Eurochallenge action heating up

Things are starting to heat up in the Second Stage of the 2013/2014 Euorchallenge as teams start booking their places in the next round. For others, Round 5 proved the end of the road as they crashed out, while some clubs still have a fighting chance of progressing.

Tartu Rock lost for the first time in the Second Stage 64-59 against a spirited Antwerp on the road. Also in Group I, Krasnye Krylia Samara won 78-60 at home to move into pole position for qualification to the quarterfinals. In Group J KRKA held off Olaj 89-78 to make the group the tightest in the competition, while Reggio Emilia took a comfortable 82-65 win against Cholet at home. Royal Hali Gaziantep stayed undefeated by gunning down Triumph 64-59 in Group K, while BK Ventspils dropped out of the Eurochallenge after losing 74-72 to Dijon on the road. Down in Group L Ural and Minsk met and both qualified despite Ural winning 69-65 at home and Kotka poured in 47 first half points on the way to defeating Bakken Bears 82-79.

Group I

Tartu Rock slipped to a first defeat in the Eurochallenge Second Stage by losing on the road to PO Antwerp Giants in Belgium. The win was doubly impressive for Antwerp considering Yannick Driesen and Maxime De Zeeuw missed the game through injury. However, the Belgians had a strong second half to keep the team´s qualification hopes alive (3rd in Group I at 3-2), with a deciding game against Samara next week. Tartu slipped to defeat but had already qualified to the next round and still sits top of the group with a 5-1 record.

Krasnye Krylia Samara cruised to a home win over Gaz Metan Medias to move into pole position for qualification to the next round. Michal Ignerski paced the win with 18 points as the Russian club secured an 18-2 run in the second quarter to take control of the game. Samara now commands second place in Group I with a 3-2 record but will have to see off Antwerp at home next week to progress.

Group J

KRKA Nova Mesto downed Szolnoki Olaj at home to keep the clubs Eurochallenge ambitions alive this season. Jaka Klobucar stood out for the hosts with 20 points and the team will now rely on results next week in the hope of qualifying. Olaj slipped from top spot in Group J but is still the favorite to progress with a 3-2 record in 2nd place.

Reggio Emilia snatched back control of Group J with a comfortable home win against the already eliminated Cholet Basket. The Italian club fought hard for three quarters and used a 12-2 spurt in the last stanza to pull away and reclaim top spot with a 3-2 record. James White had a good game for the hosts with 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists, but Emilia will have to wait until next week for qualification as there is a three way tie at 3-2 in the table.

Group K

The only team left unbeaten at this phase of the Eurochallenge is Royal Hali Gaziantep as the Turkish team beat Triumph Lyubertsy at home. The team was made to work hard for the win though and actually trailed 44-49 after thirty minutes of play. However, Domen Lorbek scored 13 points in the final stanza to propel a comeback and further Gaziantep´s lead at the top of Group K to 6-0. Lyubertsy qualified for the next stage despite losing by securing second spot in the table with a 3-2 record.

Triumph qualified because BK Ventspils failed to beat Dijon on the road to keep its hopes alive in the competition. The Latvian club traveled to France and put up a good fight, but ultimately fell to defeat in a close fought game. The visiting team actually led 56-61 heading into the fourth, but a last quarter collapse saw Dijon pour in 18 points while Ventspils replied with just 11. Although Dijon still needed a triple from Andre Harris in the dying seconds of the game to claim victory.

Group L

There were no movements in Group L this week, but Ural Ekaterinburg booked a place in the Eurochallenge quarter finals by beating Tsmoki Minsk at home. It was touch and go for the Russian team though as the players trailed 66-69 with just Q4 to be played. However, a stirring defensive effort in the final ten minutes restricted Minsk to just six points as Ural hit 13 of their own to secure a defining win.

There was nothing at stake as Team TEHO Sport Kotka grabbed a home win against Bakken Bears Aarhus. Both teams are eliminated from the competition but it proved a riveting game of Basketball regardless, as the hosts hit 47 first half points. A fantastic fourth quarter rally from the Bears made the game tight going down the stretch but ultimately Kotka held on for the win.