Promitheas bounces back in Bursa
Promitheas Patras registered its first win in Group D of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season by downing Frutti Extra Bursaspor 84-93 on the road on Tuesday. Both teams now have 1-2 records in Group D. Ian Miller led the winners with 27 points, Chris Giannopoulos added 17 and Dimitris Agravanis had 10 for Promitheas. Malik Newman and Metin Turen paced Bursaspor with 20 points apiece, Maxim Mutaf scored 16 and Kenny Kadji 11 for the hosts, which were within 72-75 midway through the third quarter. Promitheas improved its defense when it mattered most and Giannopoulos and Miller made sure their team traveled back home with a win.
Kadji got Bursaspor going with a layup and Newman added a triple for a 5-0 lead. Agravanis and Kadji joined the three-point shootout before Mutaf's layup-plus-foul boosted the lead to 11-3. Michalis Lountzis buried a three-pointer, Agravanis insisted from beyond the arc and Danny Agbelese scored twice down, but Mutaf, Turen, Newman and Daniel Hamilton each struck from downtown to keep Bursapor comfortably ahead, 25-13. Giannopoulos sank a couple of triples and Miller added another to give Promitheas its first lead, 25-26, after 10 minutes. Delroy James capped a 0-15 run early in the second quarter, but Turen and Birkan Batuk buried back-to-back three-pointers for a 31-28 Bursaspor lead. Mouhammad Faye sank a fallaway jumper, Vangelis Mantzaris and Mutaf traded triples, and Miller helped Promitheas regain the lead, 34-36. Batuk kept pushing Bursaspor with a put-back basket and Newman added a floater, but an outstanding Miller kept the guests ahead, 39-41. Miller got help from Antreas Christodoulou for a 43-46 Promitheas edge at halftime.
Agbelese hit a jump hook soon after the break. Newman hit a stop-and-pop jumper, but Miller had 6 points in a 0-9 run that gave Promitheas a double-digit lead, 45-57. Newman kept pushing the hosts, getting help from Turen to give their team hope at 52-60. Faye hit a jumper, but Perry Jones and Ender Arslan got Bursaspor even closer, 56-62. Three-pointers by Agravanis, Turen and Christodoulou fixed the score at 59-68 after 30 minutes. Turen took over with a three-point play early in the fourth quarter. Faye dunked and Nikola Radicevic struck from downtown to restore a double-digit Promitheas lead, 62-73. Turen and Newman tried to change things for Bursaspor and Kadji dunked to make it 69-75. After Newman buried a three-pointer, Miller and Kadji exchanged baskets. Giannopoulos sank one from downtown that gave Promitheas plenty of fresh air at 74-80 with over 3 minutes left. Miller scored in penetration and Promitheas excelled on defense in crunch time to seal a well-deserved win.
Pivotal performer
Miller was unstoppable throughout the game, providing instant offense when Promitheas needed it. He finished the game with 27 points on 10-of-10 free-throw shooting plus 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 fouls drawn for a PIR of 25.
Game-changing moment
Promitheas led 25-13 late in the third quarter, but Giannopoulos, who had just come off the bench, buried a couple of three-point shots. Miller added his own shot from downtown and Mantzaris, Christodoulou and James also scored in a 0-15 run that gave the guests their first lead, 23-28, bringing them back into the game.
Stellar stat
Promitheas's overall aggressiveness allowed it to win the game. Promitheas drew 24 fouls and made 18 of 22 free-throw attempts (81.8%). Bursaspor just drew 19 fouls and only hit 10 of 14 foul shots (71.4%).
Did you know?
Promitheas hit 15 three-point shots, just one shy of its EuroCup club record. The Greek powerhouse buried 16 shots from downtown in an 81-91 road win against MoraBanc Andorra on October 30, 2019.
Next game
Both teams return to 7DAYS EuroCup action on Wednesday, October 21. Promitheas hosts Nanterre 92. Bursaspor welcomes Herbalife Gran Canaria.
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Eurocupbasketball.com