final seconds of regulation when Pedro Llompart sank 3 free throws to tie it at 74-74 and send the game into overtime. In the extra session, neither team managed to build an advantage, and CAI all but forced a second extra session before Howard’s tip-in gave Strasbourg a thrilling win. Diot led the hosts with 26 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds. Traore scored 22, Howard finished with 19 points plus 10 rebounds, while Louis Campbell netted 16 along with 6 assists and 5 steals. For CAI, which hit 14 three-pointers, Stevan Jelovac collected 16 points on 4-for-4 three-point shooting plus 8 rebounds, while Chris Goulding netted 3 of 3 triples for 15 points. Llompart scored 14 and Jason Robinson 13 points in defeat.

Jelovac knocked down a pair of triples for CAI Zaragoza to take a 4-8 lead, but Traore scored the first 6 points for Strasbourg, before Howard and Campbell added to the tally. Diot made a layup for a 12-8 edge after five minutes, but Zaragoza did not allow another basket for the remainder of the quarter, while Llompart and Robinson hit triples in a 0-10 run for a 12-18 lead after 10 minutes. At the start of the second quarter, Howard scored twice, and Campbell hit a triple to make it 19-18, but Pere Tomas answered right away from downtown, and after back-to-back triples from Goulding, the visitors were in front again, 22-27. Rasko Katic scored twice inside, capping a 0-10 run, and after rare baskets for the hosts from Traore and Campbell, Llompart scored from downtown and Robinson raced for a fastbreak and 26-37 halftime lead.

Robinson, Jelovac and Katic kept the visitors in front at the start of the third quarter, but a 13-0 run turned things around. Diot started things with a triple and a fastbreak layup, Traore scored inside, Howard had a fastbreak dunk, and Campbell capped it with a triple and a 48-43 cushion. Another a three-pointer from Diot extended it to 55-47, and Robinson hit a pair from downtown for CAI, Diot’s third triple in the game ended the third quarter at 61-53. Baskets did not come often in the fourth quarter, with Jelovac hitting a triple, and Katic a two-pointer that helped CAI get within 63-60. Diot made a second chance bucket, but a triple and a layup from Goudling made it 69-67 with two minutes to go in regulation. Llompart’s free throws cut it to 70-69 game with 40 seconds remaining in regulation. Despite Traore and Diot keeping the hosts ahead with two foul shots apiece, Llompart drew 3 free throws with 2 seconds to go in regulation, sinking all of them to send the game into overtime, 74-74.

Traore started the fireworks in the extra time, before Lisch and Jelovac hit triples for CAI, and Diot nailed his fourth for Strasbourg, 79-80. Howard’s fastbreak layup put the hosts back in front, and after a jumper from Llompart, Diot scored 2 free throws, then made a steal, and assisted on Howard’s basket for an 86-84 edje with 34 seconds to go. Lisch tied it with more free throws, but Strasbourg had 19 seconds for the last possession, and Howard tipped-in Traore’s miss at the buzzer, winning it for the hosts.