Hapoel Unet Holon to Host Porto in FIBA Champions League

Hapoel Unet Holon will host Porto on Wednesday in the second round of the FIBA Champions League group stage. The game will be played at the "Smiliani" Hall in Samokov, Bulgaria, which Holon also used last season. This marks Porto's debut in the BCL, having won the Portuguese league for the first time in a decade last season. Porto has added intriguing players like Angolan national team point guard Childa Donadu and veteran guard James Woodard, who helped Ludwigsburg to a third-place finish in the BCL in 2022. Both teams are coming off losses in their opening BCL games: Holon fell to Badalona 86-75, with Broton scoring 20 points, while Porto lost to Bonn 78-74, led by Woodard's 13 points. The teams previously met nine seasons ago in the Europe Cup qualifiers, with Holon advancing to the group stage after losing the first leg at home and winning the second leg by a narrow margin, as the tie-breaker stipulated the loser by the smallest margin would advance. "Our goal this season is to be competitive in Europe," said Holon's head coach Yehou Orland. "The game against Porto is key for us to advance to the next stage. Portuguese basketball has developed in recent years, and Porto has built a very quality team this summer. We will need to be focused and at our best to win." Team player Amit Gershon added, "We are coming with a lot of motivation to the game and want to continue the momentum from our league win against Ness Ziona. The game against Porto is very important in the fight for a ticket to the next stage, and we will do our best to return home with the win."