Eurocup Last 32: Round 1 round-up

It was a busy night of Eurocup action on Wednesday as Round 1 of the Last 32 was completed with stunning excitement, close games, and high scoring drama. There were fifteen games held around the continent following the opening of this phase of the competition yesterday when Nanterre defeated Foxtown Cantu in Group I.

Group I

Ratiopharm Ulm vs. Pinar Karsiyaka, 83-64

Ratiopharm Ulm started the Last 32 phase with style as the German team defeated Turkish club Pinar Karsiyaka with ease. The hosts converted 46.8% (15 from 32) of shots from beyond the three point arc to pace themselves throughout the game and never look out of control. Ulm now sits behind group leader Nanterre with a 1-0 record while Pinar sits last with a 0-1 standing.

Group J

Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari vs. Aykon TED Ankara, 103-67

Sardegna Sassari got off to the perfect start by thrashing Turkish team TED Ankara. The Italian team is enjoying a good season and broke 100 points on the way to an easy victory. Caleb Green nailed 25 points for the winners, while Marques Green picked up 14 points and dished out 10 assists in victory. The win puts the hosts at the top of Group J with Ankara in 4th.

BCM Gravelines vs. Brose Baskets Bamberg, 67-86

Brose Baskets picked up an early road win after downing French outfit BCM Gravelines in Group J. The German visitors took the lead early and held onto it throughout the contest thanks to the pacing of D’Or Fischer with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Zach Wright also put in a good performance for the German champions with 17 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds.

Group K

Maccabi Haifa Bazan vs. CEZ Nymburk, 80-75

Bazan got its Eurocup Last 32 aspirations off to a solid start with a hard fought home win over Czech club Nymburk. The Israeli hosts held the lead for much of the game, but the early initiative was slowly carved away by Nymburk. Ultimately though, the classy visitors could not do enough to steal a road win.

Montepaschi Siena vs. Khimki Moscow Region, 69-75

Euroleague dropouts Montepaschi Siena got off to a poor start as the club kicked off its 2014 Eurocup campaign. The Italian powerhouse could be one of the favourites for the competition this year, but patchy European form returned to Italy as the team slipped to defeat at home against Khimki. However, the Russians are also a team to watch and extended their Eurocup winning streak to 10 games with this win.

Group L

Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade vs. Bilbao Basket, 105-87

Crvena Zvezda started its Eurocup campaign in style after entering the competition from the Euroleague. The Serbian giant gunned down last season´s finalist Bilbao Basket in a fashion that will send a message across the continent. The hosts held the lead at the end of each quarter to hold off a Bilbao looking to go one better this term.

Panionios Athens vs. Nizhny Novgorod, 75-89

There is a feeling that Group L could be a shootout between Crvena Zvezda and Bilbao, but Nizhny´s commanding road performance against Panionios Athens puts the Russian team in the mix too. The visitors even claimed a win in the face of a high scoring 31 point haul from Athens player Erick McCollum.

Group M

Union Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Hapoel Jerusalem, 66-69

One of the closest games of the night saw Israeli club Hapoel Jerusalem visit Ljubljana and come away with a victory against Union Olimpija. The visitors squandered a 15 point lead in the first 10 minutes of the game but still came through to win one of the closest games of the night. Union Olimpija will know there is still time to put things right with the Eurocup Last 32 phase still young.

Banvit Bandirma vs. Budivelnik Kiev, 92-55

Turkish club Banvit sits at the top of Group M after Round 1 courtesy of a moral boosting home win over Kiev. Indeed, the hosts were in control throughout the contest thanks to a standout performance by Chuck Davis (20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks) and even held a 21 point lead at one stage.

Group N

Alba Berlin vs. Strasbourg, 72-70

German team ALBA Berlin put in a rousing 4th quarter performance to see off French Euroleague dropout Strasbourg in the German capital. ALBA´s point guard David Logan hit three pointers, a record for this season´s Eurocup, and helped the team to a last gasp win with three of those long rangers coming in the final 4 minutes.

Khimik Yuzhne vs. Radnicki Kragujevac, 73-68

Croatian powerhouse Radnicki fell to Yuzhne in Group N as the Ukraine team took a home win during the first game of the Last 32. The game was close and delicately poised throughout as the teams jostled for dominance and traded the lead. However, deep into the 4th quarter the home team dug deep and secured an advantage that was enough to claim the win.

Group O

Valencia Basket vs. Telenet Ostend, 101-74

One of the competition´s favourites, Valencia Basket started the Last 32 phase with aplomb after sinking Telenet Ostend comfortably at home. The Spanish team put 26 points on the Belgian visitors to get off to the perfect start in Group O. Bojan Dubljevic gave Valencia a great platform for victory with his 18 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks contribution.
Stelmet Zielona Gora vs. Unics Kazan, 72-77

Group O promises to be a real contest as another of the Eurocup 2013/2014 favourites Unics Kazan picked up a vital first win on the road at Stelmet Zielona Gora. Surely the group will be a contest between the Russian club and Valencia and the clashes between the two should make compelling viewing.

Group P

CAI Zaragoza vs. Cedevita Zagreb, 67-75

Cedevita Zagreb got off to a good start in this phase by claiming an away win in this matchup between two of the Eurocup dark horses. The visitors held a healthy lead throughout, but Zaragoza was always in contention and kept the game on the brink. However, a steady last period from Zagreb meant the team came away with the victory.

Lietuvos Rytas vs. Besiktas I. Forex, 101-103

One of the highest scoring games in recent Eurocup memory saw Turkish club Besiktas claim a narrow win over Lietuvos Rytas as the teams shared 204 points between them. However, the win could have been easier after the visitors let a 13 point first quarter lead slip, while an 11-0 run in the 4th quarter made the game real tight heading to the end of regulation.