Nancy beats Oldenburg, gets second home win


SLUC Nancy moved up to 2-1 in Group C by edging EWE Baskets Oldenburg 72-67 at home on Wednesday. Nancy ties with its next opponent, Baloncesto Seville, for second place in Group C each with a 2-1 record, while Oldenburg dropped to 0-3. Bandja Sy led the winners with 15 points on 7-of-8 two-point shots. Florent Pietrus and Sergii Gladyr each added 14, Kim English had 10 while Darius Adams barely missed a triple double with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists. Julius Jenkins led Oldenburg with 18 points. Chris Kramer added 13 while Adam Chubb had 11 for the hosts, which led 13-22 early in the second quarter. Sy took over with 9 points, including several dunks, in an 11-2 run which allowed Nancy to get the lead, 34-33, at halftime. Pietrus and Adam helped Nancy boost its margin to 64-50 with under 6 minutes left. Robin Smeulders led Oldenburg's comeback, bringing his team within 67-64 already in the final minute. Free throw accuracy allowed Nancy to keep full control of the game in crunch time.

Rickey Paulding got Oldenburg going with a three-pointer and a layup but Sy and Randal Falker soon brought Nancy within 6-7. Chubb made free throws and a triple by Jenkins boosted the guests' lead to 8-13. Valentin Bigote made free throws and Pietrus scored down low but Jenkins allowed Oldenburg to stay ahead, 13-17, after 10 minutes. A red hot Jenkins followed a layup with a three-pointer to give the guests their biggest lead of the game, 13-22. Adams and English rescued Nancy, igniting an 8-0 run that Gladyr capped with a triple for a 21-22 deficit. Chubb scored around the basket, Paulding dunked and a three-point play by Kramer gave Oldenburg fresh air at 23-29. Sy ignited the crowd with three consecutive dunks. He had 9 points in an 11-2 which Pietrus capped with a layup. Free throws by Kramer kept Oldenburg within 34-33 at halftime. Pietrus and Sy kept pacing Nancy after the break but free throws by Nemanja Aleksandrov kept the guests as close as 40-37. Nancy improved its defense and a jumper by English made it a six-point game, 46-40. Kramer and Philipp Neumann tried to change things for Oldenburg but Gladyr and Adams boosted Nancy's margin to 53-45 after 30 minutes. Adams and an outstanding Pietrus gave Nancy a double-digit margin, 59-49, with under 7 minutes left. A put-back slam by Sy forced Oldenburg to call timeout at 64-50. Smuelders, Kramer and Neumann brought Oldenburg back in the game, 67-64, with 21 seconds left, after a 3-14 run. Adams and Gladyr combined for 5-of-6 free throw in crunch time, allowing Nancy to get a good-as-gold home win.