Big Ten Drops First Game Of European Tour
August 15, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Aug. 15, 2002
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Hamoir, Belgium - The Big Ten men's foreign tour team dropped its first game of the trip, 99-84, tonight against Spirou Pepsi Charleroi, one of the top professional teams in Belgium.
After trailing 23-18 at the end of the first quarter, Spirou outscored the Big Ten 27-17 in the second half to take a 50-35 halftime lead. The Big Ten cut the lead to 72-63 at the end of three quarters, and had the Spirou lead down to six before a couple of breakaway layups by the Belgiun squad moved their lead back to double figures.
"This was by far the best team we've played on the tour," said head coach Bill Self. "This team was an experienced squad that finished second in the Belgium pro league last year, and probably has their sites set higher. They obviously have a good program and is very sound in what they do. They also defended very well.
"We cut it to six early in the fourth quarter, but we gave up a couple of easy baskets, then we had a couple of turnovers that led to baskets and six points turned into 12 very quickly," Self added.
Illinois' Roger Powell and Michigan State's Chris Hill led the Big Ten with 15 points each, while Powell added 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the trip. They were the only Big Ten players to reach double figures. The Big Ten turned the ball over 24 times, while Spirou had just 11 turnovers for the game. Spirou shot 50 percent from the field, while the Big Ten shots just 43 percent.
"They are the best team we've played," said Purdue center Ivan Kartelo. "It seemed as though their guards didn't miss a single shot. We did a good job in the third quarter, but we had some turnovers that allowed three or four layups and that is what killed us.
Powell, who is the Big Ten's leading scorer on the tour with 55 points in four games made six of 12 shots, including one of two three pointers.
"We busted hard to come back in the second half, but they were a quality team and kept hitting shots to make it hard to come all the way back," Powell said. "They were real physical and had a couple of players who were really strong which made me realize how important it will be for me to get into the weight room and get stronger.
The Big Ten squad returns to action Saturday against Ricoh Astronauts in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in their final game of the tour before returning to the United States on Sunday.
