Gran Canaria handles Dijon, improves to 8-0


In a clash of two previously qualified teams, undefeated Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas led from start to finish, topping JDA Dijon 94-60 and clinching the first place in Group B. Gran Canaria improved to 8-0, while Dijon dropped to 5-3, but remains in the second place. The hosts quickly built a double-digit margin, than had Brad Newley score 9 points in 11-0 run to get the margin to 32-14. Gran Canaria led 49-23 at halftime, and easily finished off the visitors after the break. Newley had 16 points, Kyle Kuric scored 14, while Walter Tavares collected 13 points plus 12 rebounds. Oriol Pauli contributed with 10 in victory, while Kris Joseph was the lone Dijon’s double-digit scorer with 10 points. Aldo Curti and Ferdinand Prenom each scored 9 in the losing effort.

The hosts opened the game with triples from Fabio Santana, Newley and Eulis Baez for 9-2. Zach Moss and Joseph managed to provide some offense for Dijon, but a pair of dunks from Tavares made it 17-6. Prenom inside, and Erving Walker from the outside cut the deficit late in the first, and Jacques Alingue had a layup for 21-14 early in the second. But Newley scored inside, followed it with a fastbreak layup-plus-foul, then added a put-back to fuel a run of 11 unanswered points that he also capped with another fastbreak basket for 32-14. Prenom and Alingue scored inside for Dijon, but Baez and Kyle Kuric hit from long range, helping the hosts to 49-23 halftime lead. Gran Canaria remained in complete control in the second half, with Kuric breaking the 30-point barrier after 90 second in the third quarter, 56-25. Joseph scored 4 consecutive baskets for Dijon, but over a span of four and a half minutes, as the hosts entered the final quarter up 68-35. The biggest margin of the night was 81-44, before Curti, Steven Gray and Andre Harris each hit a three-pointer to cut into the deficit before the final buzzer.