DJ Stephens registers several career highs, keeps Prometey on top of EuroCup standings / News - Basketnews.com

DJ Stephens was on fire in Prometey's win over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana for EuroCup Round 14.

Credit: Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Prometey Slobozhanske racked up their 10th win in 14 EuroCup games in Group A with a comfortable 94-68 (25-24, 27-19, 26-15, 16-10) blowout over bottom-placed Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (3-11), who stand slim chances of going through to the next round.

Player of the Game EFF 29 D.J. Stephens Points 28 Accuracy 10-13 Rebounds 4 Assists 1

The contest was held at the Zalgirio arena in Kaunas due to the fact that the Ukrainian side has been forced to leave the country and find shelter in Lithuania and Latvia (Riga), where their games and practices are held.

"It's a pity that we're not in Ukraine. Our performances deserve a full arena," coach Ronen Ginzburg argued in the postgame presser.

"But this is the situation. Players push themselves, but this time, fans really helped us. For me, the Zalgirio arena is like the Mecca of basketball."

With this result, Prometey stayed on top of their group with one win more than 2nd-placed Joventut Badalona (9-5), and four more games left to play.

DJ Stephens led the way for the Ukrainian squad with a career-best performance that encompassed several highs: 28 points, 6/9 3PT shooting and 10/13 FGs, 29 in PIR. He also sank 3/4 of his free throws and grabbed 4 rebounds.

"When we put DJ Stephens on Yogi Ferrell, it was a good choice because he held him down. DJ's a good defender, he can defend almost all positions. He's also a good shooter, albeit not always consistent, like most of our players.

Sometimes, he doesn't miss a shot in practice. If I'd play against us, I wouldn't let DJ Stephens shoot," Ginzburg commented after the game.

The Ukrainian champs had three more players in double digits, most notably Caleb Agada, who finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and as many steals. Issuf Sanon had 11 points, and Illia Sydorov 10.

On the other end, center Alen Omic had a great game with 16 points and 7 rebounds (25 in PIR), but the Ljubljana-based team was unable to compete for the most part.

Former EuroLeague and NBA guard Yogi Ferrell put up only 10 points on 4/13 from the field, 3 rebounds and 5 dimes, posting season-low numbers in scoring and PIR (10).

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