Spirou Charleroi bounced back from a poor start to down Red Star 71-65 on Tuesday night. The trio of Len Matela, Jerry Johnson and Matt Walsh carried the Belgian champs and staved off Red Star, which closed to within 1 point in the closing minutes. Matela finished with 17 points and 5 steals, Johnson had 12 points and 6 assists and Walsh scored 13 – including 3 important free throws in the final minute. Marko Marinovic scored 17 and Andre Owens added 13 for Red Star, which led 2-10 in the opening minutes, but quickly folded after that. Still the visitors kept it close throughout the game, but didn’t have the firepower to overtake Charleroi. Spirou will visit PGE Turow next week in a battle for the early Group F lead, while Red Star will host Brose Baskets in its home opener.

Despite the fact that Spirou won the opening tip, things started for Red Star just the way it wanted. Lawrence Roberts scored the game's first points in the paint, Marinovic fired in a three-pointer and Owens scored in transition for a 0-7 lead. It took nearly three minutes before Justin Hamilton scored on the offensive glass to register Charleroi's first basket. Elemdin Kikanovic extended Red Star’s lead to 2-10 before Charleroi got its footing. A pair of Wes Wilkinson baskets and a three-pointer by Matela brought the hosts back within a single point as the opening period ended with Red Star up 14-15. Johnson scored top give the hosts their first lead on the opening possession of the second period. The game stayed tight with three ties and four lead changes over the next five minutes until Walsh led a 7-0 charge for a 30-25 Spirou lead. The hosts' advantage would reach 8 on a Walsh free throw before a Kikanovic basket and a Mirko Kovac closed the gap, but Matela’s third triple helped Charleroi to a 38-33 halftime lead.

An Owens triple and a Milan Milosevic basket saw Red Star get within 40-38 early in the third period. Hamilton, Pankracije Barac and Jure Lalic managed to keep the hosts ahead despite the best efforts of Owens and Boris Bakic. But a Wilkinson slam and a Dwayne Broyles basket helped Charleroi head into the fourth quarter with a 54-46 advantage. Marinovic stepped up with 5 straight points to start the fourth quarter and after a Johnson score, Owens hit from downtown to make it 56-54. But Red Star cooled down after that and a basket by Hamilton and Johnson three-point play put the hosts up 7. But just as it seemed Spirou was in control, Tadija Dragicevic and Roberts and Marinovic turned the tables and brought the hosts within 1. Marinovic even had a chance to tie the game from the line, but missed. Walsh answered with a clutch three-pointer that made it 66-62. Marinovic and Matela traded baskets and Walsh made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute to ice the win.