King Szczecin blew a 25 points lead but won a thriller against Ironi Ness Ziona 89-86 thanks to Zac Cuthbertson`s game winner on Wednesday, December 28, at the STAREZ Arena Vodova in Brno, Czechia.
Players of the game
Zachary Cuthbertson had a game to remember.
King Szczecin and Coastal Carolina star scored 9 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Cuthbertson made a go-ahead three for a 85-83 lead with 02:33 left.
Then he stepped up again to win the game at the buzzer.
A North Carolina native celebrated his 26th birthday in style as the King Szczecin doubled the win count in the ENBL.
Small forward played 34:34 minutes, grabbed seven rebounds, dished two assists and forced seven fouls.
Bryce Brown contributed with a game high 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-8 from the deep.
A 2019 NCAA Final 4 participant with Auburn Tigers had three assists and two steals.
Tony Meier continued to shine from the three point land.
A Milwaukee standout made 3-of-7 attempts to finish with 11 points.
D.J. Cooper extended his phenomenal streak, dishing out 10 or more dimes in four consecutive games.
He had 13 assists on Wednesday and tied his own record.
D.J. Cooper averaged 13,0 assists at Brno!
A former Ohio floor general scored 12 points as well.
Tyler Bey had another 20 point game.
Colorado power forward added six rebounds and two steals.
Golan Gutt made 5-of-6 three pointers enroute to 18 points.
Shaq Buchanan chipped in with 15 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the free throw line.
Murray State backcourt player posted more impressive stats as he forced a game high nine fouls.
Key stats
King Szczecin had a 25 points lead midway the second quarter 39-14.
Arkadiusz Miloszewski maintained a 19 point advantage 46-27 at the halftime.
Ironi Ness Ziona stormed back and scored 35 in the third quarter.
Buchanan was unstoppable under the basket while his teammates added some firepower from the three point line.
Three pointers by Ronnie Harrell and D.J. Cooper gave the Israeli team a four point lead 78-82 with 05:08 left.
Ironi Ness Ziona had only one field goal in the final five minutes, as Gutt`s three pointer tied the game at 86.
Cuthbertson hit the game winner during the last possession.
Ironi Ness Ziona scored more points on fast breaks 9-31.
King Szczecin had more depth on the second day as Wilki reserves outscored Ironi Ness Ziona 44-15.
Game notes
King Szczecin maintained its undefeated record and improved to 4-0.
Miloszewski`s men have defeated top Polish teams in the ENBL like Trefl Sopot and BM Stal Ostrow.
They have scalps of Basket Brno and Ironi Ness Ziona.
Many more games will be played but King Wilki look like a safe bet to reach the playoffs, even if mathematically still not there.
Ironi Ness Ziona completed another European trip with a 1-1 record.
A 50% winning percentage is a solid result as they will look to secure a play-off spot in 2023.
SCHEDULE (local time only)
Tuesday, December 27, Brno (GMT+2h)
Ironi Ness Ziona 94–80 Basket Brno
BM Stal Ostrow 56–72 King Szczecin
Tuesday, December 27, Tartu (GMT+3h)
Tartu Ulikool Maks&Moorits 72–76 Trefl Sopot
Wednesday, December 28, Brno
King Szczecin 89–86 Ironi Ness Ziona
Basket Brno 59–80 BM Stal Ostrow
Wednesday, December 28, Valmiera (GMT+3h)
Valmiera Glass VIA 78–108 Trefl Sopot
Thursday, December 29, Tartu
18:00 Tartu Ülikool Maks&Moorits – Valmiera Glass ViA
STANDINGS, as of December 28, 2022
Group B
King Szczecin 4-0 (+32)
Ironi Ness Ziona 2-2 (+3)
Trefl Sopot 2-2 (+22)
Stal Ostrow 2-1 (+21)
Tartu University 1-1 (-2)
Basket Brno 0-4 (-46)
Valmiera Glass VIA 0-1 (-30)
BC Wolves 0-0
Tie-breaker: Ironi Ness Ziona 1-0, +8; Trefl Sopot 0-1, -8.