Nanterre edges Trento after 2 overtimes

Nanterre 92 roared back into the Top 16 hunt after surviving a double-overtime thriller, 102-104 against Group D leader Dolomiti Energia Trento on Wednesday night at BLM Group Arena. Chris Warren scored 29 points, Isaia Cordinier tallied 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks and Alpha Kaba posted 21 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. Tyler Stone added 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists as Nanterre won its second straight game to improve to 3-4. Gary Browne led Trento with 30 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals, but he also committed a club record 9 turnovers. Jeremy Morgan scored 26, Victor Sanders 16 and Kelvin Martin 15. Trento, which had already secured a Top 16 berth, lost its second straight game to slip to 5-2. The home team had the last shot at the end of regulation, the first overtime and the second, but failed to convert each time.

Kaba scored 4 early points and recorded a steal that led to a layup as Nanterre took a 5-8 lead. Browne assisted on Trento's first four baskets – including threes by Sanders and Morgan – to jump in front. Cordinier put the visitors ahead again before Martin answered for the hosts. Cordinier drove right through the heart of the Trento defense for a layup that made it 15-17 after 10 minutes. Nanterre expanded its lead through Cordinier's steal and slam and a jumper by Johnny Berhanemeskel, which prompted a Trento timeout at 15-21. A fastbreak layup by Berhanemeskel made it an 8-point margin before Victor Sanders and Martin revived the hosts. Morgan drained back-to-back threes to put Trento up 25-24 midway through the second quarter. The teams traded points and leads with Browne heating up for Trento. A layup by Stone knotted the game at 37-37 at the break.

Little separated the sides early in the second half and the scoreboard showed 44-44 midway through the second quarter. Martin and Sanders each scored twice as Trento found some separation to lead 53-45. Kaba and Cordinier kept Nanterre in the hunt and a three by Stone narrowed the gap to 58-55 through three quarters. The Nanterre defense held the hosts scoreless for the first 4 minutes of the fourth quarter, during which back-to-back triples by Warren gave the visitors the lead, 58-63. After a timeout, Browne ended the Trento drought with a three. Brian Conklin and Warren kept Nanterre in front, though Trento kept the pressure on. A reverse layup by Toto Forray evened things at 69-69 with 3 minutes to go. Trento regained the lead on the next play through Morgan. Conklin split free throws with a chance to tie it with a minute remaining in regulation, but Cordinier buried a three with 8.6 seconds on the clock to tie it at 75-75. Brown missed a jumper to win it on the buzzer and the game went to overtime.

Free throws by Cordinier started the extra session and Brown answered him with a jumper. Browne added a layup and a three-pointer to put Trento ahead 82-79. Stone put Nanterre ahead only to see Luca Conti, who came in after Sanders fouled out, respond from behind the arc. A three-point play by Kaba drew Nanterre within 87-86 with 1 minute to play in the overtime period and then Warren drove for a layup-and-one to take the lead. Morgan tied it at 89-89 with 2 free throws with 30.5 seconds left. Ivan Fevrier and Morgan each missed from downtown on their respective team's final possession and the game rolled into a second overtime period. Stone sank a baby hook and Kaba added a put-back as Nanterre took control. A layup by Warren resulted in a Trento timeout. Browne tried to get the Trento ship going, but Warren scored again and Cordinier added free throws to extend the lead to 91-99. Free throws by Browne sandwiched around Martin's block of Kaba got the home side within 2 with 1 minute left. A slam by Kaba with 23 seconds gave Nanterre a two-possession lead, but a three by Morgan and a turnover committed by Stone gave Trento a shot with 1.0 second left, but Browne missed on the buzzer.

Nanterre stars

This game marked the first time that Nanterre ever had three players with at least 20 points in a single EuroCup game. It was also the first time any team has done so since the 2018-19 season. Chris Warren's 29 points were 1 away from Sergii Glady's club record set in January 2014. Alpha Kaba and Isaia Cordinier each posted performance index ratings of 30, which tied for the third-best by a Nanterre player. Trento Meachem set that record with 33, also in January 2014.

Browne's historic game for trento

Gary Browne flirted with the first triple-double in Trento history and set a club record with a performance index rating of 41, which topped Dustin Hogue's 40 from January 2018. Browne amassed 30 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals and 10 turnovers. He tied the club record for steals and fouls drawn (10), set a new mark with 10 free throws made (and a record for free-throw accuracy as he did not miss a single shot) and also set the club record for most turnovers. His 30 points scored are second to Alessandro Gentile's Trento record of 37 from December 2019.

Hustle points

Nanterre outrebounded the home team 35-41, including 13 offensive rebounds with 5 coming from Alpha Kaba. The visitors turned those into 14 second-chance points, which doubles the Trento amount. Nanterre was quick to push the ball when opportunities presented themselves and was credited with 12 fastbreak points, which were 12 more than Trento.

What's next?

Trento will go on the road for its penultimate game of the regular season at Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana on Tuesday, December 8. Nanterre hosts Promitheas Patras in Round 9 on the same day.