BCL season kicks off: a 38-point outburst on opening day!
First day of European competition and already an individual masterclass. For his first official game with VEF Riga, Jordan Sears scored 38 points on Monday during the qualification round of the Basketball Champions League held in Samokov, Bulgaria.
The American point guard was a major factor in the Latvian club's win over Landau Lions (105-88), also adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Shooting 7/15 from beyond the arc, he came within one point of the competition's qualification round scoring record.
That's how you make your mark 🔥
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) September 14, 2026
Jordan Sears with a statement performance in VEF Riga's Qualification Round Tournament opening win!#BasketballCL pic.twitter.com/El2bCxsc71
This was Sears' very first official game in the Latvian club's jersey. His performance places him one point shy of the BCL qualification round scoring record, held since 2022 by former Lille, Roanne and Cholet player Ivan Almeida with 39 points for Benfica. The competition's all-time record still belongs to Jordan Walker, who scored 54 points in 2025.
Shooting touch and volume from Jordan Sears
The undersized point guard finished 13 of 25 from the field, including 7 of 15 from three-point range. The Floridian also compiled 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in 38 minutes on the court.
Fueled by their point guard's efficiency, VEF Riga built a double-digit lead after the break and were never seriously threatened again. The Latvians thus secured their spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.
Jordan Sears with 38 points in his official VEF Riga debut.
— They Got Next (@theygotnext) September 14, 2026
38 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL
13/25 FG | 7/15 3PT
Sears finished one point shy of the BCL Qualifiers scoring record as VEF beat Landau Lions 105–88 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Great introduction to European… pic.twitter.com/V48xCLpVtA
A stint in Germany before Latvia
Before joining Riga, Jordan Sears played in the German second division during the 2025-2026 season. He finished as BG Göttingen's top scorer with 16.3 points per game on average.
At the college level, the American played for Gardner-Webb, Tennessee-Martin and then Louisiana State (LSU), three stops marked by heavy offensive production.
Just one spot up for grabs for the group stage
VEF Riga will face the winner of the matchup between BK Opava and Dziki Warszawa on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
The stakes are considerable: of the sixteen teams entered in this qualification tournament, only one will earn a spot in the Regular Season. The qualifying club will join Group F, which already includes Hapoel Maoz Daniel Holon, Cholet and Spartak Office Shoes.
Manchester pulls off a surprise, Breogan tops 120 points
This first day of Basketball Champions League qualifiers also produced several notable results in Samokov. Manchester Basketball caused a surprise by eliminating Würzburg (74-73), becoming in the process the first British team to win a BCL qualification match.
Rio Breogan posted the highest score of the day, thoroughly dominating hosts Rilski Sportist (126-80), with a spectacular 23/36 from three-point range. Polish side Dziki Warszawa (Warsaw) also topped 100 points against Czech club Opava (116-99).
The schedule continues Tuesday with the final four round-of-16 matches of this bracket (QRT2). A second qualification tournament, made up of eight teams and starting directly at the quarterfinal stage, will begin Wednesday in the same arena. The winners of both tournaments will each earn their ticket to the Basketball Champions League regular season, which begins on October 6.
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