The idea of defeat is somewhat of a foreign concept for CEZ Basketball Nymburk. The reigning Czech League Champions sit atop the Mattoni NBL standings with an undefeated 16-0 record. However, last week's opening round of Eurocup play delivered a reality of the difference between most of the teams they play against in the Czech League and the clubs they will face in the Eurocup competition, the 2nd highest level of European competition featuring some of the top clubs in various national leagues across the continent.Nymburk fell to Lauretana Biella in a heart-braking 78-77 away game in Italy on November 24, 2009. The first loss of the season was especially disappointing to a team looking to specifically make some noise in the 2009/2010 Eurocup year after failing to make the 2nd group stage last season. Ron Lewis scored 4 pts in just around 8 minutes of game play. But #22 Lewis & Nymburk bounced back in a big way against the Latvian Champions BK Ventspils in their 2nd game of Eurocup group play.
The guard out of Brookhaven high school lead Nymburk with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, & two assists in a 79-57 home victory. Lewis made an early statement by scoring 11 points in the first quarter, including a nice dunk to hype up an already loud Nymburk crowd. He was equally good in the 2nd half with tough defense against BK's Akeem Scott, and making the most out of transition opportunities. Ron would then hit a dagger three pointer in the 4th quarter to make the score 64-49, putting the game out of reach for good. This performance was just what the doctored ordered for Nymburk, but especially for Lewis after an inauspicious start to the Eurocup.
Next Eurocup game: vs Brose Baskets on December 8th, 2009.
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