Eurobasket beat BBC BIL 79-65 at lux gare, building the win on a dominant start and a decisive late surge. The hosts set the tone with a 27-15 first quarter, fueled by Rimgaudas Greicius' perimeter touch and Olivier Maillet's finishing inside.
BIL reacted well in the second quarter (17-21), led by Louis Landois and captain Revyll-Jones Ratanga around the rim, but Valentin Mitov steadied Eurobasket with three triples in the period, including back-to-back makes that re-established a cushion. Halftime: 44-36.
The third stayed competitive (17-20). Greicius added two more threes while Domas Savickas scored twice in the paint, yet BIL kept pace through Landois from deep and the Ratanga-Clifton Cano tandem. Eurobasket's lead was trimmed to 61-56 entering the fourth.
The game broke open with a 15-0 Eurobasket run to start the final quarter. Savickas authored seven points in a row during that spell, with Baptiste Bessiere and Maillet adding baskets and Konstantinos Ntontis sinking two free throws. The margin stretched to +21 after Mitov's sixth three (79-58), BIL closing the gap late through Arnaud Gallais and Cano.
Top performers: Mitov 20 points (six threes), Savickas 18 (eight two-point field goals, plus two free throws), Greicius 18 (five threes), Maillet 12 for Eurobasket; Landois 20 (5x2, 3x3), Ratanga 18, Cano 11, Gallais 9, Lola Klein Hofler 7 for BIL. Ntontis and Ratanga finished on four fouls, but no player fouled out. Coaches Roberto Schiano and Claude Victor traded timeouts, with Eurobasket's early punch and fourth-quarter run deciding the night.
(AI generated)