By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia advances to the semi-finals with an impressive 105-99 win over a Sergey Karasev-less Zenit St. Petersburg. The ‘Wright connection’ and the fourth quarter for the home team played a crucial role in the qualification.
It was a one-possession game (96-93) with two minutes on the clock. J. Wright, however, hit one free-throw, scored a jumper as did C. Wright, finishing off the deal and the qualification for Reggio (99-93).
For the winners, Chris Wright was incredible as he finished with 25 points (8/11 2FG) (21 in the second half), six rebounds, and five assists. Julian Wright (21 pts) and Amedeo Della Valle (20 pts) also affected the game. On the other hand, for Zenit, Evgeny Voronov finished with 23 points.
The visitors started this Game 3 off on the right foot, building an early lead (6-15) despite playing without Sergey Karasev who missed the game due to injury. With a 25-18 second period, the home side bounced back and gained the lead (45-40). The third period, however, was a different story. Voronov had 11 points in ten minutes, and the Russian team scored 31 points (70-71). The game was set to be decided in the final period.
It is significant to note, that Karasev’s squad only had six (!) assists as a whole.
In Game 1, Reggiana had defeated Zenit at home, but in Game 2 Voronov and Zenit forced a Game 3 with a solid victory at home.
*Reggio Emilia will now play against Lokomotiv Kuban for the semis.