BC Balkan suffered a dramatic loss as a guest to the Italian Roma with 72:77 (12:13, 21:16, 12:18, 24:22, 3:8 after continuation) in a match from the third round of Group D in the men's basketball tournament Eurocup.
The match in the Italian capital was extremely equal, but the contested five extra minutes tipped the scales in favor of the hosts. With this defeat, Botevgrad remains in the last eighth place in the group standings without a recorded victory, while Roma achieved its second success since the beginning of the campaign.
The first half went through twists and turns, as after a low-scoring first quarter (12:13), Balkan came out ahead with a good second half and went into the break with a 4-point lead. After the break, the Italians regained the initiative, and in regular time a dramatic final quarter ended in a draw 69:69. In overtime, however, the hosts showed stronger nerves and won 8:3.
For the Bulgarian vice-champion, the most productive player was Alexander Stoimenov, who finished with 16 points and 3 rebounds. Suk Matton added 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, while Pavlin Ivanov had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Latvian Arturs Strautins was the key to Roma's victory over everyone, scoring 17 points and 8 rebounds.
The schedule for the boys from Botevgrad remains tight. In their next National Basketball League (NBL) match, Balkan hosts Levski on October 16. Four days later, a new big challenge awaits them in the Eurocup – hosting the Lithuanian Litkabelis.