A dominant first half performance, highlighted by excellent work from beyond the arc, led Kyiv Basket to an easy win in its opening match of the FIBA Europe Cup second round.
Kyiv Basket took a comfortable first step on the way to qualifying for the FIBA Europe Cup quarterfinals by easing past Antwerp’s Telenet Giants 90-82.
The boys in black-and-gold came out on fire from beyond the three-point arc, shooting 44% (8/18) in the first half, compared to just 25% (3/12) for the visitors.
The hot hands allowed the home side to build up a commanding 49-32 lead at half time.
Daryl Avery Woodson led the way, going 4 out of 7 from long range and piling up 14 of his game-high 20 points before the break.
Newcomer Jordan Swing of the USA scored 5 points nearly 20 minutes of action in his Kyiv Basket debut.
Antwerp came out after the break with a renewed focus and began chipping away at the Ukrainian side’s lead. After three quarters, they cut the deficit to just 67-57 and got within six points of the hosts in the fourth quarter before their comeback bid fell short.
The confident win is Kyiv Basket’s sixth in a row and puts the team on top of Group J alongside Italy’s Reggiana, who beat Germany’s Crailsheim Hakro Merlins 84-80.
Kyiv Basket returns to action this weekend with games against the Kharkiv Falcons on December 10 and BC Dnipro on Dec. 12.
The team’s next Europe Cup game is on Dec. 15 when Reggiana visits Kyiv’s Veneto Sports Palace at 19:00.
