EWE Baskets Oldenburg rallies past Limoges

Down 12 at halftime, EWE Baskets Oldenburg took control in the third quarter and soared past Limoges CSP 78-87 in the teams’ Last 32 Group I opener. After its 2-21 run, the visitors never trailed to start the Last 32 in style. Brian Qvale led Oldenburg with 18 points and 3 blocks, Nemanja Aleksandrov posted14 points and 13 rebounds and Rickey Paulding added 13 points for the winners, who got 15 assists between guards Chris Kramer and Scott Machado. Matt Gatens scored 17 to lead Limoges, Nobel Boungou-Colo tallied 12 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and Will Daniels added 11 points.

Oldenburg came out on fire as Aleksandrov drilled a three before Ousmane Camara got Limoges on the scoreboard. Paulding nailed another three and Qvale capped a brilliant start by making it 2-10 for Oldenburg. Ali Traore scored twice for Limoges, but another Aleksandrov triple pushed the difference to 9. Daniels scored 5 points in a 7-0 Limoges run to cut the gap to 13-15. Oldenburg regained control when Klemen Prepelic’s three-pointer made it 13-20, but Heiko Schaffartzik connected from downtown and Leo Westermann’s steal led to Boungou-Colo tying it at 20-20 after 10 minutes. The teams traded points in the first few minutes up the second quarter until a Gaten triple put Limoges up 28-27. Gatens hit another pair of triples – the second with a bonus free throw – to cap a 14-1 charge that gave the hosts a 39-28 advantage midway through the quarter. Aleksandrov bit into the deficit with free throws, but Limoges had an answer for every Olenburg score. Boungou-Colo free throws left the hosts ahead 50-38 at halftime.

Mark Payne split free throws to open the second half, but Oldenburg responded with 11 unanswered points to get within 51-49 on a Rickey Paulding triple. Yakhouba Diawara stopped the bleeding for Limoges, but a 0-10 Oldenburg charge in which Kramer and Qvale each scored twice made it 53-59. Schaffartzik drained a three and Daniels scored to end the third quarter at 62-65. Kramer opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer and Vaughn Duggins boosted the difference to 8. Kramer soon made it a 10-point game. Bo McCalebb came in, but despite a few assists and a basket, was unable to lead the Limoges comeback. Gatens and Camara managed to draw Limoges within 77-83 in the final minute, but Paulding scored twice to ice the Oldenburg victory.