Nancy holds off Seville to get third win


SLUC Nancy recorded its third win in Group C by edging Baloncesto Seville 68-59 at home on Wednesday. Nancy improved to 3-1 and tied for first place with Virtus Rome while Seville dropped to 2-2. Darius Adams paced the winners with 30 points on 5-of-8 three-point shots and 7-of-7 free throws, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Florent Pietrus added 14 points for Nancy. Nikola Radicevic and Pierre Oriola led Seville each with 11 points. Kristaps Porzingis added 10 and 8 rebounds for the guests. Nancy rolled early in the game, leading 12-2 and extending it to 28-9 early in the second quarter. Slowly but steadily, Seville returned to the game. The guests within 35-24 at halftime, 45-39 at the end of the third quarter and 54-53 with over 5 minutes left. Nancy found a go-to guy in Adams, who had 10 points in the final 5 minutes. He got plenty of help from Pietrus and Bandja Sy to lead Nancy to a big home win.

Damir Krupalija and Pietrus shined early to give Nancy a 5-0 lead. Oriola hit a jumper but a three-pointer by Sergii Gladyr sparked a 7-0 run which Pietrus capped with a jumper for a 12-2 Nancy edge. Alex Urtasun downed a triple but Gladyr and Sy boosted the hosts' lead to 17-5. Seville kept struggling to score and a jumper by Kim English made it a 15-point game, 24-9, after 10 minutes. Free throws by Gladyr and a dunk by Adams gave Nancy its biggest lead of the night, 28-9. Porzingis, Urtasun and Xavier Thames fueled a 0-10 run which brought Seville within single digits, 28-19. Adams and Derrick Byars traded three-pointers, Pietrus hit free throws and a layup by Prozingis kept the guests within 33-24. A dunk by Sy fixed the halftime score at 35-24. Radicevic and Willy Hernangomez stepped up after the break but an unstoppable Adams kept Nancy way ahead, 40-28. A free throw by Pietrus gave Nancy a 14-point lead, 43-29, midway through the third quarter. Thames and Oriola took over in a 2-10 run which made Seville get as close as 45-39 after 30 minutes. Benjamin Sene sank a triple but he didn't find much help around. Meanwhile, Radicevic and Byars kept Seville within 49-43. A driving layup by Radicevic and a four-meter jumper by Porzingis made it a two-point game, 49-47. Adams returned to the floor and immediately delivered with a big basket and a triple by Radicevic and Porzingis brought the guests as close as 54-53. Adams hit a triple and made free throws but Oriola kept his team within 59-57 with over 2 minutes left. Sy shined with a key basket, Pietrus made free throws and Adams rounded his great game with a three-pointer seconds before the final buzzer.