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oct 07 2026Asisa Joventut secured their first European win of the season, defeating Bnei Penlink Herzliya 86-75 at the Palau Olímpic de Badalona in Matchday 1 of Basketball Champions League Group H. Despite a sluggish start, the hosts dominated through their interior players and maintained a lead that never dropped below nine points in the entire second half.
A poor start quickly corrected
The Israeli team came out firing. Amit Gershon scored eight straight points and put Bnei Penlink Herzliya up eight in just five minutes (6-14). Asisa Joventut struggled to find rhythm on offense and their defense was consistently late to rotations.
The response came from the bench. With Nico Laprovittola on the floor, Asisa Joventut closed out a 12-2 run that gave them control before the end of the first quarter. The Argentine point guard tied it at 16 in the 8th minute, and the home team went into the first break ahead (18-16).
Second quarter proves decisive
The second quarter was Asisa Joventut's best stretch. With Emir Sulejmanovic and Simon Birgander controlling the paint, coach Dani Miret's squad outscored their opponents 24-17. Homegrown talent Diego Niebla hit the basket for 35-30 in the 18th minute, and by halftime the lead had grown to nine points (42-33).
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Second half under control
After the break, Asisa Joventut continued to apply pressure. A three-pointer from Álex Reyes made it 47-36 in the 23rd minute, and Kwan Cheatham, who finished with 12 points, maintained the gap at 57-45 with two minutes left in the third quarter. The teams went into the final period at 63-52.
Sulejmanovic opened the fourth quarter with a basket for 69-56, the game's largest lead (+13). Bnei Penlink Herzliya refused to quit. Nathan Knight led a late comeback attempt that brought it to 76-67 with four minutes remaining, and Sulejmanovic fouled out in the 39th minute. But Asisa Joventut closed out the game without drama, and the fourth quarter ended tied at 23-23.
Interior dominance the key
Sulejmanovic finished with 20 points (9-of-13 from the field), 7 rebounds, and a rating of 23. Birgander, perfect from the field (7-of-7), added 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Together they contributed 34 points and a combined rating of 48, on a night when Asisa Joventut continued without Ante Tomic, sidelined long-term. Laprovittola added 11 points and 4 assists, while Ricky Rubio finished with 6. For Bnei Penlink Herzliya, DJ Brewton led the way with 20 points.
Asisa Joventut returns to Liga Endesa on Sunday, October 11 (5:00 p.m.) at Buesa Arena against Kosner Baskonia. They still have a postponed Matchday 2 game against MoraBanc Andorra scheduled for October 14.
