Eurocup: Eighthfinals line up decided
There was a full calendar of Eurocup games on Wednesday as the final round of the Top 32 was dealt with as 16 games took place around Europe.
Round 6 of this phase once again provided plenty of exciting action and dramatic conclusions as 16 teams slipped out of the Eurocup. Of course, 16 more clubs can celebrate making it through to the Eighthfinals and all will have an eye on the grand prize.
Group I
The fate of Cantu and Ratiopharm was in the hands of JSF Nanterre as the French champions swept aside Pinar Karsiyaka 76-65. The win pushed Nanterre to the top of the group and to the Eurocup Eighthfinals and sent Pinar crashing out of the competition. A 14-2 run in the first quarter set the tone for the French team as they kept a healthy advantage throughout the game.
FoxTown Cantu did what was needed by downing Ratiopharm Ulm 77-85 on the road, but in the end it proved all in vein as Nanterre´s win sent the Spanish team crashing out. The FoxTown players set about the Ulm team from the first minute and held the lead throughout the contest on the back of sinking 14 from downtown. Maarten Leunen scored 20 of Cantu´s points and hit 18 from beyond the arc.
Group J
A winner takes all clash between Banco di Sardegna Sassari and Brose Baskets produced a riveting game of Basketball that was tactical and gun-ho in equal measure. Italian club Banco di Sardegna needed to win by 13 points or more to progress and managed to pour in 18 triples on the way to a 102-84 home success. It could have been so different with Brose trailing by just two points after 30 minutes, but Sassari produced a fourth quarter that will live long in the memory for fans of both teams, to progress to the next round.
BCM Gravelines downed the already qualified Aykon TED to end a disappointing Last 32 phase on a good note. The French club was paced by Ousmane Camara with 19 points in what was a good send off to the Eurocup for BCM for this year.
Group K
Khimki Moscow Region finished the Last 32 stage of the Eurocup as the only team undefeated after the Russian outfit sent Maccabi Haifa packing from the competition with a cruising 66-86 road win. The victory meant Khimki topped Group K with a 6-0 record and will get homecourt advantage throughout the latter stages. It was the 15th straight win for a Khimki team that is living up to expectations as one of the favourites for the title.
Montepaschi Siena´s disappointing European adventure this season came to an end even though the Italian champs downed Czech powerhouse CEZ Nymburk 86-84 at home. Nymburk needed to avoid defeat by more than 8 points to qualify and during the fourth the team trailed by double digits. However, a late 2-10 run ensured that despite losing the team moves to the next round.
Group L
Last season´s finalist Bilbao Basket slipped out of the competition despite defeating Panionios Athens 84-88 on the road. The game was a dead rubber by time the teams took to the court, but both sets of players made it a highly watchable contest. Bilbao led throughout and looked to be cruising at the end of the third, but a late Panionios comeback made it interesting down the stretch.
C.Zvezda Telekom Belgrade fell at home to Nizhny Novgorod with the score 74-78. Top place in the group was up for grabs and both teams had already booked their places in the Eighthfinals. Semen Antonov set the tone for the winning effort with 20 points, but Novgorod was made to work hard by a spirited C.Zvezda team that included Charles Jenkins with a game high 25 points.
Group M
Banvit Bandirma crushed Hapoel Jerusalem 93-79 at home in an attempt to keep its hopes alive in the Eurocup. Ultimately though the Turkish team was eliminated after other results went against the club, while their opponents on the night, Jerusalem, qualified last week. Banvit led comfortably for much of the game but slipped in concentration during the final stanza to let Hapoel make the score more respectable.
Budivelnik Kiev took the path to qualification by defeating the already eliminated Union Olimpija 83-87 on the road. The Ukrainian club left it late and relied on free throws from Ricky Minard and Blake Ahearn to seal the victory.
Group N
Ukrainian club Khimik Yuzhne will play in the next round after grabbing a 74-63 home win over Strasbourg. Jamal Shuler took 16 points on the way to victory as Yuzhne powered forward in a decisive third quarter to seal the win.
After impressing this season in the Eurocup, ALBA Berlin continued to lay a marker down by knocking out Radnicki Kragujevac 92-83 at home. The German club had already qualified last week and confirmed top spot with a 5-1 record after Round 6. A David Logan inspired 11-0 run in the closing minutes put some nice gloss on the score-line for ALBA.
Group O
Unics Kazan and Valencia Baskets met to decide which of the clubs would claim first place in Group O. Valencia need a 7 point win to get top spot but actually fell to defeat away from home, with the final score reading 73-76. Kazan stole the initiative in the second period courtesy of a 15-36 lead, and while Valencia came back, a 25 point total from Andrew Goudelock helped Unics to success.
Telenet Ostend took an 80-84 road win over Stelmet Zielona Gora in what was the final Eurocup game of the season for both clubs. Ostend tied Valencia 3-3 in Group O, but the Spanish club progressed thanks to a superior head to head.
Group P
A touch and go encounter saw Lietuvos Rytas snatch a narrow home win over Cedevita Zagreb (75-74). A win could have seen Cedevita take a place in the next round, but the Croatian powerhouse started slowly before making a game of it in the third. During the fourth quarter Rytas held on to progress to the next phase.
Besiktas joined Lietuvos Rytas in the Eighthfinals by taking a vital road win over CAI Zaragoza. It was a tight encounter but the Turkish club edged it by 77 points to 79 thanks to Muractan Guler slam dunk as the final buzzer sounded.
Eighthfinals Games
JSF Nanterre vs. Budivelnik Kiev
Aykon TED Ankara vs. Khimik Yuzhne
Khimki Moscow Region vs. Valencia Basket
Nizhny Novgorod vs. Besiktas I. Forex
Hapoel Jerusalem vs. Ratiopharm Ulm
Alba Berlin vs. Banco di Sardegna Sassari
Unics Kazan vs. CEZ Basketball Nymburk
Lietuvos Rytas vs. C. Zvezda Telekom