Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles keep their fate in their own hands after a 92-84 road win over Keila Coolbet on Wednesday, January 31, at the Keila Tervisekeskus in northern Estonia.
Players of the game
Rickey Mcgill was the man of the day for the Newcastle Eagles.
Shooting guard posted an amazing double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds.
A former Iona Gael shot 7/16 from the floor, including a 5/11 blitz from the three point line.
Mcgill filled the stat sheet with four assists, three steals and nine forced fouls.
Darius Defoe was another big hitter for the Tyneside club.
Big man had 24 points on 8/13 shooting from the field and 8/11 from the charity stripe.
Evergreen Defoe grabbed seven rebounds too.
Larry Austin Jr, Jordan Johnson and Tajh Green scored 10 points each.
ENBL scoring record holder Kristen Kasemets signed off with 24 points.
He went 8/21 from the field, including 4/10 effort from the deep.
Kevin Anthony Johnson had 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Denis Krestinin checked out with 10 points and six rebounds.
Andrii Myronenko, Kārlis Žunda and Kaido Saks also finished in double figures.
Key stats
Both teams showed fine team basketball.
Newcastle Eagles starters outscored their opponents, 80-63.
Hats off to the Eagles bench, too – Scott Spencer and Josh Ward-Hibbert took the floor after an unwanted break.
The Eagles run the floor well to score more points on fast breaks, 13-7.
The visitors outscored Estonians in the paint, 48-26.
Peep Pahv`s men fought back to make it a one possession game at the start of the last minute, 84-82.
A technical foul by Kristen Kasemets ruined Keila`s comeback,
The Eagles shot 8/9 from the free throw line in the last 60 seconds to seal the win.
Game notes
Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles improved to 4-2, while Keila Coolbet dropped to 2-5.
Marc Steutel and his men finished 2-2 on the road.
They face a decisive game against Zastal Zielona Gora on February 13.
The Eagles may advance even earlier if Šiauliai win at Royal Liège Basket on February 7.
ENBL access: follow the game on YouTube live stream
Format
Four best teams from each group will qualify for the playoffs (A1-B4, A2-B3, A3-B2, A4-B1).
The 2024 playoffs – home and away, best-of-two series – will take place from February 15 until March 20.
The 2024 Final Four will take place on April 9-10.
Standings, as of January 31, 2024
Group A
Uniclub Casino Juventus 6-1 (+104) Qualified
Bakken Bears Aarhus 5-1 (+69) Qualified
Tartu Ülikool Maks&Moorits 4-3 (+22) Qualified
Bristol Flyers 4-3 (+62) Qualified
Polski Cukier Start Lublin 3-3 (-1)
Landstede Hammers Zwolle 2-3 (-38)
Svendborg Rabbits 1-6 (-156)
Spartak Pleven 1-6 (-62)
Group B
CSO Voluntari 6-1 (+87) Qualified
Šiauliai 5-1 (+57) Qualified
Royal Liège Basket 4-2 (+60)
Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles 4-2 (+28)
Zastal Zielona Gora 4-2 (+5)
Keila Coolbet 2-5 (-47)
Basket Brno 1-6 (-76)
Valmiera Glass ViA 0-7 (-114)