The German league basketball team Niners Chemnitz narrowly missed out on a dream debut in the Eurocup. The team of Head Coach Rodrigo Pastore lost 86:89 (77:77, 45:49) on the road to Greek first-division side Panionios Athens after overtime. Corey Davis Jr. was the best scorer for the club from Saxony with 26 points.
Chemnitz got off to a very nervous start to the game and quickly trailed by 13:30 by the end of the first quarter, also due to seven turnovers. The visitors then stepped up the intensity considerably. Davis Jr. in particular now turned up the heat and led his team to a 26:34 lead within three minutes. The Niners trailed by just four points at the break.
After the break, Chemnitz initially shone with high pressure in defense and quick transition play. They produced a 17:0 run to take a 66:53 lead (29th minute). However, Athens came back impressively and equalized to make it 66:66 in the 33rd minute. In the hectic final spell, Yordan Minchev took Chemnitz into overtime with two free throws four seconds before the end of regular time. The Niners were ahead for a long time before Jaylen Hands drained two threes to give the home side victory.
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