7DAYS EuroCup: week 2 roundup
The second week of 7DAYS EuroCup action delivered plenty of action, from high-scoring thrillers, to giants laying down some demolition. It was a typically enthralling round and while it is early in the season, the competition is already in full swing.
Group A
With home floor advantage, Unics Kazan saw off Levallois Metropolitans in a solid 76-68 victory. However, the home team was forced to make a second half comeback after Levallois opened an impressive 34-46 advantage at the long break. The French visitors collapsed completely in the third act, scoring just 6 points and allowing Unics to take a 57-52 lead through thirty minutes. All momentum was with the hosts and Kazan killed the game in the fourth quarter.
Darassafaka Istanbul faced a tough test against Cedevita Zagreb in Turkey, but managed to edge the tie 85-83. Cedevita drained 24 points in the first quarter for a three-point lead and then repeated the effort to extend to 37-48 at the midway buzzer. Darassafaka started to eat into the 11-point deficit with a 22-15 reverse in the third that made it 59-63 with the fourth to come. The hosts completed the rally in the closing frame.
Group B
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia stopped 2016 7DAYS EuroCup champs Galatasaray Istanbul with a 74-71 home success. The teams traded buckets for an 18-18 first quarter, but Galatasaray found some consistency to make it 31-36 through halftime. The hosts reacted well to the setback, getting to within a point through three quarters (52-53) before deciding the game with a 22-18 fourth period flurry.
Bayern Munich tore apart Lietkabelis Panevezys with a stunning 93-57 win in Germany, the kind of victory that sends a message to the other 7DAYS EuroCup contenders. Bayern was slow to get started, but still led 17-14 after the first quarter. A blend of blistering offence and stern defence secured the hosts a 32-9 second frame that made it 49-23 at the long break. From there, the Munich team runaway with the game in a comfortable second half.
Group C
ALBA Berlin stood out last week, but was brought crashing back down to earth in the 7DAYS EuroCup as Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar secured a cruising 75-59 home win. A 19-11 run in the second quarter allowed the Russian home team a 34-30 lead heading into the locker room. In the second half, the hosts continued to dominate, including a 25-12 third act that all but settled the contest. Chris Babb dropped 21 points in the winning performance.
Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius travelled to Serbia and came away with an 80-91 win over Partizan Belgrade. This slick road performance was built on a winning second half. Indeed, Partizan led proceedings 43-39 through the long break, but Lietuvos Rytas won the third act 19-21 to close the gap to 62-60 on the scoreboard through thirty minutes. In the defining quarter, the guests used an 18-31 run to stun the hosts and win the game.
French champs Limoges CSP travelled to Bilbao, Spain and claimed a significant 91-98 win in a high-scoring contest. Scoring consistency was the name of the game for the winners as they scored at least 20 points in each quarter. Bilbao managed to keep pace for long periods, but still did not win a single frame on course to defeat.
Group D
Zenit St. Petersburg stayed undefeated with an 81-70 win over Dolomiti Energic Trento in Russia. The home team trailed 14-21 through 10 minutes, but a 28-24 second quarter made it closer at 42-45 at the long break. With the momentum, Zenit secured the third quarter 24-16 and then sealed the deal with a 15-9 fourth. The game was defined by an awful second halftime from Trento, with the Italian visitors scoring just 25 points over twenty minutes.