Finch and Nichols Lead Peristeri to 80-72 Win in Murcia for 3-0 BCL Start

By Taki Panos

Peristeri keep finding ways to win. The Athens side beat UCAM Murcia 80-72 at the Palacio de los Deportes in Spain on Tuesday night, October 27, 2026, in Round 3 of the Basketball Champions League. It was their third win in three group games, and it left them alone at the top of Group D, as Gazzetta, ERT and the club itself all reported. Murcia had also started 2-0, so this was a real test.

Two guards did most of the damage. Jalen Finch scored 24 points in 26 minutes, going 8 of 11 inside the arc and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line, according to the box score published by Gazzetta and the Peristeri BC report. Ty Nichols added 23 points, with 4 of 8 from three, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, per the same sources. Gazzetta named Nichols the player of the game.

The rest of the scoring was spread around. Omar Payne had 9 points and 4 blocks, while Alexandros Nikolaidis added 8, per the Gazzetta box score and the club report. The Greek group chipped in too, with Manos Chatzidakis on 5 and Gkiouzelis and Kostas Papadakis on 3 each, as ERT also listed. For Murcia, Souley Boum Jr. and Dylan Ennis led the way with 17 points apiece.

The first half was a tight, scrappy affair. Peristeri edged the first quarter 16-15 after an even opening ten minutes, per FIBA and Gazzetta. The second quarter stayed level, finishing 17-17, and Chatzidakis scored five straight points late in the period to keep Peristeri in front, according to iefimerida and ERT. The Greek side went into the break up 33-32, per the official FIBA quarter scores and Murcia Actualidad.

The third quarter decided a lot. Nichols heated up, and Peristeri outscored the hosts 27-18 in the period, per FIBA, Gazzetta and the club. The lead reached 13 points at 55-42 in the 26th minute, the biggest of the night for either side, as ERT and Gazzetta reported. Peristeri took a 60-50 cushion into the fourth, and the Spanish crowd went quiet for a while.

Murcia did not go away. Boum hit a three to make it 62-60 with about five minutes left, and a Murcia basket cut the gap to a single point at 67-66 with under three minutes to play, according to Mundo Deportivo, Gazzetta and ERT. For a few possessions, it looked like the home side had all the momentum, with a loud crowd of 4,212 behind them, per the official FIBA game page.

Then the game turned on the whistle. A technical foul on Murcia's Radebaugh was followed by a second technical on head coach Sito Alonso, which meant his ejection, as Mundo Deportivo and Murcia Actualidad both reported. Peristeri cashed in at the line and in the next few trips, opening up a 73-66 lead with under two minutes left, per Mundo Deportivo and the Peristeri BC report. Murcia never got close again.

The Spanish side was not happy with the officiating. Murcia protested several calls in the finish, as Mundo Deportivo and Murcia Actualidad reported. Still, the numbers tell a bigger story: Murcia shot just 6 of 28 from three, per the official FIBA stats and the Gazzetta box score, and for long stretches they simply could not keep up with Peristeri on the other end.

The shooting numbers back that up. Peristeri made 44 percent of their shots from the field against 34 percent for Murcia, per FIBA, and hit 8 of 23 from deep, according to the Gazzetta box score. Murcia worked hard inside, with Jean-Marc Pansa pulling down 11 rebounds, per Gazzetta and the club report, but they could not turn that into enough points.

Coach Vasilis Xanthopoulos was full of praise for the opponent. "It is a big win against a great team that I think is among the three best in the Basketball Champions League. Maybe it is the toughest team in the competition," he said after the game, as reported by SDNA and Peristeri BC (our translation from Greek). He added: "We showed character in a difficult arena. We must stay humble, because we have not achieved anything yet."

This has been a strong European start. Peristeri opened the group with a 93-87 win over Bamberg on October 6, then came back from 15 points down to beat Varese 85-82 a week later. Now they have added a road win in Spain against a team that had not lost in the competition, as Mundo Deportivo and Eurohoops noted.

My take: this was a grown-up win. Murcia are a hard team to play anywhere, and their arena is tougher still. Peristeri kept their heads when the lead almost disappeared, and Finch and Nichols look like one of the best backcourts in this competition. The coach is right to keep everyone humble, but 3-0 with a win in Murcia puts them in a great spot to finish first in the group.

Next up is a big domestic test: a trip to Olympiacos on Sunday, November 1, in the Greek Basket League, per the club's schedule and ESAKE. Planning to catch a game in the capital? Check our Athens guide, and to follow that one and the rest of the season, keep an eye on our Greek Sports section. Three games, three wins in Europe. Not bad at all.

Sources: Gazzetta, ERT, Peristeri BC, Basketball Champions League, Mundo Deportivo, Murcia Actualidad, Eurohoops, iefimerida, SDNA.

Image: Flag of Greece, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).