Limoges fires 13 threes, sinks Tofas

In an important game between two teams looking to get back on the winning track, Limoges CSP used a big night from Isaiah Miles to hold off visiting Tofas Bursa 89-81 on Tuesday night at the legendary Palais des Sports de Beaublanc. Limoges improved to 2-2 in Group B, while Tofas dropped to 1-3. Miles had a stellar night leading Limoges with 23 points on 6-for-6 three-point shooting plus 7 rebounds. Samardo Samuels collected 15 points and 11 rebounds and Dwight Hardy did not miss on any of his 4 shots from downtown in netting 13 points for the hosts, while Diante Garrett netted 19 points and Kenny Kadji 17 in defeat.

Both teams struggled to find offensive rhythm early. A jumper-plus-foul from Kyle Weems and a triple from Kadji helped Tofas make it 12-17. Weems added a put-back that made it a 7-point contest, but Miles hit a triple from the right corner to make it 17-21 at the end of first and a transition triple from the left corner to cut within 22-23 early in the second. Miles's third triple gave Limoges a 27-26 edge and sparked a 16-0 run during which Sekou Doumbouya had a runner and a big dunk that opened a 40-26 cushion. However, Garrett snapped the run with back-to-back triples before hitting his third downtown shot that got Tofas within 43-37. Samuels made sure Limoges took a double-digit advantage into the break, 48-37. Kadji and Weems hit triples in the third quarter that halved the deficit, before runners from Demonte Harper and Garrett restored a Tofas lead, 55-56. Samuels sparked another Limoges run with a three-point play and a pair of last-minute fastbreak dunks put Limoges back in control, 67-60 after 30 minutes. The hosts' charge continued, extending the margin to 74-61 as Tofas was held without a field goal for almost five minutes bridging the third and fourth quarters. Miles and Hardy hit back-to-back threes to open an 80-64 advantage with 6:43 to go, but the visitors refused to go away. Triples from Garrett and Sammy Mejia cut the deficit to 82-76, but Miles nailed his sixth triple and drew a foul, which proved to seal the deal.

Game-changing moment

Tofas needed less than three minutes to rally from a 16-point deficit and got within 82-76. The visitors had a couple of possessions to come even closer and after they failed to convert, Miles caught a long offensive rebound, set his feet, and nailed a three-pointer while drawing a foul. It was his sixth made triple in as many attempts and even though he missed the free throw, he made it a 9-point game with 1:22 left in the game, a margin Limoges was not willing to relinquish.

Key run

Tofas rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit to take a 55-56 lead in the third quarter, but Limoges scored the final 9 points of the third quarter and made a 7-1 run to open the fourth. Altogether, a 16-1 spurt over 4 minutes and 30 seconds that opened a 74-61 lead.

Team dish

Limoges hit 13 triples on 28 attempts (46.4%) while dishing 23 assists. As many as 10 players, out of the 11 who entered the game, had at least 1 assist for Limoges.

Movers and shakers

Apart from Miles and Samuels, Limoges got important contributions from Dwight Hardy who netted 23 points on 4-for-4 three-point shooting, and Axel Bouteille who finished with 11 for the night. As for Tofas, Kenny Kadji had 17 points and 7 rebounds, Sammy Mejia finished with 16, and Kyle Weems netted 12 in defeat.

Next game

Next week Tofas (1-3) returns home for its second home game of the season, and will host Cedevita Zagreb (2-1). Meanwhile, Limoges goes on the road after two consecutive home games to visit Arka Gdyina (0-4).