Not only did the Last 32 gates open wide in Round 9, but history was made with a triple-double and a Eurocup record. Quino Colom recorded the seventh triple double in competition history as his Unics Kazan became one of 10 teams to advance. Jimmy McKinney of Telekom Baskets Bonn tied the competition record when he made 9 three-pointers in an overtime loss.
GROUP A
The race to the Last 32 is down to one spot after Round 9. On Tuesday, EWE Baskets Oldenburg defeated JSF Nanterre 83-92 on the road. Oldenburg, which completed a sweep of Nanterre, learned it reached Last 32 on Wednesday, when Dolomiti Energia Trento edged Telekom Baskets Bonn 98-96 after overtime. Vaughn Duggins paced EWE Baskets with 22 points and Brian Qvale netted 19 on 8-of-10 shooting. Trento prevailed despite Bonn making 19 triples, one shy of a Eurocup record, and with Bonn’s Jimmy McKinney going 9-for-12, tying the Eurocup mark for three-pointers made in a single game held by Marko Popovic and Ruben Douglas. Trento shot 11-for-25 from long range and had six scorers in double figures as Dominique Sutton collected 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Jamarr Sanders had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. McKinney scored 29, and Rotnei Clarke netted 23 with 8 assists for Bonn, which was eliminated. Nanterre’s Last 32 chances took a hit, it is still in the hunt since Dominion Bilbao Basket cruised to 63-84 road win over Union Olimpija Ljubljana. It was the fifth win in as many regular season road games for Bilbao, while Olimpija dropped to 4-5 and will need to win, or for Nanterre to lose in Round 10 to make it to the Last 32. Dairis Bertans led Bilbao with 26 points.
GROUP B
Two more teams qualified for the Last 32 from Group B on Wednesday. First, Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia beat Le Mans Sarthe Basket 71-87 on the road for its third straight win, which sent it through to the next stage. Darjus Lavrinovic paced five Emilia players in double figures with 20 points, while fellow Lithuanian veteran Rimantas Kaukenas added 15. Tywain McKee led the way with 24 points for Le Mans. MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg raced past Enel Basket Brindisi 60-87 to advance. Ludwigsburg picked up its fifth win in the last six games to improve to 6-3 in the group as Jason Boone led the way with 16 points. Already-qualified Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas edged ALBA Berlin at home 83-78. The outcome kept 4-5 ALBA from advancing, and kept Le Mans’s Last 32 hopes alive. Gran Canaria improved its record to 7-2 thanks to 23 points and 5 assists from Kevin Pangos, while Alen Omic collected 15 points and 9 rebounds. Dragan Milosavljevic and Elmedin Kikanovic both scored 15 points for ALBA, which can qualify for the Last 32 with a win or a Le Mans loss next week.
GROUP C
CAI Zaragoza and Umana Reyer Venice celebrated advancing to the Last 32 on Tuesday… And did so before even playing! SLUC Nancy outlasted Proximus Spirou Charleroi 81-86 on Tuesday in Belgium. Randal Falker and James Bell combined for 9 points in a 0-11 third-quarter run that gave Nancy the lead for good as Benjamin Sene led six Nancy scorers in double figures with a career-high 20 points and Derwin Kitchen added a double-double for the winners, who improved to 2-7. Sek Henry hit a game-winning off-balance triple at the buzzer to as CAI Zaragoza edged ratiopharm Ulm 81-84. That outcome kept both Nancy and Spirou alive in the hunt for fourth place in Group C. Henry led the winners with 21 points, while Isaac Fotu added 14 for the winners. Group leader Valencia Basket is still undefeated after downing Umana Reyer Venice 58-62 on the road. All-Eurocup center Bojan Dubljevic led the winners with 16 points and 8 rebounds, as Valencia improved to 9-0.
GROUP D
Three teams advanced on Wednesday in Group D. Quino Colom recorded the seventh triple double in competition history in leading Unics Kazan over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 91-77 and into the Last 32. Colom recorded 15 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists and 6 steals in a tremendous performance; he had the triple double just one minute into the fourth quarter! Keith Langford led all scorers with 26 points. Unics outrebounded Buducnost 40-26 – including 15 offensive rebounds to Buducnost’s 20 defensive boards. Aris’s ticket to the Last 32 was already issued before the game thanks to Unics’s victory, but that did not stop it from taken caring of business: Aris Thessaloniki defeated Steaua CSM EximBank Bucharest 67-77. Aris never trailed after starting the game with a 2-8 run and led by 10 after 10 minutes. Steaua played hard and was still within 4 with a minute to go before Aris secured the victory with a pair of threes. Jerel McNeal led the Aris attack with 21 points and Okaro White posted 16 points and 12 rebounds. Banvit Bandirma outlasted Trabzonspor Medical Park 71-67 and claimed a pass to the Last 32, too. Adrien Moerman paced the winners with 20 points and 10 rebounds and A.J. Slaughter added 16 points for the victors, including a go-ahead triple in the final minute of action. The exciting game featured eight lead changes in the fourth quarter alone.
GROUP E
First place was secured when Zenit St. Petersburg downed Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 92-84 to improve to 8-1. Ryan Toolson paced the winners with 22 points. Rytas led by 10 in the third quarter and 61-67 heading into the fourth, but Toolson stepped up for Zenit and hit a three-pointer that put Zenit ahead for good, 75-74. Janis Timma shined in crunch time, leading Zenit to yet another win. Szolnoki Olaj routed Beziktas Sompo Japan Istanbul 85-67 to reach the Last 32. Szolnoki iadvanced due to its tie-break advantages against PAOK Thessaloniki and Besiktas, which will fight for the only Last 32 spot left in Group E next week. Besiktas dropped to 3-6 and will qualify to the last 32 if it beats Zenit St. Petersburg next week and PAOK loses against Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius. David Vojvoda led the winners with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Strahinja Milosevic added 24 points and 11 rebounds in a historic night for Szolnoki. PAOK Thessaloniki outscored Avtodor Saratov 104-99 to stay alive. Saratov dropped to 6-3 and will be second at the end of the regular season. Kostas Vasileiadis and Sofoklis Schortsanitis led the winners with 27 points apiece. Schortsanitis led a 10-0 run that put PAOK ahead for good, 92-88, and took over in crunch time to make sure his team grabbed a much-needed win.Paul Stoll led Avtodor with 21 points and 10 assists.
GROUP F
There is one more Last 32 spot up for grabs after Round 9 games that saw Neptunas Klaipeda hold off Nizhny Novgorod 82-75 and clinch its berth in the next phase. Neptunas swept the regular season series against Nizhny and improved to 6-3 after a game in which it took the lead for good in the first quarter, but only secured victory in the final minute of the fourth, thanks to Daniel Ewing and Harvey Grant. Grant paced the hosts with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Ewing scored 11 in victory. Facing a must-win game on its home floor, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem edged AEK Athens 82-78 to stay in the Last 32 hunt. In the game that went down to the wire, AEK had a possession to tie or win the game, but a defensive stand and a stolen ball led to a game-clinching basket by Donta Smith. Both teams now have 4-4 record in the fourth place and Jerusalem has the head-to-head tie-break advantage, but neither team holds the keys of its own destiny because of potential three-way ties. Lior Eliyahu paced the winners with 22 points and 8 points, while Donta Smith collected 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in victory. Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul cruised past Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd 103-76 as Errick McCollum had 16 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds in only 17 minutes on the floor. Galatasaray remained atop the standings.
Source: Eurocup Basketball
