BNXT Overview Round 1
Belgian Competition: Liège Basket – Okapi Aalst: 82-73 Nice win by Liège Basket who used a strong final quarter to pull away from Aalst to get the 82-73 victory to start off their season. Newcomer Ziga Fifolt had himself a very solid game and finished with the 19 pts & 13 rebs Double-Double for Lièg
Belgian Competition:
Liège Basket – Okapi Aalst: 82-73
Nice win by Liège Basket who used a strong final quarter to pull away from Aalst to get the 82-73 victory to start off their season.
Newcomer Ziga Fifolt had himself a very solid game and finished with the 19 pts & 13 rebs Double-Double for Liège. He received plenty of help from another newcomer in the squad, Belgian youngster Niels Van Den Eynde who knocked down 17 pts on 6-9 FG shooting and added 5 asts in his debut with Liège. That other young guard James Potier also had a strong game, coming off the bench to record 12 pts on a perfect 4-4 FG shooting in only 14 minutes of action.
It was a tough loss for the youngsters of Aalst who will count on their 3 import players to carry the biggest load for them this season. Newcomer Jordan Walker did exactly that and finished as top-scorer in the game with his 22 pts, while Ivan Maras (13 pts, 7 rebs, 6 asts, 2 stls & 2 blks) and Nikola Popovic (15 pts & 6 rebs) also performed very well. Unfortunately for Aalst it simply wasn’t enough in this one to get that W.
Full Boxscore: HERE
Leuven Bears – Spirou Basket: 83-81 (OT)
What a way to start the season for Leuven! In a game that stayed close throughout it was Kevaughn Allen with some late-game heroics to force the overtime in which Leuven was finally able to put away Charleroi: 83-81.
Kevaughn Allen certainly hasn’t missed his start of the season – despite having to come off the bench – and dropped a game-high 25 pts, including a highly-contested three to tie the game at the end of regulation to force overtime. He was one of 5 Leuven players to finish in double-digits scoring. But then again, if you only rotate with 6 players throughout the entire game that number becomes a little less impressive. Newcomers John Fulkerson (17 pts & 11 rebs) and Jordan Skipper-Brown (12 pts & 10 rebs) both ended up with Double-Doubles in their debut in the BNXT League.
Spirou Charleroi was led by their Puerto Rican guard Jhivvan Jackson, who showcased his smooth shooting stroke to finish with 22 pts, 7 rebs, 3 asts & 4 stls. He received some help from Belgian youngster Marlon Makwa as he ended up with 13 pts. Nathan Kuta and Rafael Lisboa both added 11 pts in the loss.
Full Boxscore: HERE
Brussels Basket – Kangoeroes Mechelen: 81-73
The significantly reinforced Brussels squad got off to a nice start of the season as they defeated the visiting Kangoeroes 81-73.
Brussels were fueled by the strong performance of their newcomer Ferdinand Zylka who finished as the game’s top-scorer with his 22 pts. Sergio Llorente also provided his usual play-making skills as he finished with 10 pts & 6 asts. Most importantly though it is obvious that Brussels has seriously deepened their bench this season as they got 35 points off the bench, including 13 pts & 6 rebs from Joël Ekamba and 12 pts from Belgian Lion Jonathan Tabu.
For the Kangoeroes it was US guard Brian Fobbs who led the way on the offensive end with his 15 pts, while he also added 7 rebs. DeAndre Davis added 13 pts, while good old Domien Loubry finished with 11 pts off the bench.
Full boxscore: HERE
Limburg United – Mons-Hainaut: 101-79
On Friday Limburg United had their outside shot dropping at a very impressive 57.7% and had no issues putting away Mons-Hainaut with the 101-79 final score.
Leading the way with his shooting was Jonas Delalieux who dropped 4-5 from behind the arc and finished with 23 pts. He certainly wasn’t the only Limburg player with the hot hand though as everyone contributed. Alex Stein finished with 16 pts, Quentin Serron added 15 pts, while Maxime De Zeeuw finished with 14 pts.
It was a rough night for Mons, despite solid play by their newcomer Steve Harris who led the squad with his 21 pts & 6 rebs. Keith Braxton added 12 pts, while Milivoje Mijovic (11 pts) and Belgian Igor Mintogo (10 pts) also ended up in double-digits scoring.
Full boxscore: HERE
Dutch Competition:
Leeuwarden – Yoast United: 92-94
Solid come-back from behind win on the road for Yoast United coached by Belgian Paul Vervaeck. He saw his team winning behind some strong play from Francis Lacis who led the team with his 24 pts & 6 rebs. Dutch guard Mike Schilder also had a strong game and finished with 21 pts & 9 asts. Vince Cole (21 pts) and Spencer Levi (16 pts) both had strong debuts with Yoast United.
Leeuwarden was led by Keevan Veinot who finished with 23 pts & 8 rebs in the loss. Kaleb Warner (who came over from Yoast this off-season) added 22 pts & 7 rebs, while Shaquille Doorson (13 pts), Kristinn Palsson (12 pts) and Tom Kubank (10 pts) all scored in double-digits as well in this high-scoring affair.
Full boxscore: HERE
It promises to be a tough season for Apollo Amsterdam as they lost their season-opener against Feyenoord Rotterdam 63-81.
Feyenoord had three players in double-figures, led by newcomer Trey Diggs who finished with 20 pts. Stacy Beckton (18 pts) and Terrence Bieshaar (16 pts) were the other main scorers for Feyenoord.
Amsterdam had four players in double-digits scoring with Mees Van ‘T Hoff leading the way with his 17 pts. Job Kayhan, Deividas Kumelis and Jaro Abrams all finished with 11 pts apiece.
Full boxscore: HERE
BAL Weert – Den Helder: 75-77
Close win on the road by the Den Helder Suns as they defeated BAL with the 75-77 final score.
For the winners it was diminutive Point Guard Nino Gorissen who led the way as he finished with 20 pts. Big man Dyon Halman also finished with 20 pts, while Sam Van Oostrum (13 pts) and Sam Huurman (12 pts) also ended up scoring in double-figures.
Leading the way for BAL was newcomer Walker Miller as he knocked down 16 pts and added 8 rebs. Aleksandar Matushev (15 pts), Revelinio Tholel (12 pts) and Marques Wilson (11 pts) also chipped in nicely but it wasn’t enough for the win.
Full boxscore: HERE
Landstede Hammers Zwolle – Heroes Den Bosch: 63-80
Heroes Den Bosch had no issues starting off their season with the easy 63-80 win at Landstede Hammers.
Den Bosch was led by athletic Forward Chris-Ebou Ndow and Kobe Webster who both ended up with 16 pts apiece. Donte Thomas who came over from Groningen this off-season added 15 pts, while big man Thomas Van Der Mars recorded the 10 pts & 15 rebs double-double.
The Landstede Hammers were led by Dragos Diculescu as he knocked down 16 pts on 4-8 3pt shooting, while Felix Terins ended up with 15 pts in the loss.
Full boxscore: HERE