OXI day spirit lifts Iraklis BC over Riga Zelli
- Māris Noviks
- Oct 29
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 30
Iraklis Thessaloniki led for most of the time and defeated Riga Zelli, 78-69, on Wednesday, October 29, at the Komandu sporta spēļu halle in Latvian capital.
Players of the game
Justin Wright-Foreman scored a game high 24 points for Iraklis.
A former Hofstra University star guard shot 9/16 from the field and 3/4 from the charity stripe.
DJ Funderburk had 18 points and seven rebounds.
North Carolina State University big man blocked one shot too.
Greek National team player Dimitris Moraitis shined bright and posted amazing stat line.
He had 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Frankie Fidler from Michigan State University led Riga Zelli with 16 points.
Roberts Bērziņš scored 14 points.
Point guard Toms Skuja checked out with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Denis Krestinin had five blocks, tying ENBL record.
Blocks | ENBL records
5 Dean Mickelson December 28, 2021, Šiauliai vs Brno
5 Aleksandar Zečevič December 22, 2022, Lublin 88-94 Zielona Gora
5 Brad Greene October 11, 2023, Pleven 73-90 Bristol
5 Rob Howard January 7, 2025, Newcastle 84-69 Opava
5 Milan Szabo November 13, 2024, Inter 88-83 Bamberg
5 Denis Krestinin October 29, 2025, Zelli 69-78 Iraklis
Key stats
A four point play from DJ Funderburk and an unsportmanlike foul for Rodijs Mačoha fueled Iraklis opening run, 19-6.
Riga Zelli started to play more aggressive in offense and made it a one possession game by the middle of the second quarter, 28-25.
Frankie Fidler two pointer put the home team in front, 33-32, with 3.22 left in the first half.
Iraklis regained lead soon after, but game remained close throughout the second half.
More unsportsmanlike fouls followed – one for Frankie Fidler with 1.24 left in the third quarter and one for DJ Funderburk with 1.39 left in regulation.
Roberts Bērziņš split free throws but ball possession ended with a turnover by Toms Skuja, 73-67.
Game notes
Iraklis improved to 1-0, while Riga Zelli dropped to 1-2.
Twenty Iraklis fans traveled to the game which took place a day after the OXI day – a symbol of unbreakable and freedom loving Greek spirit.
Wednesday marked the first European home game in Rīga Zeļļi history.
It was also the first ENBL game for Iraklis Thessaloniki.
Iraklis record in European competitions now stands at 96-79.
Several ENBL games were held in Rīga during the 2021-2022 season – at the Daugava sports hall.
A former Golden State Warriors center Andris Biedriņš and Riga Zelli president Edgars Buļs awarded second “Riga Legend” award to former Latvia men`s team head coach Kārlis Muižnieks.
The first recipient of award was a Minnesota Timberwolves guard Gundars Vētra – the first Latvian in the NBA.
A local fan won 5000 euros in a “Lucky shot” challenge presented by Lvbet.
Giorgos Sigalas posted his first win in the ENBL.
ENBL access: follow the game on YouTube
ENBL standings as of October 29, 2025, CET 20.45 | without tie-breakers
CSO Voluntari 3-0, +65
Syntainics MBC 2-0, +70
BK Opava 2-0, +36
Valmiera Glass/ViA 2-0, +22
Sigal Prishtina 2-0, +16
Dziki Warszawa 2-1, +67
Tindastoll 2-1, +34
Donar Groningen 2-1, +19
Bristol Flyers 2-1, +16
Manchester 2-1, +5
Riga Zelli 2-1, +4
Spartak Pleven 2-1, -7
Dubrava Zagreb 1-1, +14
Go+ Peja 1-2, -11
Slovan Bratislava 1-2, -15
TalTech Alexela 1-2, -43
Iraklis BC 1-0, +9
Dinamo Zagreb 1-0, +3
Hefte Helfen Bulls 0-3, -23
Brussels Basketball 0-3, -27
Fyllingen Lions 0-3, -101
Alkar Sinj 0-2, -25
Gimle Basket 0-2, -48
BK Olomoucko 0-2, -53
Keila Coolbet 0-1, -4
Newcastle Eagles 0-1, -23
2025-2026 ENBL format and pools
2025-2026 ENBL schedule UPD8
2025 ENBL classification
What an exciting game — the spirit of OXI Day truly seemed to power Iraklis BC to victory! It’s inspiring to see how determination, teamwork, and resilience can make such a difference both on and off the court. That same commitment to recovery and strength reminds me of how innovation in healthcare is helping people overcome physical challenges too. For example, https://ways2well.com/blog/stem-cells-for-neck-pain-what-you-need-to-know explores how advanced stem cell therapy is revolutionizing pain treatment and helping people get back to peak performance — much like athletes pushing through to achieve greatness.
ΙRAKLIS THESSALONIKI 1908