Union Olimpija rallies past JSF Nanterre

Union Olimpija Ljubljana struggled early, but dominated the final three quarters to beat JSF Nanterre 78-65 at Arena Stozice in the Slovenian capital. The result left the two teams tied with 3-4 records in Group A and having split the season series evenly; Nanterre won their Round 2 game by 13 points, too. The teams will be tied for either third or fourth place at the end of Round 7. Nanterre took charge early as Mykal Riley scored 15 first-quarter points in giving his team a 15-28 lead, however Olimpija dominated the rest of the way, outscoring the visitors by 11, 8 and 7 in each successive quarter. Miha Lapornik led the winners with 16 points and 7 rebounds, Sava Lesic scored 15 and Blaz Mahkovic 11. Olimpija outrebounded Nanterre 42-23. Riley finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, Mam Jaiteh scored 17 on 7-of-8 shooting and Jeremy Nzeulie added 11.

Baskets by Gregor Horvat and Luka Rupnik gave Olimpija the early lead. Nanterre went ahead 5-6 after buckets on the offensive glass by Riley and Jaiteh. A pair of Brian Greene triples helped start a Nanterre run that Riley capped for a 9-16 lead. Free throws by Lesic and Mahkovic were all Olimpija could offer as Riley continued to score seemingly at will in boosting the difference to 12-15. Riley had 15 points – 3 more than the entire Olimpija team – after eight minutes of action. Lapornik’s free throw trimmed the deficit to 10 before a Nzeulie three left Nanterre ahead 15-28 after 10 minutes. Riley opened the second quarter with another three-pointer, but Lapornik matched him. Then Mahkovic scored 5 points and Ronalds Zakis added a basket it what amounted to an 11-0 run in which the visitors were held scoreless for six minutes. Jaiteh ended the Nanterre drought with a pair of buckets inside that came from Riley assists to restore a 26-35 cushion. However the next 6 points belonged to Olimpija, which cut to within 3. After Jaiteh free throws, Lapornik’s triple made it 35-37 at the break.

After Jaiteh scored first in the second half, Olimpija reeled off 7 straight points, tying it and taking the lead on Levic’s three-point play. Nzeulie kept the visitors close before Terrance Campbell put Nanterre ahead 44-45 and later 45-49. Blaz Mesicek soon tied it from the line. Olimpija soared ahead as four players scored in a 9-0 run that made it 58-51. Tasmin Mitchel split free throws to lower the Nanterre deficit to 6 through three quarters. Mahkovic extended Olimpija’s lead to 10. A bucket from Jaiteh did little to spark the visitors; Lapornik pushed the Olimpija lead to 68-54. Riley scored twice, but Lesic scored 4 points in an 8-0 run that iced the game with time to spare. However the final minute became about the point difference between the sides, since Nanterre won their first meeting by 13. Jaiteh managed to bring his team within 13 in the closing seconds and rejected Rupnik’s final shot to keep the teams all squared.