| 11.12.2007
Dexia Mons-Hainaut squandered a 23-point third-quarter lead but held on for an 81-78 victory in their opening EuroCup Qualifying Round Group B game at Banvit BC.
Travis Conlan and Benjamin Ebong made foul shots in the final 20 seconds to erase a valiant effort by Banvit, who had used a 27-4 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to even the game at 78-78.
Mike Lenzly scored 21 points and Jim Cantamessa added 20 as the duo combined to net eight of 14 three-pointers for Chris Finch's Dexia side.
Andrew Sullivan added 12 points and nine rebounds in the win.
Yunus Cankaya tallied 22 points for the 0-1 Turkish team.
Derya Yannier added 14 points - including a couple of three-pointers in the big comeback - while Michael Mokongo and Inanc Koc each had 12.
Dexia started the game on fire from long range as Conlan and Lenzly each hit three-balls and Cantamessa's back-to-back triples opened a 14-7 lead.
Two more Lenzly baskets and another bomb by Cantamessa pushed the margin to
26-18 after one period.
Lenzly scored nine points as Dexia started the second on a 16-3 run to double up the score, 42-21, with three minutes to play in the half.
Another Cantamessa triple increased the lead to 22 points, and Dexia led 52-32 going
into the locker-room.
Mokongo did all he could to help the Turks come back, scoring seven points in the third period but the Belgians still were up 74-51.
Cankaya scored five straight points and Koc added the final four points of the third to trim the margin to just 74-60 entering the fourth.
Yannier knocked down back-to-back triples and Cankaya hit another three-ball as Banvit opened the fourth on an 11-2 surge to pull within five at 76-71.
Cankaya's three-point play then evened the game at 78-78 with two minutes left.
Conlan's two foul shots gave Dexia an 80-78 lead with 20 seconds left before Lenzly stole the ball from Cankaya with three seconds remaining.
Ebong stepped up and made a foul shot to secure the win - though Caner Topaloglu
missed a desperation heave at the buzzer. |
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