Qualifying Round F, Game 1 report: Le Havre 84-85 BASE BC Oostende
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BASE BC Oostende fought back from a 15-point third quarter deficit to grab an 84-85 victory on the road over Le Havre in the first leg of the Eurocup second qualifying round. Devin Green led the way for Oostende with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists while Matt Haryasz added 15 points, Rashid Atkins had 14 and Ivan Paunic chipped in 12 points. New acquisition Nick Fazekas scored all nine of his points in the fourth quarter for Oostende, which will host the return leg on November 11. Le Havre wasted a 24-point, 10-rebound and 4-assist performance from Bingo Merriex. T.J. Thompson added 19 points, Aleksandar Bojic had 12 points and 6 rebounds and Slaven Rimac scored 10 points.
Atkins tipped off the game with a score and Green’s triple pushed the lead to 4-7 in the early going. Merriex hit back-to-back baskets and 2 foul shots as Le Havre grabbed the advantage, 12-9. Green continued to score and had Oostende ahead 17-19 before Merriex knocked down a triple and another jumper. Then Thompson’s three-point play and 2 foul shots made it 27-26 after one period. Green opened the scoring in the second quarter and the lead switched hands four times until Oostende used a 0-10 surge for a 31-40 advantage. Bojic converted a three-point play, Rudy Jomby nailed 3 triples and Merriex nailed a three-ball to complete a 14-5 run for a 50-47 lead at the break.
Rimac’s three-pointer to start the second half made it 53-47 only to see Haryasz score 6 points in knotting the game at 55-55. But the hosts bounced right back by holding Oostende scoreless for four minutes during a 12-0 run for a 67-55 advantage. Atkins stopped the surge, but Merriex scored on a tip-in and hit a three-pointer for a 72-57 cushion with two minutes left in the third quarter. Oostende again answered as Sebastien Bellin knocked down a triple just before the buzzer to trim the deficit to 74-64 going into the fourth quarter. Fazekas opened the final period with a jumper and followed Green’s three-point play with a tip-in as the guests closed within 76-71. Thompson and Atkins swapped three-pointers before Paunic and Aktins knocked down triples as Oostende trimmed the gap to 81-80. Fazekas gave Oostende the lead and hit another jumper for an 81-83 lead. Bojic made 1 foul shot before Fazekas got another tip-in for an 82-85 advantage. Thompson’s foul shots finished the scoring and made it 84-85 going into the second leg in Belgium.
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Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Eurocupbasketball.com
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