By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Salon Vilpas advanced to the semifinals of the Basketball Champions League Qualification Round Tournament 1 after defeating Patrioti Levice 90-87 in Samokov.
The Finnish side made an explosive start and led 30-19 after the opening quarter, building a 17-point advantage along the way. Levice gradually worked its way back into the game and moved ahead during the final period, but Vilpas regained control in time to secure a narrow victory.
Leland Walker led the winners with 29 points and four assists, while D.J. Jeffries recorded 26 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Karl Chavis added 15 points. Jalen Brooks paced Levice with 21 points. Chuba Ohams posted 15 points and 11 rebounds, Tahlik Chavez also scored 15, while Bojan Tomasevic finished with 13.
Bakken Bears Aarhus then joined Vilpas in the semifinals by overcoming Landstede Hammers 89-78.
The Dutch champions scored 33 points in the opening quarter and established a 13-point lead, but Bakken responded by holding them to 12 points in the second period. The Danish side moved ahead after halftime and closed the game with a 24-17 fourth quarter.
Myles Corey led Bakken with 21 points, three steals and two blocks. Sylvester Pedersen added 10 points, while Djahi Binet collected nine points and 11 rebounds. Boyd van der Vuurst de Vries finished with 22 points and six assists for Landstede, with Devin Whitfield adding 13.
Salon Vilpas and Bakken Bears will meet in the QRT1 semifinals on September 18 at 17:00 CET. The eventual tournament winner will join AEK BC, Falco KC Szombathely and Windrose Giants Antwerp in Group C of the BCL Regular Season.
Batumi and CSM Oradea in the semifinals
Batumi caused a minor upset in Samokov by defeating Fribourg Olympic 86-85 in the third quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Valdi Zephir scored 18 points, one more than Giorgi Ochkhikidze, while Larry Howell and Carson Basham each added 16. On the other side, Deyton Albury had 22 points, while Massimiliano Dell’Acqua added 16.
Batumi maintained the lead throughout the game, mostly with a double-digit advantage, but Fribourg introduced uncertainty in the final moments.
Ochkhikidze hit a three-pointer for Batumi, giving them an 86-83 lead. Fribourg closed the gap to one point and had a possession to win, but Joe Toussaint lost the ball.
CSM CSU Raiffeisen Oradea closed out the day’s final quarter-final with a hard-fought 95–87 victory over Petrolina AEK Larnaca.
David Nichols delivered an outstanding all-around performance for the winners, finishing with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists as Oradea secured its place in the semifinals. Malik Osborne led the scoring for the Romanian side with 21 points.
Myles Tate matched Osborne’s 21 points to lead the way for Petrolina AEK Larnaca, but his efforts were not enough to prevent Oradea from claiming the win and advancing to the next round.
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