By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Mouhammadou Jaiteh was named 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals MVP, Euroleague Basketball announced Thursday.
Jaiteh, 27, posted a 27-point, 11-rebound double-double powering Virtus Segafredo Bologna to the home win versus ratiopharm Ulm. Producing 38 PIR was the best tally among all players in action Tuesday and Wednesday.
Per the press release: “Big man Mam Jaiteh led Virtus Segafredo Bologna to a home victory against ratiopharm Ulm, earning the MVP award for the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals!
With a season on the line against a fearless opponent, Jaiteh stepped up for Virtus and carried the team into the semifinals with an 83-77 win over Ulm. Jaiteh registered career highs of 27 points of 12 two-pointers made, the latter of which tied for the second-most such makes in EuroCup postseason history. In that victory over Ulm, Jaiteh also pulled down a quarterfinals-best 11 rebounds, including 6 on offense, matching his career best. His performance index rating of 38 was the second-best of Jaiteh’s career and the highest in any quarterfinal game since 2015.
Following Jaiteh, Will Cummings of Boulogne Metropolitans 92 recorded a PIR of 37 in his team’s 98-85 road loss against Valencia Basket. Cummings had a career-high 31 points on 7-for-8 two-point, 3-for-6 three-point and 8-for-9 free-throw shooting, adding 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 7 fouls drawn. In that game, Bojan Dubljevic of Valencia came off the bench to post a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds for Valencia. He made 5 of 7 two-point shots and 3 of 3 free throws on his way to a PIR of 32, his season high and the third-best mark in his 137-game EuroCup career. Yogi Ferrell of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, with a PIR of 30, and Martin Hermannsson of Valencia, who had a PIR of 23, completed the top performances in the quarterfinals.”
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Next week, Valencia will host Virtus Bologna and MoraBanc Andorra will battle Frutti Extra Bursaspor for a spot in the championship game of the 2021-22 EuroCup season. The Semifinals will be held 3 and 4 May, respectively, and the Final on 11 May.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net