“Ventspils” ends the first round with a victory over “Stelmet”
Latvian champions BK “Ventspils” ended the first round of the Eurocup F group tournament with a victory 79:69 on the road over Polish basketball club “Stelmet” from Zielona Gora, thus getting its second win in five games of the first round that now lets the team to take the fourth place in group standings.
Ventspils starting five began the game with a 5:0 run, and even though “Stelmet” were able to tie the game after a short while, after the first quarter the guests were up by five points (23:18). In the beginning of the second quarter “Ventspils” made an 8:2 run and extended its lead to eleven points (31:20). Ventspils didn’t stop on that and continued to extend the lead with every chance possible, reaching +18 just half way through the second quarter (40:22), however, “Stelmet” was able to cut the lead to twelve points (45:33).
After the half-time break Latvian club was able to extend the lead to +19 (52:33), but in the middle of the third quarter Latvians were up by 20 points (56:36). However, “Stelmet” played the second half of the quarter much better than before and cut down the lead step by step until in the third minute of the quarter Polish basketball team was down just by nine points (65:56).
Five minutes before the end whistle “Ventspils” was up by just six points (66:60) but then Troy Barnies made two crucial threes, once again extending the lead up to ten points (72:62). In the remaining minutes Polish squad wasn’t able to make a run to somehow threaten the obvious “Ventspils” victory. Game ended “Ventspils” taking the victory with being up by ten points – 79:69.
BK "Ventspils" - "Stelmet" 79:69 (23:18, 22:15, 19:16, 15:20)
Ventspils: Chatman 17 (8a, 8r), Grant 14, Barnies 13 (6r) Vairogs 8, Peiners 8, Gulbis 5, Grazulis 4, Meiers 4, Lejasmeiers 2 (5a), Ate 2 (6r), Butjankovs 2.
Stelmet: Zamojski 21, Burtt 20, Troutman 15 (7r), Cel 5, Hosley 4, Hrycaniuk 2, Johnson 2. (7r)
In other last games of the F group’s first round Krasnodar’s “Lokomotiv” at home beat Izmir’s “Pinar Karsiyaka” 75:63, while Thessaloniki won their home game 80:60 against “Buducnost Voli” from Podgorica, Montenegro.