By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
We had seven exciting games and a tie in the first round of Eurocup’s eightfinals! It was one of those rare occasions in European basketball, in which aggregated score over two games decides who advances. That’s why both Alba Berlin and Bayern Munich couldn’t celebrate a win. Here’s what happened in all the games.
Nizhny Novgorod vs Zenit St Petersburg: 102-76
A 27-12 run in the first quarter was enough for Nizhny Novgorod to destroy Zenit (102-76) in the Russian derby. For the winners, Victor Rudd had 28 points and eight rebounds, whereas Zabian Dowdell scored 15 points (on 7 of 11 shooting) for the losing squad.
Karsiyaka vs Galatasaray: 67-64
In Istanbul, despite Karsiyaka’s 11-point lead at the end of the first half, Galatasaray made a come-back, behind an 3-14 run in the fourth quarter, and came close to a big victory. However, the hosts stood tall and secured a crucial win (67-64).
Colton Iverson led Karsiyaka (16p., 10 r.) in scoring and rebounds, while Errick McCollum made an impressive double-double for the losing squad (21 points and 13 rebounds), with Stephane Lasme adding 11 points and seven boards.
Banvit vs Emporio Armani Milano: 69-72
A 23-12 run in the third quarter helped Emporio Armani Milano escape from Turkey with a big victory, as the Italians prevailed over Banvit 69-72. Rakim Sanders scored 19 points for the winners, whereas Courtney Fortson had 18 points for the Turks.
Zielona Gora vs Unics Kazan: 68-72
Unics Kazan outscored Zielona Gora 25-14 in the third quarter and beat the Polish team 68-72. For the winners, Quino Colom made a double-double (21 points, 11 assists), whereas Mateusz Ponitka scored 21 points (on 9 of 12 shooting) for the losing squad.
Alba Berlin vs Bayern Munich: 82-82
The German clash between Alba Berlin and Bayern Munich ended in a draw, in a match where no team could take a significant advantage (47-41, 67-64, 82-82). For the hosts, Elmedin Kikanovic was tremendous with 24 points (on 9 of 12 shooting), as Dusko Savanovic had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Bavarians.
Zaragoza vs Trento: 85-83
In Spain, Zaragoza went on a 26-17 run in the second quarter, made a come-back and managed to edge Trento (85-83), despite the Italians’ great start (18-28). For the Spaniards, Tomas Bellas and Viacheslav Kravtsov scored 14 points each, as Julian Wright had 22 points and six rebounds for Trento.
Limoges vs Gran Canaria: 65-82
Gran Canaria was unstoppable in the first and third quarter (11-22, 15-25), respectively, and dominated Limoges in France (65-82). Sasu Salin had 18 points for the winners, whereas Leo Westermann and Nobel Boungou-Colo scored 13 points each for the French.
Strasbourg vs Oldenburg: 76-78
Strasbourg came very close to beat Oldenburg, but Rodrigue Beaubois missed the shot at the buzzer and the visitors claimed the win. For the Germans, Rickey Paulding had 24 points (on 8 of 12 shooting), while Beaubois scored 17 points for the French team.