It was a tale of two almost quite different game days in Game 1 of the Eurocup Quarterfinals. After the phase started on Tuesday with a pair of home teams protecting their courts with 10-point victories, Wednesday rolled around and reversed the theme. On that night, the road warriors rules, as both visiting teams ambushed their hosts with 11-point wins. All of which leaves very similar scenarios in terms of point difference going into Game 2 of each series next week, when it will be decided which four survivors advance to the semifinals to keep trying to put their hands on the Eurocup trophy for the first time.
Quarterfinal A: FC Bayern Munich 99-89 Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul
FC Bayern Munich gave itself good chances of reaching the Eurocup semifinals by collecting a 99-89 home victory over Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul in Game 1 of the quarterfinals on Tuesday. The second and final game of the series is next week in Istanbul, after which the winner on aggregate score will advance to the semifinals. Deon Thompson picked up 20 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks for the winners, while Dusko Savanovic scored 19. Alex Renfroe added 17 points and 5 assists, John Bryant had 13 points and 9 rebounds, and Bryce Taylor chipped in 10 points for Bayern, which won the rebounding battle 41-31. Galatasaray , which hopes it will not regret allowing Bayern to score final 6 points of the game, got 22 points from Vladimir Micov. Stephane Lasme picked up 18 points, Errick McCollum had 15 and Blake Schilb hit for 13 in defeat.
Quarterfinal B: Stelmet Zielona Gora 82-93 Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas
Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas took a step toward reach the Eurocup semifinals for the second season in a row by coming back to down host Stelmet Zielona Gora 82-93 on Wednesday in Game 1 of their two-game quarterfinals series. Gran Canaria hosts the second and final game of the series, after which the winner on aggregate score will advance to the semifinals, next week. Alen Omic led the winners with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Sasu Salin added 16 points, Xavi Rabaseda 12 and Pablo Aguilar 11, while Kevin Pangos dished 8 assists for Gran Canaria. Dee Bost led Zielona Gora with 20 points. Karol Gruszecki added 13, Lukasz Koszarek 12 and Vlad Moldoveanu 10 for the hosts.
Quarterfinal C: Nizhny Novgorod 85-94 Strasbourg
Strasbourg got closer to becoming the first French team ever to reach the Eurocup Semifinals when it downed host Nizhny Novgorod 85-94 in Game 1 of their two-way quarterfinal series on Wednesday. Strasbourg hosts the second and final game of the series next week, after which the winner on aggregate score will advance to the semifinals. Mardy Collins led the winners with 24 points. Romain Duport added 18, Jeremy Leloup 14, Rodrigue Beaubois 11 and Louis Campbell 10 for Strasbourg, which made 10 of 14 three-point shots. Evgeny Baburin led Nizhny with 20 points. Semen Antonov added 18, Dmitry Khvostov 14 and Vladimir Ivlev 11 for the hosts.
Quarterfinal D: Dolomiti Energia Trento 83-73 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
Dolomiti Energia Trento celebrated its quarterfinals debut history by knocking off fellow-Italian visitor EA7 Emporio Armani Milan by 83-73 in near-record fashion in Game 1 on Tuesday. The second and final game of the series is next week in Milan. Trento broke open a one-point game with a 16-2 run late in the third quarter. When Milan got as close as 73-70 with under 3 minutes left, Giuseppe Poeta and Davide Pascolo shared all the home team’s points in a 10-3 finish. Poeta had 20 points to lead the winners, while Pascolo was right behind with 19 and 9 rebounds. Julian Wright had a double-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds, while Dominique Sutton and Trent Lockett scored 12 each for Trento. Led by Pascolo with 6 and Wright with 5,Trento’s total of 25 was the second-highest in Eurocup history. Milan, which had led by as many as 8 points in the first half, was led by Mantas Kalnietis with 16 points, while Milan Macvan had 14 and Jamel McLean 12.
Source: Eurocup
