By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Despite trailing for most of the first half, Joventut Badalona stormed back to defeat Cazoo Baskonia, 94-81, wrapping up the Copa del Rey Quarterfinals Friday evening.
Scoring nine points in the fourth quarter, veteran center Ante Tomic dropped a game-high 18 points. Joel Parra followed with 15 points. Vladimir Brodziansky added 12 more points. Kyle Guy combined ten points with six assists. Henry Ellenson and Andres Feliz put in ten more points apiece.
Baskonia star Markus Howard (back), initially questionable to play, was kept quiet in the first half. The explosive guard, a Marquette product, scored all of his 11 points in the second half but eventually fouled out early in the fourth period.
The team guided by Carles Duran was already all the way back taking the first lead midway through the third quarter. The fans kept pushing with loud support and the 2023 Copa del Rey hosts quickly built a double-digit advantage, more than enough to secure the win and progress to the next round.
Rokas Giedraitis ended up with a team-high 13 points for Joan Penarroya’s side. Dealing with knee discomfort, Daulton Hommes was a late scratch. Arturs Kurucs was out as well. Suspended Pierria Henry has been sidelined since early January.
The winner of the previous two midseason Cup tournaments, FC Barcelona was knocked out by Unicaja yesterday. The Malaga outfit gets Real Madrid in the Semifinals, while Lenovo Tenerife matches up with Badalona.
Copa del Rey
Quarterfinals (16-17/2)
Real Madrid – Valencia 86-85
FC Barcelona – Unicaja 87-89 OT (76-76)
Lenovo Tenerife – Gran Canaria 89-73
Joventut Badalona – Cazoo Baskonia 94-81
Semifinals (18/2)
Real Madrid – Unicaja (18:30 CET)
Lenovo Tenerife – Joventut Badalona (21:30 CET)
Final (19/2)
Winners of Semifinals (19:00 CET)
Photo Credit: ACB.com