Sluc Nancy scored a huge 55-75 away win at Gran Canaria Grupo Dunas on Tuesday, creating a three-way tie for first place in Group A. Nancy improved to 2-1 and shares the group lead with the previously undefeated Gran Canaria and Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius. The loss was Gran Canaria's first ever in 13 ULEB Cup home games. Nancy took control of the game with a 10-0 run late in the first quarter and put the game out of reach with an 8-0 run late in the second quarter to take a 28-40 halftime lead. The advantage continued to grow throughout the second half as Nancy celebrated the big road win. Deron Hayes and Cyril Julian led five scorers in double figure with 14 apiece. Julian also pulled down 11 rebounds. Cedrick Banks, Maxime Zianveni and Tairq Kirksay finished with 12 apiece. Kirqsay added 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Gran Canaria had only a player scoring in double figures, Jackson Vroman with 10. Jim Moran chipped in 8.
Sitapha Savane scored the first basket in the game, but it was Victor Samnick and the visitors that exploded out of the gates for a 2-7 lead. Sergio Perez scored 5 straight to tie the game before Roberto Guerra converted a three-point play to give the hosts a 14-11 advantage. Hayes sparked a 0-10 run from downtown, which Maxime Zianveni capped with a dunk, giving Nancy a 14-21 margin at the end of the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Cyril Julian grew the lead to 16-25, and then Victor Baldo and Hayes hit triples and Zianveni made another dunk for a 19-30 advantage. Julian again pushed the French side to 20-32, but Mario Fernandez remained in charge of Gran Canaria's scoring, hitting a triple, which Jim Moran followed with a layup to climb within 28-32 at the midway point of the second quarter. Nancy repeated an 8-0 run, capped by Tariq Kirksay, to lead at halftime 28-40
Back from the locker rooms, Savane's three-point play looked promising for the hosts, but Hayes answered from downtown. Kornel David scored his first two points of the night, but the guests exploded with another 6-0 spurt to take a 35-51 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter. Vroman and Fernandez boosted Gran Canaria to enter the last 10 minutes with Nancy leading 42-53. The French team started the last quarter with an amazing 6-0 run with Cedrick Banks, Samnick and John Linehan scoring layups, going ahead 42-59. Vroman and Baldo tried to take Gran Canaria further, but a Banks's bomb gave Nancy a 45-64 advantage. Kirksay raised it to 45-66 few seconds later. Jim Moran scored 4 points in a row, but Samnick from downtown stopped again the hosts' attempt to trail. Despite the big difference, the home team didn't give up, Baldo and Moran scored a pair of jumpers, but Zianveni, Banks and Julian sealed the deserved win for their team.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
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