By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Leading from start to finish and by a comfortable margin through the second half, UCAM Murcia drew a 1-0 lead in a best-of-three series opposite MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg.
A win, 98-72, in Game 1 of the Basketball Champions League Quarterfinals.
Recording a new personal best across all competitions this season, former NBA forward Rodions Kurucs scored 18 points, making all eight shots from the field and both free throws. “A good game. We played really well. We did all the things we practiced, all the things the coach wanted from us. We made our shots, played great defense, and shared the ball,” he said, “It is 1-0. We still have to keep going.”
Setting the pace with 14 points in the first half, Marko Todorovic finished with 16 points. Tucking in 4/8 three-pointers, Troy Caupain followed with 14 points, including 11 over the last ten minutes.
Ending up on the wrong end of a wide loss, similar to the previous visit to Palacio de los Deportes in 2019, the team coached by Josh King requires two straight wins to qualify for the Final Four. “We need to make adjustments and we will,” Jayvon Graves referred to the second game of the series after registering a team-high 16 points in Game 1.
“Collectively, we were nowhere near the level that you need to be to beat a team like Murcia on the road,” noted King, “To beat a team like this, we need several players to play well.”
Ludwigsburg reunites with Ariel Hukporti
Returning to Ludwigsburg with his sights set on the 2024 NBA draft, Ariel Hukporti inked a contract on Monday for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. After his professional debut and five games played in the BCL, the 21-year-old center spent one year in Lithuania and three years in Australia. Besides Hukporti, Davonta Jordan was left out of the lineup on Wednesday. For the Murcia outfit, Simon Birgander (right ankle surgery) remained sidelined.
Postgame press conference
Resuming the Regular Season of Spain’s Liga Endesa, the team coached by Sito Alonso is on the road versus Joventut Badalona on Saturday. From possibly going up to 18-10 at the domestic level to visiting MHP Arena in Game 2 of the series next Tuesday.
Like the Universitarios, battling for a spot in the Playoffs of the domestic league, the German side faces ALBA Berlin in Uber Arena on Sunday. At 16-10, it is tied with Telekom Baskets Bonn in seventh place of the easyCredit BBL table.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League