By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Gran Canaria ran circles around Buducnost Voli at Podgorica and, with a convincing 94-69 win, clinched the first spot in Group B, leaving the Montenegrin team locked in sixth place before the playoffs.
John Shurna almost had a perfect night, shooting 6/7 from the field and 1/1 from the free throw line for 16 points and without any turnovers for a team-high PIR of 23.
Miquel Salvo also had 16 points, while Nicolas Brussino added 14. Andrew Albicy finished in double digits with 11 points and Vitor Benite with 10, while Ferran Bassas had six points but ten assists.
The only players worth mentioning in Buducnost were Erick Green, who scored 25 points, and Alpha Kaba, with eight points and 11 rebounds.
With an 89-87 win over Dolomiti Energia Trento, Veolia Hamburg Towers made it to the playoffs, eliminating the Italian team.
It all went down to the last few minutes when Anthony Polite gave the edge to the German team with four straight points. Trento had a couple of opportunities to win the game and survive in the playoffs race, but Diego Flaccadori and Andrejs Grazulis missed from beyond the arc in the last 30 seconds.
Former LDLC Asvel player Polite led the scoring for the winning side with career-high 27 points, but Yoeli Childs stole the show with an impressive double-double of 18 points and 20 rebounds for a PIR of 36.
He tied the offensive rebounds record of the competition with 11 boards, as much as Christopher Anstey had for Ural in 2002. Childs also shares third place on the all-time rebounding list with Aleksandar Radojevic, who had 20 boards playing for Telekom Baskets Bonn in 2002.
Lukas Meisner had 16 points for the winning side, while Matteo Spagnolo led Trento with 21 points, Drew Crawford followed him with 16, and Toto Forray added 13, Grazulis 10.
In the last match of Tuesday’s EuroCup program, Germani Brescia defeated Cedevita Olimpija 84-82 at home.
Kenny Gabriel led the winning side with 13 points and nine rebounds. Tai Odiase and John Petrucelli added 12 apiece, while Amadeo Della Valle and C.J. Massinburg scored 11 each.
For Cedevita Olimpija, Josh Adams had 19, while Yogi Ferrell scored 18 with eight assists. Rok Radovic added 11.
With Hamburg making it to playoffs, all participants of the next phase are known. Four teams that didn’t make it are Cluj-Napoca and Cedevita Olimpija from Group A, as well as Trento and Slask Wroclaw from Group B.
EuroCup Round 17 results:
Hamburg Towers – Trento 89-87
Buducnost – Gran Canaria 69-94
Brescia – Cedevita Olimpija 84-82
Lietkabelis – Bursaspor (22/3)
Cluj-Napoca – Prometey (22/3)
Promitheas – Paris (22/3)
JL Bourg – ratiopharm Ulm (22/3)
Slask Wroclaw – Hapoel Tel Aviv (22/3)
Reyer Venice – Joventut (22/3)
London Lions – Turk Telekom (22/3)
Standings
Group A
1. Prometey 12-4
2. Joventut 11-5
3. Reyer Venice 9-7
4. Lietkabelis 9-7
5. ratiopharm Ulm 9-7
6. JL Bourg 8-8
7. Brescia 8-9
8. Bursaspor 7-9
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9. Cluj-Napoca 5-11
10. Cedevita Olimpija 3-14
Group B
1. Gran Canaria 14-3
2. Turk Telekom 11-5
3. Hapoel Tel Aviv 11-5
4. Paris 10-6
5. Promitheas 10-6
6. Buducnost 9-8
7. London Lions 7-9
8. Hamburg Towers 6-11
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9. Trento 3-14
10. Slask Wroclaw 1-15
Photo: euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup