EuroCup: It’s now on to the Quarterfinals
The final matches of the EuroCup Last 16 are now complete and the quarterfinal pairings have been determined. Starting on March 6th with the first of two games between the eight clubs, the second place teams from the groups will get home games, then on March 13th the Last 16 group winners will play hosts to their competitors.
Most of the Week 6 Last 16 contests were won handily, but a couple, such as the upset winless Cajasol turned in over quarterfinal qualifier Spartak SP, came down to the wire. Unics Kazan was the only road team to win during Week 6 when they got two charity tosses at the end of regulation to defeat Ratiopharm Ulm. At the end of the night, the pairings were set and travel arrangements began for the next round of the 2012-13 EuroCup competition. The pairings are: Budivelnik vs Spartak St. Petersburg, Bilbao vs Ratiopharm Ulm, Lokomotiv Kuban vs Buducnost, and Unics Kazan vs Valencia.
Group I
BC Budivelnik Kiev – Triumph, 88:77
BC Budivelnik Kiev secured the top spot in Group I with an 88:77 win over Triumph. The loss dropped Triumph’s record to 2-4 and last place in the group.
The guests had built a six-point lead in the first half, before getting outscored in the third 21:10 to fall behind by five heading into the last quarter. The hosts tacked on six more points to their advantage in the fourth to win the group title and set up their quarterfinal matchup with Spartak St. Petersburg.
Budivelnik was led by Malcolm Delany, who dropped in 26 points, dished off 7 assists, was 16 for 16 from the free throw line, and accumulated a PIR of 34 on the day. Michailis Anisimov added 16 points, George Tsintsadze contributed in 14 points and 6 assists, Artur Drozdov picked up 13 points and 6 rebounds.
Triumph got 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists from Tywain McKee, 16 points from Sergey Karasev and 10 from Kyle Landry.
KK Buducnost VOLI – Banvit BK Bandirma, 66:50
KK Buducnost VOLI earned a second-place finish in Group I with a 66:50 win over Banvit BK Bandirma and an overall record of 3-3. They win the tie-break over Banvit by seven points as they lost the first contest of the Last 16 round 89:80.
The hosts took control in the first half, getting up 17:14 after the first quarter, but outscored Banvit 19:7 in the second to amass a 15-point advantage at the half, 36:21. The clubs played even, 30:29, in the second half, giving Buducnost a date with Lokomotiv Kuban in the quarterfinals.
Demarquis Bost was game-high with 16 points for Buducnost, and the duo of Dedomir Vitkovac and Strahinja Milosevic (9 rebounds) added 11 apiece to the win. Kalin Lucas paced Banvit with 12 points.
Group J
Uxue Bilbao Basket – VEF Riga, 76:65
Uxue Bilbao Basket won the Group J title with a 76:65 victory over VEF Riga. The win gives Bilbao a 4-2 record, but their two wins over Valencia, who also finished at 4-2, give Bilbao the tie-break. Riga finished the Last 16 round with a 3-3 record and in third place.
Riga took the early lead, getting up 13:22 after the first 10, only to have Bilbao counter with a 12:2 run in the second to take a 37:36 lead into the dressing rooms at the intermission. Riga grabbed the lead back in the third, 51:53, but the hosts ran off 10 unanswered to close out the game and won 76:65. The group title sets Bilbao up to face Ratiopharm Ulm in the quarters.
Paul Lopez and Alex Mumbru scored 15 each to lead Bilbao, Adrien Moerman added 14 points and 9 rebounds, and Lamonte Hamilton dropped in 12. Antanas Kavaliauskas paced Riga with 12 points and 8 rebounds, Kaspars Berzins contributed 11 points and 8 rebounds.
Valencia Basket – CEZ Basketball Nymburk, 104:55
Valencia Basket destroyed CEZ Basketball Nymburk, but it wasn’t enough to win the group title as two losses to Bilbao hands that title to them. Nymburk ended the Last 16 round 1-5, while Valencia was 4-2 and will now face Unics Kazan in the quarterfinals.
Valencia not only won every quarter, they did with by a margin of at least 12 points or more each quarter. At half-time they were up 55:32 and by the end of the contest they had built a 49-point lead, 104:55.
Pau Ribas was game-high with 20 points for Valencia, followed by Vitor Faverani’s 16 points and 7 rebounds. Michael Efevberhe dropped in 12 points for Nymburk, Demond Carter added 11.
Group K
Cajasol Seville – Spartak St. Petersburg, 68:66
In a game that meant nothing to the Group K standings, but had been dedicated to help out a one-year-old girl with a rare condition, Cajasol Seville picked up their first win of the EuroCup Last 16 round by defeating Spartak, 68:66.
Prior to the contest, Cajasol management announced that they were lowering ticket prices and donating 100% of the ticket sales to the family of Susana Cabral to help with her medical expenses.
Spartak dominated the first half, ending the first 20 minutes up 21:35 on the strength of a 0:22 run that bridged the first and second quarters. The hosts got it together in the third though and picked up 12 of the 14-point deficit they were looking at while discussing the first half in the lockerroom at the break. In the final seconds of the game, with the score tied at 66, Ondrej Balvin put up a jumper, but came up empty. Fortunately for the hosts, Tomas Satoransky was there and ready and put the tip in as time expired, giving Cajasol their first win of the round. Spartak will play Budivelnik in the quarterfinals based on winning the tie-break with Stelmet by winning both contests with them in the Last 16.
John Holland was game-high with 23 for Cajasol and Satoransky added 11 points and 5 assists. Loukas Mavrokefalides led Spartak with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Vladimir Dragicevic dropped in 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Stelmet Zielona Gora – Lokomotiv Kuban, 94:88
Stelmet Zielona Gora denied Lokomotiv Kuban from being the only undefeated team in the EuroCup Last 16 with a 94:88 win. The victory gives Stelmet a 3-3 record and misses the quarterfinals because they were beaten by Spartak twice during the round.
Kuban looked to have everything under control after the first two quarters, having outscored their hosts 21:27 and 17:21 to give them a 38:48 advantage at the half. The momentum changed in the third quarter and Stelmet cut the margin to four, outscoring Kuban 26:20 during the third 10. In the final frame the hosts used a 13:0 run to finish scoring in the game and earn the win.
Stelmet doesn’t make the quarters, but Kuban won Group K and will play Buducnost in the quarterfinals.
Walter Hodge led the way with 29 points, 10 assists and a PIR of 39 for Stelmet. Dejan Borovnjak added 23 points and 12 rebounds and a PIR of 30. Richard Hendrix scored 10 points and hauled in 10 rebounds for Kuban, Derrick Brown contributed 19 points and 7 rebounds, and Nick Calathes added 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Group L
Galatasaray – Crvena Zvezda, 85:84
Both Glatasaray and Red Star had already been eliminated prior to their Week 6 match, so the match had no affect on the qualifiers for the quarterfinals. The win improved Galaasaray’s record to 3-3, but they lost the tie-breaker with Ratiopharm Ulm and end up in third place. Red Star finishes the EuroCup Last 16 round with a 2-4 record and out of contention for advancement.
The hosts grabbed a seven-point advantage in the first quarter, 27:20, and the clubs played to a 22:22 tie in the second to send them into the dressing rooms with Galatasaray up 49:42 after two quarters of play. The visitors found their range behind the arc in the third frame and were able to eliminate their deficit and take the lead with a 16:25 quarter, to send the contest into the final 10 with Crvena Zvezda Telekom up two, 65:67. Both clubs connected with three-balls through the fourth and a late scoring run gave the hosts the lead, 83:80. Sertac Sanli dropped in a jumper to push the lead to 85:80. Red Start would score twice inside the arc to pull to within one and have an opportunity at the buzzer to win, but they came up short and lost 85:84.
Manuchar Markoishvili and Ender Arslan led the way for Galatasaray with 17 points each. Sanli contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Furkan Aldemir collected 11 rebounds. Boris Savovic was game-high with 20 points and 13 rebounds for Red Star. Vuk Radivojevic contributed 17 points and 8 assists, and DeMarcus Nelson added 14 points and 9 rebounds.
Ratiopharm Ulm – Unics Kazan, 77:79
It took a pair of free throws with no time on the clock for Unics Kazan to defeat Ratiopharm Ulm and earn the top spot in Group L. Unics finishes the EuroCup Last 16 at 4-2, while Ratiopharm Ulm is 3-3.
Eidson’s 24 points, 5 rebounds and a PIR of 29 led the way for Unics Kazan. Terrell Lyday added 20, and Ian Vougioukas dropped in 12. Lance Jeter got 18 for Ratiopharm, Allen Ray picked up 16 points and 6 rebounds, and Philipp Schwethelm contributed 11 points and five offensive rebounds.
Unics will play Valencia in the quarterfinals, while Ratiopharm Ulm will play Bilbao.
Quarterfinals:
First game March 6, second March 13, 2013
QF A – BC Budivelnik Kiev – BC Spartak St. Petersburg
QF B – Uxue Bilbao Basket – Ratiopharm Ulm
QF C – PBC Lokomotiv Kuban – Buducnost VOLI
QF D – Unics Kazan – Valencia Basket
EuroCup Group I
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EuroCup Group J
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EuroCup Group K
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EuroCup Group L
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