Alba Berlin had a thrilling return to the Eurocup in Group A by edging Banca Tercas Teramo 75-73 in front of more than 10,000 fans at the O2 World in the German capital on Tuesday night. Alba visits Azovmash next week with the chance to go up to 2-0 while Teramo will look for its first win against Group A leader Galatasaray Cafe Crown. Dragan Dojcin became the game hero with the game-winning layup right at the buzzer. Julius Jenkins led the winners with 18 points. Immanuel McElroy, Blagota Sekulic and Steffen Hamann each added 10 for Alba. Ryan Hoover and Drake Diener each had 15 points for Teramo while Valerio Amoroso added 14 for the guests, that rallied from a nine-point deficit in the third quarter to get a 59-60 lead early in the fourth quarter. Teramo soon boosted its margin to 62-67 on a three-pointer by Giuseppe Poeta but a 6-0 run brought Alba back to life. It all came down to the final minute, as free throws by Poeta and Diener tied it at 73-73. Alba called timeout but Jenkins missed a layup. Dojcin and McElroy missed around the basket, but Dojcin stepped up with the game-winning basket right at the buzzer.

Virgil Stanescu got Teramo going with a three-pointer while Diener also struck from downtown for a 2-6 Teramo lead. Jenkins joined the three-point shootout and soon added a layup to give Alba its first lead, 7-6. Amoroso buried a triple and even when Adam Chubb scored inside, free throws by Poeta put Teramo back ahead, 9-11. Jesse Young took over with a dunk but a layup by Hamann and a put-back basket by Dojcin tied it at 13-13. Young scored around the basket but McElroy matched that with foul shots. Goran Jurak sank a jumper and Hoover did even better with a bomb from downtown, good for a 15-20 Teramo lead at the end of the first quarter. Jenkins downed his second three-pointer early in the second period but a layup-plus-foul by Jurak kept the guests ahead, 19-23. A red hot Jenkins set the crowd on fire with consecutive bombs from downtown that tied it at 25-25. Hoover fired in a three-pointer but a layup by Blagota Sekulic and a big triple by Rashad Wright completed the hosts' comeback, 30-28. Sekulic kept pacing Alba with free throws while McElroy joined the three-point shootout in a 12-0 run that Jenkins capped with a layup off a steal, good for a 37-28 lead. Diener stepped up with a basket and soon added a triple to give Teramo some hope at 37-33. A free throw by Wright fixed the halftime score at 38-33.

Amoroso buried his second triple immediately after the break and even when Jenkins sank his trademark jumper, Stanescu scored inside to keep Teramo as close as 40-38. Sekulic and Diener traded layups but Teramo kept missing easy shots and committing turnovers now. Meanwhile, McElroy downed a three-pointer while Hamann fed Chubb for an easy basket and added a layup that boosted Alba's lead to 49-40. Amoroso rescued Teramo with back-to-back triples while Hoover tied the game, 49-49, with another shot from downtown. A three-point play by Hamann and three-pointers by Wright and Diener fixed the score at 57-57 after 30 minutes. Derrick Byars found his first points on a put-back layup by Hoover bettered that with a triple to give Teramo a 59-60 edge. Chubb shined with a three-point play, as Teramo went scoreless for 2 minutes and called a much-needed timeout. Young stepped up with a put-back basket, igniting a 0-7 run that Poeta capped with a triple for a 62-67 Teramo deficit. Wright and Sekulic stepped up for Alba while free throws by Kenan Barjamovic provided another lead change, 68-67. Amoroso shined with a layup that Hamann bettered with a key triple. Free throws by Poeta tied it at 71-71 with a minute left. McElroy sank a jumper but foul shots by Diener made Alba call timeout at 73-73. Jenkins tried to score in penetration, Dojcin and McElroy missed around the basket but Dojcin beat the buzzer to win it for Alba.