JDA Dijon holds off Telenet Ostend in Eurocup debut

JDA Dijon made a winning Eurocup debut, holding off Telenet Ostend 72-63 in the final Round 1 game of Group B on Wednesday. Dijon took control of the game with a 21-3 spurt that bridged the first and second quarters, opening 34-20 lead and never relinquished it. With some key baskets from Antoine Mendy and Erving Walker, the hosts opened 57-41 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Ostend rallied with triples Wes Wilkinson and through Khalid Boukichou, but Zach Moss dominated in the finish to preserve victory for Dijon. Moss finished with 18 points, Walker netted 16 with 6 assists, while Steven Gray scored 10 in victory. Gregory Echenique scored 10 for Ostend. Dusan Djordjevic had 9 points and 9 assists, while Wilkinson and Boukichou also scored 9 apiece in defeat.

Ostend opened its tally with three-pointers from Djordjevic and Wilkinson, while the hosts had Mendy scoring inside, and Gray hitting one from the outside. Ostend built 11-15 lead behind Djordjevic and Jared Berggren, but a three-pointer by Kris Joseph at the end of the first made it 16-17. It was a sign of things to come, as Dijon went on an 18-3 spurt to start the second quarter. Joseph, Ferdinand Prenom and Moss got things going, before back-to-back three-pointers from Gray and Walker made it 34-20. Djordjevic fueled a quick 0-7 spurt to halve the deficit, but Walker finished the half with a layup that send Dijon into halftime with 40-30 lead.

Echenique and John Prince scored baskets for Ostend in the opening minutes of the third quarter, but 5 points from Mendy and a bucket by Moss kept Dijon with a double-digit margin, 47-36. Walker’s triple added to the hosts’ tally, and sparked a 10-2 run, capped by a layup from Prenom for 57-41 early in the fourth quarter. Ostend still was not going away. Wilkinson buried two three-pointers, and Boukichou scored 9 points, including a basket-plus-foul, trimming the lead down to 63-58. However, Moss sealed the deal, scoring three times from close range, including a pair of put-backs, giving Dijon a historic victory.