By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Joventut Badalona was quick to a double-digit lead and held on against fellow Catalonian club, FC Barcelona, to claim the 72-63 victory on Thursday.
Ferran Bassas fired 12 of his 20 points in the second half of Game 2 as the hosts held off Barca. The Spanish point guard connected 5/9 triples making a big splash in the low-scoring affair. Pau Ribas netted 12 points, including seven in the last period, against his former team. Nenad Dimitrijevic threw in 10 more points.
The team led by Sarunas Jasikevicius trailed the entire ACB Playoffs Quarterfinals fixture, except for a brief tie in the third period. Cory Higgins recorded a team-high 13 points. Youngster Leandro Bolmaro finished with 12 points. Brandon Davies and Nikola Mirotic both put up 11 points.
The best-of-three series knotted at 1-1 means a Game 3 will determine the team advancing to the semifinals. Valencia and TD Systems Baskonia will meet on Friday in the other Game 3 of the quarterfinals.
Tenerife clinches semifinals berth
Earlier, Lenovo Tenerife managed to complete the sweep against Hereda San Pablo Burgos with a convincing win on the road, 92-68, and advance to the semifinals for the first time in team history. Marcelinho Huertas filtered 20 points and dished out nine assists. Aaron Doornekamp followed with 18 points. On the opposite end, Dejan Kravic went for 20 points.