Nanterre survives drama against Cedevita Olimpija
Chris Warren hit a key jumper with 12.6 seconds to go to ensure that Nanterre 92 held off visiting Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 80-76 on Wednesday night in their season-opening Group D clash. Isaia Cordinier paced the winners with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Dwight Buycks added 14 points, Warren finished with 11 and Alpha Kaba had 10 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks in the victory. Kendrick Perry led Olimpija with 21 points, Jaka Blzic collected 19 points plus 9 rebounds and Edo Muric added 12 points in the loss. The visitors held a double-digit lead in the second quarter, but the hosts rallied and opened a 12-point fourth-quarter lead. Olimpija needed less than 2 minutes to erase it, but the visitors never went in front again with Cordinier making big plays and Warren sinking key buckets in the final seconds.
Perry scored the first 5 points of the game, but Cordinier had a three-point play and Johnny Berhanemeskel knocked down a triple to put Nanterre up 6-5. Dino Hodzic hit a corner three for Olimpija and Blazic scored 5 points to restore the visitors' lead. Ivan Fevrier and Roko Ukic traded triples to make it 16-20 after 10 minutes. Back-to-back threes from Blazic and Muric extended the margin to 19-26. Another three-pointer from Muric and a fastbreak dunk from Perry increased the margin to 22-33. But Kaba and Tyler Stone snapped Nanterre's drought, before a pair of driving layups from Buycks cut it to 34-36 at halftime.
Nanterre continued its charge in the third quarter with Stone first sinking a triple and a baseline jumper before Cordinier and Buycks took it to the rim to open a 45-38 lead. Muric hit from downtown for the visitors, but Cordinier had 5 more points, including a three-point play that opened a 51-41 lead. But Ukic nailed a triple before Perry scored 5 points, including a three-pointer of his own to make it 54-50 going into the fourth quarter. Nanterre opened the final quarter with an 8-0 run, with Fevrier and Damien Bouquet each sinking a three to make it 62-50 - the largest lead in the game. However, the visitors answered with 4 triples on the next four possessions with Blazic, Muric, Perry and Hodzic sinking one each to erase the deficit. After Cordinier and Blazic traded layups, Fervier and Perry exchanged three-pointers to make it 67-67 with 3:15 left. Cordinier scored 5 more points, including a three, and Buycks had a three-point play to make it 75-69, but Hodzic and Blazic cut the deficit to a single point in the final minute. Nanterre prevailed after Warren hit a jumper with 12.9 seconds to go and then made 2 free throws to seal the outcome.
Dominating the paint
Nanterre outrebounded the visitors 44-27 and held them to just 12-for-30 for two-pointers.
Surviving three-point rain
Cedevita Olimpija hit 14 triples on the night, double the 7 three-point shots Nanterre hit for the night. However, Nanterre hit them when it needed them, as both teams shot 4 for 7 from long-distance in the fourth quarter.
Close calls
These two teams played in the regular season last year and Nanterre swept the series with a 6-point road win and a 3-point home win. Now, it is 3-0 against Cedevita Olimpija.
Did you know?
Nanterre remained perfect in its EuroCup openers. This is the fourth season in the EuroCup for Nanterre and its fourth win its first game.
Next up
In Round 2 next week, Cedevita Olimpija hosts newcomer Frutti Extra Bursaspor, while Nanterre travels to visit Herbalife Gran Canaria.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Eurocupbasketball.com