Dijon prevails in overtime win on the road

Newcomer JDA Dijon needed extra minutes to fight off Artland Dragons Quakenbrueck on the road, pulling out 76-79 overtime decision on Wednesday. Win improved Dijon to 4-1 in the second place of Group B, while the Dragons dropped its record to 1-4. During the regulation, neither team led by more than 6 points, and that’s the margin Dijon had with 30 seconds to go. But the Dragons put together a 7-1 run to force the overtime. However, Dijon regained the lead in the extra session with baskets from Erwing Walker and Andre Harris, and preserved the lead. Walker scored 18 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, to lead in victory. Steven Gray netted 15 points, Harris finished with 14, and Kris Joseph had 13 for Dijon. Lawrence Hill amassed 16 points plus 12 rebounds for the hosts, Bastian Doreth netted 11, while David Holston had 10 points and 10 assists for Artland Dragons.

Antoine Mendy for the visitors, and Holston for the Dragons traded three-pointers early on. Andreas Seiferth made his presence felt inside, with couple of baskets and an offensive rebound, but so did Joseph for Dijon as soon as he came off the bench. Joseph tied the game at 10-10, before Ferdinand Prenom scored 4 points, and Walker opened his account going 3-for-3 from the free throw line for 14-17 after the first quarter. A put-back from Zach Moss, and a pair of triples from Gray helped Dijon to 22-28 lead. Brandon Thomas hit twice from downtown for Artland Dragons, and Hill made a fastbreak dunk, but Gray hit his third triple and Ferdinand Prenom beat the buzzer with a layup for 30-35 halftime lead.

Hill had a three-pointer and a put-back for the hosts, and a second-chance basket from Anthony King tied it at 39-39. But Harris kept Dijon in front, before Joseph strung together 7 points, including a fastbreak layup and a three-pointer that helped the visitors to 44-51 after 30 minutes. Walker nailed a triple, his first field goal of the game, extending the margin to 10 points, but the hosts held Dijon to a single basket during a span of 6 minutes, while Hill scored 7 points and Doreth knocked down a shot from long range to help tie things at 56-56. Walker hit another three-pointer for the visitors, and Gray’s pair of foul shots made it 58-64 with 30 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. It was enough time, however, for King to score a quick two, and Holston a fastbreak three for 63-64. Holston’s two free throws with 4 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime, 65-65.

In the extra session, Harris hit couple of jumpers, and Walker had a basket-plus-free throw for 67-72. King scored a pair of layups for the hosts, but Walker nailed a triple to help extend it to 71-79 with 26 seconds to go. In the remaining time, Guido Grunheid had a dunk and a three-pointer, but Dijon prevailed.