Newcastle Eagles erased 17 points deficit to post a 84-80 comeback win against excellent CSO Voluntari on Tuesday, December 3, at the Vertu Motors arena in northern England.
Players of the game
Both teams deserve applause for Tuesday`s performance but Eagles were better in the last 10 minutes.
Two men had amazing fourth quarter in offense.
Mike Okauru scored 15 of his 23 points in the final stanza.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington star had six field goals, including one three pointer, and two free throws as well.
De`Sean Allen-Eikens posted 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.
California State at Northridge graduate hit two big three pointers.
Eagles legend Darius Defoe chipped in with six points.
Kodi Justice led visitors with 16 points on 6/18 shooting from the field.
Arizona State star went 3/10 from the three point line but missed a chance to tie the game at 83.
Mike Caffey checked out with seven points.
Long Beach State University point guard dished out a game high 12 assists.
Key stats
CSO Voluntari led by 17 points, 48-65, with 09.05 left on the game clock.
The 2024 ENBL finalists had 22 assists and only seven turnovers after 30 minutes of play.
Newcastle Eagles stepped up and scored 36 (!) points in the last nine minutes.
ENBL record is 43 points in one quarter.
Mike Okauru and De`Sean Allen-Eikens combined for 28 points in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles took the lead with 37 seconds to go – after a driving layup by Mike Okauru, 81-80.
CSO Voluntari scored their last three points with 03.46 left.
The Eagles outscored Voluntari 16-0 in the decisive minutes.
Game notes
Newcastle Eagles improved to 5-0, while CSO Voluntari dropped to 4-1.
Marc Steutel and his men have won five straight games in the ENBL.
Mathematically they haven`t qualified yet but they are very, very close to postseason.
Six wins are needed to go through without additional math.
A five way tie with a 5-2 record is possible even in a group of eight, however, there are groups of NINE this year.
Ainars Bagatskis and CSO Voluntari won nine games in a row before coming to Tyneside.
ENBL access: follow the game on YouTube
STANDINGS, as of December 3, 2024
Group A
Newcastle Eagles 5-0, +38
CSO Voluntari 4-1, +67
Valmiera Glass ViA 4-1, +59
Dziki Warszawa 3-2, +34
BK Opava 3-2, -14
Tartu Ulikool 1-3, -18
Donar Groningen 1-4, -9
Spišski Rytieri 1-5, -103
Spartak Pleven 0-4, -54
Group B
Inter Bratislava 5-0, +19
Legia Warszawa 4-1, +43
Bakken Bears 3-1, +54
Bamberg Baskets 3-1, +46
Basket Brno 1-2, -4
Dinamo Bucharest 1-3, -20
Bristol Flyers 1-4, -28
Fyllingen Lions 0-3, -48
Keila Coolbet 0-3, -62
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