Oldenburg edges Nanterre for first win

EWE Baskets Oldenburg held off the visiting JSF Nanterre 84-81 for its first win of this Eurocup campaign. Oldenburg improved to 1-3 in Group A, while Nanterre dropped to 2-2. The hosts took the lead for good at the start of the second half after Nemanja Aleksandrov and Rickey Paulding each hit two three-pointers, and extended the margin to double figures with a strong finish of the third quarter. But Nanterre rallied with its own series of three pointers, and got within a single point several times in the final minutes, but Oldenburg never relinquished the lead as Brian Qvale had 16 points in victory. Klemen Prepelic, Paulding and Aleksandrov each scored 14, while Vaughn Duggins had 11 in victory. Terrance Campbell netted 19 points with 9 assists, and Mykal Riley had 17 points for the visitors. Tasmin Mitchell added 12 points plus 7 rebounds, and Mam Jaiteh collected 10 points and 7 rebounds in defeat.

Teams traded blows in the first quarter that featured 7 lead changes and 6 instances where score was tied. Jaiteh scored 6 points and Campbell hit a triple to give the visitors early 5-9, but Prepelic scored a three-point play, followed by a three-pointer, before a pair of baskets from Qvale made it 15-13. Campbell and Riley hit more threes for Nanterre, but so did Aleksandrov for the hosts. Paulding scored at the end of first, and Philipp Schwethelm had a put-back to start the second quarter and 28-23, but Jeremy Nzeulie buried a triple to spark a 2-9 spurt capped by Mitchell, 30-32. Another run, this time of 7 unanswered points and capped by a triple from Hugo Invernizzi made it 32-29. Robin Smeulders answered with a three-pointer for Oldenburg, and Duggins finished the half with a three-point play to make it 40-43 at halftime.

The hosts opened the third quarter with four consecutive three-pointers, a pair each from Aleksandrov and Paulding for 52-45. Riley hit one from downtown for the visitors, and Mitchell buried them back-to-back to get Nanterre within 57-56. But a basket from Duggins, and a triple from Aleksandrov started a strong finish to the quarter for Oldenburg, before Qvale and Scott Machado extended it to 66-58 after 30 minutes. Smeulders and Duggins made the margin 70-60 in the fourth, but Brian Green hit twice from downtown and Invernizzi added another one to get the visitors within 72-71. Duggins hit behind the arc for Oldenburg, and Aleksandrov scored, before Riley and Prepelic traded threes, 80-76. Campbell also hit a three-pointer for the visitors to make it a one-point game again. Qvale made it 82-79, and after Riley cut it to 82-81 with 11 seconds to go, Machado made a pair of free throws for Oldenburg and 84-81. Nanterre had the final possession, but never shot the ball as Oldenburg prevailed.