AEK rally late as Trabzonspor win in overtime

Heurtel seals AEK’s comeback

AEK’s opening game of Season 11 also marked the club’s participation in every BCL season since the competition began in 2016-17, the league reported. Its opponent, Finland’s Salon Vilpas, was making its BCL debut after qualifying for the competition.

The closing minute brought the decisive swings. Thomas Heurtel put AEK ahead 90-89 with 1:04 left. After Vilpas responded, Frank Bartley hit a three-pointer for AEK. Vilpas had a chance to win, but Leland Walker’s attempt came too quickly; Heurtel then scored in transition with one second remaining.

Bartley finished with 27 points for AEK. Walker led Vilpas with 28 points and seven assists, while Karl Chavis added 21 points and seven rebounds.

Trabzonspor take first BCL win in overtime

Trabzonspor beat Nanterre 92 by 93-83 after five extra minutes, earning the Turkish club its first victory in the Basketball Champions League. The BCL account noted that Nanterre had beaten Trabzonspor in the FIBA EuroChallenge Final 11 years earlier.

Trabzonspor had built a 64-52 lead by the end of the third quarter but nearly let it slip before securing the overtime win.

Wednesday’s wider schedule

The competition’s report said Wednesday’s Opening Round programme featured four games in Greece, Czechia, Türkiye and Lithuania. Its supplied account detailed the AEK and Trabzonspor matchups.