Aris BSA 2003 came back from an early double-digit deficit to beat KK Zadar 68-73 on Tuesday night in the teams' Eurocup Group C opener. Keydren Clark scored the go ahead basket late in the third quarter and iced the game with a big triple late in the fourth to give Aris an important road win over a team that reached the Final Eight last season. Aris will try to double its win total when it hosts Hapoel Jerusalem next week. Zadar will seek its first win in Lithuania at BC Siauliai. Zadar looked poised to dominated after a 13-1 start, but Clark and Jeremy Richardson helped Aris come all the way back to tie the game at 37-37 at halftime. The teams traded runs in the third quarter before Clark broke a 53-53 tie and the visitors held on through a tense fourth quarter. Clark was 4 for 4 from downtown en route to 16 points to lead Aris, Nikos Hatzivrettas added 15 points and Richardson scored 12. Marko Car scored 17 and Damir Rancic 14 – going a combined 7 for 8 from downtown – to lead Zadar in defeat.

Juan Dixon picked up a steal and a foul to get to the line for the first point of the game, but it was not a sign of what was to come. Car answered back with a three-pointer and Zadar started to roll, with Rok Stipcevic and Micah Downs adding baskets and Vladimer Boisa a triple before Car capped a 13-0 charge from downtown. Hatzivrettas ended the Aris drought and Richardson added a three-pointer, however Tomislav Ruzic and Stipcevic made sure Zadar kept the upper hand. Patience paid off for the visitors, who played their game, drew fouls and started to chip away at the deficit as Michalis Kakiouzis, Hatzivrettas and Aaron Miles made free throws to get within 17-12. Hatzivrettas further cut the gap to 3 before Hrvoje Peric put Zadar ahead 24-19 after 10 minutes. Things looked good again for the hosts after back-to-back threes by Car and Boisa restored a 32-24 lead, but Aris was not done fighting. Clark hit from downtown and Richardson added a basket as the visitors got back within 1. Car extended the Zadar lead from the line only to see Clark hit another triple and knot the game at 34-34. Rancic came to the rescuer for Zadar with a three-pointer, but Richardson also connected from downtown to tie the game at 37-37 at halftime.

Miles opened the second half with a layup that gave Aris its first lead of the night. Car and Downs put Zadar back on top before Hatzivrettas got hot. After Richardson tied the score at 41-41, Hatzivrettas scored on three straight possessions to help Aris claim control. His hot streak was part of an overall 1-12 run that put Aris in control. Trent Plaisted ended the Zadar dry spell, but Dimos Dikoudis’s first basket pushed the Aris lead to double figure. Plaisted stepped up when needed, scoring on three consecutive possessions to bring his team back. Despite an Aris timeout and Plaisted taking a breather, Peric and Car completed a 10-0 Zadar run to tie the game at 53-53. Clark ended the Zadar run and Dixon came up with a clutch triple as Aris regained control with a 53-58 after three quarters. Damir Rancic revived the Zadar crown with a layup to open the fourth quarter, but Clark drilled another triple as Aris stood tall. Dikoudis stretched the lead to 56-63 midway through the quarter. Ruzic tried to keep Zadar close and Aris made five straight fruitless trips downcourt. Rancic brought Zadar as close as 62-65 before Hatzivrettas took charge with a basket-plus-foul that rescued the visitors. A Rancic triple and a Hatzivrettas miss gave Zadar another chance, but Rancic turned it over and Clark iced the game with a three-pointer and 2 free throws on the next two possessions.