Šiauliai scored 10 three pointers in the first half to beat Royal Liège Basket, 97-74, and secure the first place in the Group B on Tuesday, February 6, at the Country Hall in Liège, Belgium. The Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles have qualified for the ENBL playoffs.
Players of the game
Bennett Vander Plas went 3/10 from the three point line in his first three ENBL games with Šiauliai.
In the first half against Liège, he shot 4/5 from the deep, matching the entire opponent team.
A former Ohio (2018-2022) and Virginia (2022-2023) small forward finished with 16 points.
He added six assists and three steals.
Leonard Thorpe led all scorers with 19 points on 6/14 shooting from the field and a perfect 5/5 from the charity stripe.
A former UNC Asheville standout contributed with two assists and two steals.
Paulius Danusevicius chipped in with 16 points on impressive 7/9 shooting from the court.
Center Jamelle Hagins answered with 17 points on 7/13 shooting from the field.
A Virginian who played for Delaware had four rebounds, one assist and one block.
Angel Rodriguez shined with 15 points and nine assists.
A former Miami Hurricane turned the ball over five times.
Key stats
Šiauliai outscored Liège from the three point line in the first half, 10/21 vs 4/12.
Žydrūnas Urbonas men secured a 13 points lead at the half, 55-42.
Three more three pointers found their way in the Liège basket during the next 10 minutes.
The point difference remained the same, 73-60.
Hosts prevailed under the basket and scored more second chance points, 8-20, but Šiauliai`s fast paced game was too much for them.
Šiauliai scored more points on fast breaks, 18-12, to seal the game.
Game notes
Šiauliai improved to 6-1, while Liège dropped the 4-3.
The Lithuanians clinched the first place in the Group B and will learn their opponents on Wednesday night.
Royal Liège Basket need help from the Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles to advance.
The Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles advanced to the ENBL playoffs and may finish in the third place if they beat Zastal Zielona Gora on February 13 at the Vertu Motors arena.
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 February 6, 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
Šiauliai 6-1 (+80) Qualified
CSO Voluntari 6-1 (+87) Qualified
Royal Liège Basket 4-3 (+37)
Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles 4-2 (+28) Qualified
Zastal Zielona Gora 4-2 (+5)
Keila Coolbet 2-5 (-47)
Basket Brno 1-6 (-76)
Valmiera Glass ViA 0-7 (-114)