Basketball: European journey continues in the FIBA Europe Cup | OneFootball

The FC Porto basketball team was defeated by France's Élan Chalon 79-100, in the semi-finals of the Champions League qualification tournament held in Bulgaria, securing their presence in the FIBA Europe Cup for the fifth consecutive season.

In the group stage, to be contested over six rounds between October 15 and November 19, the Portistas will face Antwerp Giants (Belgium), Rostock Seawolves (Germany), and Tartu Ülikool (Estonia), in a competition that brings together 40 clubs from the Old Continent.

After starting with a five-point deficit, Fernando Sá's team responded with an 11-0 run and sought to counter the Gauls' favoritism. In the first half, the opponent had better outside efficiency, while FC Porto focused more on the inside game of Javian Davis, who recorded 11 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes (45-51).

More aggressive on defense and superior in offensive rebounds, the French dominated the second chances and benefited from the accuracy of Jeremiah Hill, an American point/shooting guard who took responsibility in the decisive phase and allowed a 20-point lead (58-78), despite the efforts of Wes Washpun in the third period.

The performance shown by Élan Chalon in the quarter-finals (107-80) continued in the second half of the "semis", and the team from Chalon-sur-Saône, near the Swiss border, once again explained why the French League - already a two-time winner - is one of the best in the world, moving forward towards the Champions (79-100).

The Portuguese League begins in less than two weeks and the first round brings the newly-promoted Vasco da Gama to Dragão Arena on Saturday, October 4, at 5:00 PM (Porto Canal).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.