Euroleague Round 7, Friday recap
A further six Euroleague Round 7 games took place on Friday as this week’s action drew to a close with some big games around Europe. You can catch up on yesterday’s action by heading here, while our full game report for Barcelona vs. EA7 Armani Milan can be found here. Before that though, check out what happened in the rest of Friday’s Euroleague Round 7 games.
Group A
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari, 85-62
The fantastic early season form of Anadolu Efes continued in week 7 as the Turkish club tore apart Italians Sassari at home. The victory pushed Efes to the top of Group A courtesy of their recent win over Real Madrid, with the Turks putting a foot in the Top 16. Dinamo Sassari remains in contention but sits last in the group with a 1-6 record.
The hosts signalled their intentions early on and had the best of the first quarter to build a 20-12 lead at the first split. Sassari improved in the paint and collected more baskets in the second period, but Efes also remained hot to edge the frame 23-21, leading 43-33 at halftime. The Istanbul based club extended its double digit advantage through the third stanza with a 21-16 run, before sweeping the game with a 21-16 winning final act.
Nizhny Novgorod vs. Zalgiris Kaunas, 55-61
Lithuanian powerhouse Zalgiris Kaunas moved ahead of Nizhny Novgorod in Group A with a solid road win over the Russian club. The victory gave Zalgiris sole possession of third place with a 4-3 record, while Nizhny remains locked in fourth with a 3-4 record, tied with Unics Kazan.
The Novgorod hosts managed to build an early lead in the game and by time the first ten minutes ended the score was 13-11 in favour of the home team. In Q2 the Russians found a hot streak at the bucket and streamed in 24 points while holding Zalgiris to just 12 points, giving them a huge 37-23 halftime lead. The Kaunas away team closed up in defence in the second half, while Nizhny also fell apart in attack, offering just 7 points in the third quarter. Zalgiris sent home 20 to make it 44-43 through thirty minutes, a one point game. The visitors completed their comeback as Nizhny mustered just 11 scores in the fourth quarter and the Lithuanians nailed 18 points to claim the victory.
Group B
Cedevita Zagreb vs. CSP Limoges, 102-83
Both these teams entered the Euroleague Round 7 with just a single win on the board, but the Croatian hosts came away with a vital win. The success pushed Cedevita to 2-5 in Group B, while French outfit Limoges stays rooted to the bottom of the table with a 1-6 showing.
A high scoring first quarter saw both teams trouble the basket with regularity, but it was the Zagreb team who managed to get the better of the stanza to lead 32-24. The second period was much closer as the spaces closed on the hardwood, although it was once again the hosts who snatched the frame, winning 20-19 to make it 52-43 at the long break. The consistent scoring continued in the third stint as Cedevita extended its lead with a 25-22 streak, the scoreboard reading 77-65 at thirty minutes. In the fourth quarter Cedevita Zagreb put the proverbial icing on the cake with a winning period to seal a comfortable victory.
Group C
Panathinaikos vs. Bayern Munich, 87-72
Bayern Munich’s Euroleague season goes from bad to worse as the Germans fell to a big loss in the Greek capital on Friday. Panathinaikos looked in good touch as the team moved to joint second in Group C with Fenerbahce with a 5-2 record. Bayern are on the edge and need wins now if the team is to improve its last position and 1-6 record.
Panathinaikos put six points on their guests through the opening stanza, pacing to an 18-12 lead through 10 minutes of the game. In the second quarter The Greens continued to dominate proceedings with a 26-21 streak, giving them a solid 44-33 lead at the midway buzzer. In Q3 the hosts built on their lead to hold a double digit cushion heading into the final quarter, with 65-51 up on the board. In the last stanza Bayern tried to rally, but Panathinaikos kept pace to close out the game with ease.
Group D
Valencia vs. Galatasaray Liv Hospital, 78-71
Valencia picked up its second Euroleague win of the season by beating Group D rivals Galatasaray. The victory was not enough to lift the Spanish team off last place in the table, but it gives them a hope still of making the Top 16 with a 2-5 record. Galatasaray will feel much more confident of qualifying from third place (3-4) despite this loss.
Valencia surged in the first quarter off the back of 27 points and through the first break in play held a sizeable double digit lead. In the second stanza the scoring faded off as both teams hit a drought at the bucket, eventually locking the quarter 13-13 to make it 40-30 at halftime. In the third act Valencia added another point to the winning cause by edging the period 17-16 to make it 57-46 at the last split. In the fourth quarter the Spaniard survived a Galatasaray rally to hold on to the win in a tense finale.