FIBA Champions League: Round 12 action
Round 12 of the FIBA Champions League opened on Tuesday with two games from each group. The round will conclude with a further eight contests from around the continent tomorrow. We are the business end of the Regular Season, with just two rounds to play after this week. Clubs who are not already qualified continued to fight for their FIBA Champions League futures on a busy Tuesday of exciting action.
Group A
Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir continued to lead the chasing pack behind Monaco with a 79-72 win over UCAM Murcia. The victory means the Turkish club moves to 8-4 in second place, while Murcia drops to 7-5 in fourth. During the game, the hosts dished out 19 assists in an unselfish winning display. Elsewhere in the group, Banco di Sardegna Sassari beat a century of points to see off Juventus 103-96 in a high-scoring encounter. Success lifts the Italians to 5-7 and within a chance of making the next round with two Regular Season games remaining.
Group B
Ludwigsburg travelled to Chalon and stamped its authority on the standings with a 56-70 road win. The easy victory puts the German club clear at the top with a 10-2 record, while French club Chalon dropped to 5-7. The visitors looked to the bench for inspiration, with 34 points coming from the additional players during the game. Neptunas also cruised with a 96-62 win over Betaland Cdo at home. Thanks to this win, the Lithuanians moved to 7-5 in third place, while their opponents are already eliminated and fell further to 10-2.
Group C
Bayreuth joined a growing number of clubs on 7-5 in Group C with a 68-76 win over Estudiantes in Spain. The German club is now fighting for second place on the same record as Estudiantes. Banvit remains clear at the top and faces an easy home task against Rosa tomorrow, the club with the worst record in the FIBA Champions League. Elsewhere in Group C, Strasbourg kept its hopes going with a buzzer beating 87-88 win over AEK. The win allowed the French club to join that magic 7-5 club in the standings. AEK dropped to 6-6 but remains in the hunt.
Group D
Stelmet Gora crushed Oostende 98-68 in a classy home performance. In arguably the demolition of the night, the Polish hosts ensured they joined Oostende on a 7-5 record in Group D. However, CEZ Nymburk ensured it would move to second place behind Besiktas thanks to an 81-77 win over Avelino. This success allowed the perennial Czech champs to move to 8-4, while Avelino slipped to 5-7 in the standings.