EuroChallenge: No team unbeaten after Round 6

Group D

Both games in group D in round six of the EuroChallenge regular season, provided interesting outcomes. One game did not have any bearing as far deciding on which team was going to advance. The other game allowed its winner entrance into the Last 16.

BC Kyiv vs. Tirumph Lyubertsy, 54:52

BC Kyiv was able to taint group-leading Triumph Lyubertsy’s record with a notch in the loss column, leaving the tournament with no more undefeated teams. Even though Triumph is already in a secure position, after going 4-0 early on and slated to cruise into the Last 16, BC Kyiv showed heart and determination to grab their first win.

At the end of the day Triumph was probably resting on their laurels too much as they were caught off guard by the win-hungry Ukrainian club. The game crawled with a slow pace from the offing. The action only heated up from the second quarter onwards, as Triumph got more active offensively. It was thanks to a go-ahead jumper by Lee Humphrey with just over a minute left in the game that swung the momentum in BC Kyiv’s direction. Ruslan Otverchenko sealed the deal from the foul line as he converted one of his two shots, after being fouled with his team up by one.

BC Kyiv rode on the double-double performance Vyacheslav Bobrov, who finished the game with 10 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.

BC Kyiv’s coach, Vitaliy Cherniy had this to say after the game:

“We did not have any easy games in the EuroChallenge this season. I am very happy that my players managed this game and if it worked today that means that we are going in the right direction.”

EuroChallenge

Gaz Metan Medias vs. Kormend, 77:72

This was a must-win game for Gaz Metan, but the result was well worth it as they gained entrance into the Last 16 and will advance to the next round of competition. Had Kormend defeated them, both teams would have had identical 3-2 records, but Kormend would be ahead on tie-break due to the win.

The visiting Hungarian squad got caught off balance by their Romanian hosts with some early offense thanks to a 17-2 rally, giving them a 10-point advantage after the first quarter. Gaz Metan took care of their lead up to the very last few minutes of the game. It was a case of “too little, too late” for Kormend as they were not able to muster enough momentum to finish with the “W”.

American import Kyle Shiloh led Gaz Metan with a solid performance as he notched a double-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Zarko Rakocevic paced the disappointed Kormend team with 19 points and six boards.

Kormend coach Tamas Hencsey attributed his team’s poor defense in the first half to their loss:

“I want to congratulate the winning team. We started the game very bad, in the first quarter we scored only 12 points and that was our biggest problem tonight. We played better only in the last quarter, but that was not enough. The key of the game was our bad defence, especially in the first half.”

***

Here are the other game results from the other groups.

Group A

Dijon vs. Tarvas, 80:47

Antwerp vs. Den Bosch, 77:72

Group B

Krasnie Krilya vs. Oradea, 84:75

Atomeromu vs. Royal Hali, 61:74

Group C

Sodertalje vs. BK Venstpils, 83:80

Tartu Ulikool/Rock vs. BC Zepter Vienna, 83:60

Group E

Grissin Bon Reggio Emila vs. KTP Basket Kotka, 86:75

Okapi Aalstar vs. GasTerra Flames Groningen, 70:63

Group F

Krka Novo Mesto vs. Fortress Jaszberenyi, 76:61

Tofas Bursa vs. Ural Ekaterinburg, 77:82

Group G

Kataja Basket vs. Bakken Bears Aarhus, 66:68

ZZ Leiden vs. Cholet Basket, 67:75

Group H

Szolnoki Olaj vs. BC Mures, 68:76

Tsmoki Minsk vs. Rilski Sportist, 94:75

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