Banvit cruises to its first win of the season

Banvit Bandirma led from start to finish on the road to beat Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest 64-78 and register its first win of this Eurocup campaign in the Romanian capital on Wednesday. Banvit and Steaua both hold 1-2 record in Group D, the same as Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in a share of the fourth place. Banvit built a double-digit lead before halftime, and held a comfortable margin in the third period before a 0-12 run that bridged third and fourth quarters opened up 42-64 lead, sealing the outcome. Adrien Moerman collected 16 points and 9 rebounds to lead in victory, while A.J. Slaughter scored 14, and DeShawn Stephens had 12 points in only 14 minutes on the floor. Titus Nicoara amassed 17 points plus 13 rebounds for the hosts, Bill Amis had 13 points and 7 rebounds, while Marko Marinovic netted 12 in defeat.

Moerman scored 8 points, including back-to-back threes to open the game, and Banvit took 2-8 lead. Marinovic and Chris Cooper scored for Steaua, but a fastbreak layup from Courtney Fortson and a triple from Tolga Gecim helped the visitors to 9-16. Banvit held 15-20 after 10 minutes, before Slaughter and Marinovic traded triples in the first minute of the second quarter. Amis and Cooper kept Steaua close, but Slaughter scored 6 straight points, also sparking 0-10 run that saw Stephens and Dominique Johnson in key roles for 23-37. Amis snapped the run, but Gasper Vidmar scored a second-chance basket to give the visitors 27-41 halftime lead.

Baskets from Vidmar and Keith Simmons extended it to 29-47 in the third quarter, but consecutive triples from Nicoara, Aleksandar Rasic and Marinovic got the hosts within 38-47. But Moerman had a triple, and Slaughter a three-point play for Banvit, giving it 42-55 after 30 minutes. Then the visitors raced away with a 0-9 run to start the fourth period. Stephens scored baskets on both ends of the run that also saw Moerman sink a triple. With the lead at 42-64, winner was all but decided. Cooper and Nicoara snapped the drought, but Fortson knocked down a three-pointer. Before game’s end, Rasic hit a three-pointer for the hosts, and after Gecim and Moerman scored for the visitors, Marinovic hit from downtown and Amis had a three-point play that helped to cut the margin before the final buzzer.