Round four of the Eurocup regular season concluded with 12 games. Three teams remained with their unbeaten records still going strong.
Group A
Telekom Bonn came back from 17-points down to edge Paris Levallois 81-78 as they improve to 2-2. Ryan Brooks led the winners with 15 points. Angelo Caloiaro added 14 while Tadas Klimavicius had 11 for Bonn. Sharrod Ford led Paris with 19 points and 12 rebounds, as they drop to 1-3.
Strasbourg stayed unbeaten in the group after they beat Brose Baskets 77-74. Ali Traore led the winners with 24 points as Strasbourg took the lead for good late in the third quarter, but Bamberg kept it close until the final seconds and a put-back from Matt Howard that sealed the deal. Brad Wanamaker scored 23 points and dished 6 assists for Bamberg.
Group B
Telenet Ostend beat ASVEL 99-97 in an overtime thriller. This was the second meeting between two clubs this season, after ASVEL won the clash in the opening round of the Euroleague Qualifying Rounds on the exact same floor six weeks ago. The French side was looking to be on its way to repeat that feat, up 45-59 midway through the third quarter, but the hosts rallied behind 25-6 spurt that bridged the third and fourth quarters, and eventually forcing overtime on a triple from John Prince. In the extra session, it was Jared Berggren who made a big block to win it for the hosts, as both teams now hold 2-2 records in Group B. Prince finished with 22 points for Ostend.
Gran Canaria remained unbeaten at 4-0 after they beat Artland Dragons 74-63 in Las Palmas. Kyle Kuric paced Gran Canaria with 16 points, Brad Newly netted 12, while DaJuan Summers pulled down 11 rebounds along with 8 points in victory. Antonio Graves had 11 for the Dragons, while Lawrence Hill and Andreas Seiferth had 10 apiece in the losing effort.
Dijon bounced back from defeat to Gran Canaria last week by beating Cantu 74-66. Erving Walker netted 21 points in victory for the French side, as they improve to 3-1, while their Italian opponents remain winless at 0-4.
Group C
CEZ Nymburk defeated Vitus Rome 89-87 after a marathon three overtimes in Prague. The Czech champs were on the verge of victory at the end of regulation before Bobby Jones forced overtime and again at the end of the first extra period before Brandon Triche evened the score with free throws. Rok Stipcevic missed a chance to win it for Rome at the end of the second overtime. Alas Pavel Houska’s free throws allowed Nymburk to hold on in a tense third overtime period. Tre Simmons led Nymburk with 23 points and 6 assists.
SLUC Nancy started strong against Seville, by racing out to a 24-9 lead after the first quarter, but were pegged back as the game went on and in the end settled for a 68-59 win. Nancy improved to 3-1 and tied for first place with Virtus Rome while Seville dropped to 2-2. Darius Adams paced the winners with 30 points on 5-of-8 three-point shots and 7-of-7 free throws, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
Group D
Khimki improved to 3-1 after they comfortably beat Szolnoki 98-84 in the Moscow Region. Egor Vyaltsev, scored 17 on 5/6 shooting from downtown.
Besiktas hit 14 three-pointers on 21 attempts in their 88-71 win over VEF Riga in Istanbul. Chris Lofton highlighted the attack with 22 points on 6-of-7 three-point shooting. Ryan Broekhoff was 4/4 from downtown for 12 points. Jajuan Johnson scored 18 and John Holland 15 for the winners. Janis Timma and Ryan Broekhoff each made 4 threes too for VEF. Timma scored 18 points and Dillard finished with 14, while Bamba Fall added 13 and Gerald Robinson 12.
Group E
Krasny Volgograd edged Partizan NIS Belgrade 61-59 in a thrilling finish to improve to 2-2 while dropping the winless Serbian side to 0-4. Mihajlo Andric gave Partizan its first lead of the night at 54-55 with three minutes left, but Romeo Travis from the foul line returned the lead for good to the home team before Randy Culpepper sealed the victory. Culpepper contributed 13 points, Anton Ponkrashov added 12 with 4 assists and Travis netted 10 with 8 boards in victory.
CSU Ploiesti improved to 3-1 in Group E by downing Hapoel Jerusalem 83-74 at home on Wednesday. Asesoft joined Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius and Banvit Bandirma in a three-way tie for first place in Group E while Hapoel dropped to 1-3. Dee Brown led the winners with 16 points and 13 assists.
Group F
Lokomotiv Kuban stayed undefeated in Group F by downing Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 63-77 in the Montenegrin capital on Wednesday. Lokomotiv improved to 4-0 in Group F while Buducnost dropped to 1-3. Derrick Brown led the winners with 22 points.
PAOK edged Ventspils 63-66 in a game that came down to the closing seconds. The victory was PAOK’s second in three road games and saw it improve to 3-1 in Group F. Ventspils slipped to 1-3. Though PAOK started strong, Venstpils came back to tie it by halftime, 30-30, and the game remained close the rest of the way. A clutch triple from Mire Chatman brought Ventspils within 60-61 in the final minute, however perfect free throw shooting from Kostas Charalampidis helped PAOK claim the win. Marc Carter led PAOK’s attack with 17 points and 9 rebounds.
Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir grabbed its third consecutive win in Group F by downing Stelmet Zielona Gora 83-67 at home on Wednesday. Karsiyaka improved to 3-1 in Group F while Zielona Gora dropped to 0-4. Juan Palacios led the winners with 17 points and 9 rebounds.
Written by John Hobbs / Eurocupbasketball.com
