BRATISLAVA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Svit Basketball Club defeated Lucenec 85-83 in overtime in the eighth round of the 2019 Slovak Basketball League on Wednesday, moving up to third in the rankings and pushing Lucenec down to fifth, also ending its undefeated home streak.
Lucenec's U.S.-born Melsahn Basabe led the night with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but failed to stop the visitors from capitalizing on a solid team effort, as well meticulous pre-game scouting and preparations.
Lucenec was hoping for big things from new addition Konstantin Anikienko, but the Ukrainian center scored just two points as Svit won its first away game of the season.
The regional derby between southern sides Komarno and Levice resulted in a lopsided match that saw Levice prevail 73-64 thanks to a strong first and last period.
Komarno's American forward Miles Bowman scored 24 points and added 12 rebounds but it was not enough to lift his team from the penultimate place in the rankings.
Elsewhere, Handlova was hoping for its third successive league win but started poorly against second-ranked Zilina, losing the first period 14-23 on its way to a 83-88 defeat.
At the other end of the court, Zilina's strong defensive rebounds and lightning-fast breaks resulted in its fifth victory of the season that keeps it in the hunt for the championship.
