Caloiaro, Veikalas lead Bonn to home win

In a fun-to-watch, run-and-gun game in Group A, Telekom Baskets Bonn defeated Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia 101-87 at home on Wednesday. Both teams had lost all chances to advance to the next round last week. Bonn was fifth with 4-6 record and Reggio Emilia sixth at 2-8. Angelo Caloiaro led the winners with 19 points. Benas Veikalas added 18 on 5-of-7 three-point shooting, Dirk Madrich had 17 while Eugene Lawrence got 14 and 10 assists for Bonn. Amedeo Della Valle led Reggio Emilia with 30 points on 7-of-10 three-point shooting. Federico Mussini and Ojars Silins each added 14 while Donell Taylor had 11 for the guests, which hit 16-of-33 three-point shots against Bonn's 13-of-25. Reggio Emilia led for the best part of the first half but Caloiaro and Veikalad allowed Bonn to get a 56-49 at the end of a high-scoring first half. A 12-0 run which Mickey McConnell capped with a three-pointer gave Bonn its biggest lead, 80-62, at the end of the third quarter. Silins and Della Valle each struck three times from downtown for a 85-82 Reggio Emilia deficit but Lawrence, Caloiaro and Veikalas allowed Bonn to leave the 2014-15 Eurocup with a home win.

Riccardo Cervi and Mussini shined early to give Reggio Emilia a 4-8 lead. Caloairo answered from downtown and added a layup for a 9-8 Bonn edge. Cervi scored again and Taylor added a three-pointer but Lawrence and an outstanding Madrich allowed the hosts to boost their margin to 18-13. Della Valle led a 0-6 run which put Reggio Emilia back ahead, 18-19, but Ryan Brooks and Florian Koch made Bonn get a 27-25 margin after 10 minutes. Mussini and Della Valle combined for all points in a 0-8 run which gave the guests a 29-33 margin early in the second quarter. Madrich and Tadas Klimavicius stepped up for Bonn but Della Valle kept hitting three-point shots to keep Reggio Emilia ahead, 37-39. Lawrence tried to change things with 5 quick points and Andrej Mangold added a three-pointer for a 47-44 lead. Caloiaro and Veikalas joined the three-point shootout to boost the hosts' margin to 56-49 at halftime. A layup by Madrich made it a double-digit game, 59-49, right after the break. It didn't last long, however, as Drake Diener and Mussini brought Reggio Emilia as close as 61-57. Caloairo and Lawrence kept pacing Bonn and a dunk by Madrich gave the hosts a 68-60 margin. Della Valle scored again but Brooks ignited a 12-0 run which McConnell capped with a triple to break the game open, 80-62, after 30 minutes. Silins hit back-to-back-to-back triples for a 80-71 Reggio Emilia deficit. Della Valle added his fifth, sixth and seventh hit from downtown to get the guests within 85-82. Lawrence and Caloairo stepped up when it mattered and consecutive three-pointers by Veikalas sealed the outcome, 95-84, in the next-to-last minute.