Kristupas Žemaitis scored 11 points in the last two minutes of regulation but Jean Salumu hit a game winning three pointer in the last second for Trefl Sopot`s 89-86 win over BC Wolves on Tuesday, January 17, at the Centennial Hall in Sopot, Poland.
Players of the game
There were many big time plays at the Centennial Hall tonight.
Nothing topped a game winning three pointer by Jean Salumu.
Trefl Sopot shooting guard made back-to-back three pointers during the last 40 seconds.
A Belgian Lion finished the game with 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, including a 5-of-7 from the three point land.
Salumu added four rebounds, three assists and six forced fouls.
He made all six attempts from the charity stripe.
Garrett Nevels was another big time player for Sopot.
Hawaii standout scored 24 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and a 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
Nevels made all four three-point shooting attempts.
He filled the stat line with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocked shots and seven forced fouls.
Michal Kolenda walked the line as he scored nine points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field.
Sopot captain contributed with four rebounds and three assists.
Kristupas Žemaitis became the third player to score 30 points in the ENBL game after Cleveland Melvin and Jerai Grant.
Guard posted an ENBL record, by scoring 20 points in one quarter on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, including a 5-of-5 from the three point line, and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line!
Eigirdas Žukauskas followed with 17 points.
Forward scored four crucial points in the end and grabbed five rebounds.
Key stats
Žan Tabak used an eight player rotation, while Rimas Kurtinaitis shared the playing time between 11 players.
Trefl Sopot took a 12 points lead but BC Wolves cut it down to three points at the half, 43-40.
Garrett Nevels was the go-to man for Trefl in the second half.
His fourth consecutive (!) three-pointer extended the hosts lead up to nine points, 80-71, with 02:41 to go.
The three pointer was preceded by a technical foul to Kristupas Žemaitis and a free throw by Nevels.
The Wolves were not out yet, as Žemaitis stayed hot from the three point line.
Lithuanian international made back-to-back three pointers to make it a one possession game, 80-77, with 71 seconds left.
Žemaitis was fouled twice in the last minute and made all five free throws to tie the game at 86.
Trefl Sopot shot 51% from the three point line (14-of-27), compared to 34% for the Wolves (12-of-35).
Sopot starters outscored Alytus 53-16.
Game notes
Trefl Sopot posted the third consecutive win after a 0-2 start.
The third one was especially sweet as they dealt a first loss for the Wolves.
Three Polish teams top the standings in the Group A, with a combined 11-3 record.
BC Wolves, Tartu University and Ironi Ness Ziona also stay in the hunt.
Rimas Kurtinaitis squad played without Jeffery Taylor and Marcos Delia.
ENBL records, as of January 2023
Points
Jerai Grant 32 January 4, 2023, Budivelnyk 73-59 TalTech
Cleveland Melvin 30 December 21, 2022, Prishtina 69-89 Lublin
Kristupas Žemaitis 30 January 17, 2023, Sopot 89-86 Alytus
Garrett Nevels 29 December 28, 2022, Valmiera 78-108 Sopot
Tyler Bey 28 November 29, 2022, Ostrow 92-76 Ness Ziona
Dardan Berisha 28 December 20, 2022, Zielona Gora 75-89 Prishtina
SCHEDULE (local time only)
Tuesday, January 17, Sopot (GMT+2h)
Trefl Sopot 89–86 BC Wolves
STANDINGS, as of January 17, 2023
Group A
Budivelnyk Kyiv 4-0 (+56) Qualified
Polski Cukier Start Lublin 3-1 (+37)
Kalev/Cramo 2-3 (+26)
Zastal Zielona Gora 2-2 (-14)
Šiauliai 2-1 (+5)
KB Sigal Prishtina 1-3 (-40)
TalTech Optibet 0-4 (-70)
STANDINGS, as of January 17, 2023
Group B
Stal Ostrow 4-1 (+63)
King Szczecin 4-0 (+32)
Trefl Sopot 3-2 (+25)
Tartu University 2-3 (+8)
Ironi Ness Ziona 2-2 (+3)
BC Wolves 2-1 (+28)
Basket Brno 0-4 (-46)
Valmiera Glass VIA 0-4 (-113)
Tie-breaker (1): Ironi Ness Ziona 1-0, +8; Trefl Sopot 0-1, -8.
Tie-breaker (2): Trefl Sopot 1-0, +4; Tartu 0-1, -4.