A draw is an unusual result in basketball, but in a duel there is no need for extra time to find a winner. That is what happened on Tuesday, in Charleroi, Belgium, as Spiro and Sporting 69 drew in the first leg of the preliminary round of the group stage of the EuroBasket, and now the Lions have home court advantage (next Friday – fair). to join FC Porto in the main stage of the competition. The outcome of the match – which marked the start of the season for Sporting – was not known to the Lions much, as Luis Magalhães' team was always in front and sometimes had a significant advantage. But Spiro never gave up, and took control of the match for the first time in the last minute (68-67), via a three-pointer, right after Isaiah Armwood missed the three points, which would have given the Lions a 70-65 lead. Sporting continued their new lead (69-68) and were on the verge of losing the match, but Yordan Minchev made only one of two free throws at the buzzer, ending the match in an unexpected draw. North American center Nick Ward, one of Sporting's reinforcements, was the player of the game, with 13 points, 17 rebounds, three steals and one assist, while baseman Reginald Johnson, another new face on the team, also highlighted the game with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists.