Newcastle Eagles showed great team basketball to defeat relentless Spišski Rytieri, 91-84, on Wednesday, October 16, at the packed Mestska sportova hala in Spišska Nova Ves, eastern Slovakia.
Players of the game
Newcastle offense was super balanced as five players finished in double figures.
Seneca Knight led the Eagles against the Spišski Knights with a team high 19 points.
Illinois State University star posted first win in his eighth ENBL game.
Knight forced six fouls, shot 8/10 from the free throw line and added two steals.
Joshua Ward-Hibbert scored 15 points on 7/16 shooting from the field.
Experienced guard added nine rebounds and a game high four steals.
Ward-Hibbert tied Spišski Rytieri in steals made – three of those came in the second half.
De`Sean Allen-Eikens also had 15 points.
California State University at Northridge forward went 5/10 from the field and 4/5 from the charity stripe.
British guard Jordan Spencer (Augustana University 2018) and American-British center Malcolm Delpeche (Bates College 2017) scored 13 and 11 points respectively.
Dylan Frye answered with 23 points on 8/12 shooting from the court, including remarkable 5/8 from the three point line.
Bowling Green State University standout was the best scorer of the game.
Stephen F. Austins State University graduate Nigel Hawkins had 20 points.
Iļja Gromovs contributed with 17 points on 8/11 shooting from the field.
Latvian center completed a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Key stats
Both teams offered a good shooting spectacle throughout the game.
Spišski Rytieri shot 51 percent from the field, including 37 percent from three point line.
Ten makes from the deep – on 27 attempts – were not enough.
Newcastle Eagles won the battle in the paint, 46-42, despite great fourth quarter performance by Iļja Gromovs.
The Eagles also were more aggressive in offense and outscored the Knights from the free throw line, 19/24 vs 6/10.
Transition game helped too, as Newcastle outplayed Spišski on fast breaks, 21-10.
Game notes
Newcastle Eagles improved to 1-0, while Spišski Rytieri dropped to 1-2.
Marc Steutel and his men are 5-1 in all competitions.
Spišski Rytieri suffered the first defeat at home, after a 5-0 start.
A week ago they defeated Tartu Ulikool Maks&Moorits, 91-87, to earn the first win in the ENBL.
Seneca Knight got his first win in the ENBL after a 0-7 last year with Valmiera.
ENBL access: follow the game on YouTube
STANDINGS, as of October 16, 2024 | CET 20.00
Group A
Valmiera Glass ViA 3-0, +42
CSO Voluntari 1-0, +20
BK Opava 1-0, +15
Newcastle Eagles 1-0, +7
Dziki Warszawa 1-1, -4
Spišski Rytieri 1-2, -27
Donar Groningen 0-2, -19
Spartak Pleven 0-2, -30
Tartu Ulikool 0-1, -4
Group B
Bakken Bears 2-0, +45
Legia Warszawa 2-0, +33
Bamberg Baskets 1-0, +15
Inter Bratislava 1-0, +2
Dinamo Bucharest 0-2, -18
Basket Brno 0-1, -2
Bristol Flyers 0-1, -11
Fyllingen Lions 0-1, -30
Keila Coolbet 0-1, -34
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