7DAYS EuroCup: groups at halfway points
Round 5 of the 7DAYS EuroCup closed for business on Wednesday and we are now officially past the halfway stage of deciding which teams will progress from the groups. Through five weeks, we have three teams with a foot already in the next round. Darussafaka, Lokomotiv, and Bayern Munich remains undefeated so far this season.
Group A
Unics Kazan moved into second place, beating FIAT Turin 101-93 to leapfrog the Italians, although both have 3-2 records. This was a high scoring festival of basketball that saw Unics drain 28 points, 31 points, and 27 points through the first three frames. The hosts dropped off in the fourth act, allowing Turin to close the gap, but this was a cruising home victory.
Group B
Hapoel Jerusalem fell at home in Round 5 of the 7DAYS EuroCup, as Galatasaray Istanbul won 81-91 to record its first win of the campaign. Both these teams are now on 1-4 records, but Jerusalem sits last in the standings. A 13-29 first act set Galatasaray on the way to victory and the guests managed to maintain a solid lead for long periods of the game.
Bayern Munich crushed Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia 83-58 in Germany to stretch its unbeaten season to 5-0 in the EuroCup. As for the Italian visitors, they slip to 2-3 in defeat. A 28-29 first quarter gave the Bavarians a good start, but it was the second quarter that was decisive. Bayern scored a not-too-shabby 22 points in that frame, while Emilia managed a woeful 8 points. The hosts led by 22 points at the long break and controlled the second half.
Group C
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar continued to match Bayern’s unbeaten run and overcame a tricky road test at Partizan Belgrade, leaving the Serbian capital with an 83-93 win. The success pushed Lokomotiv to 5-0, while Partizan occupies the last place in Group C at 1-4. The game was tight through halftime, with the guests leading 39-41. Lokomotiv carried the momentum and extended its advantage in the second half.
ALBA Berlin swamped sorry Bilbao Basket on the road in Spain, leaving the Basque region with a 86-94 victory. The teams were tied 18-18 through 10 minutes, but ALBA opened a 10-point lead at 24-34 at halftime. That double-digit lead proved valuable as the Berlin team kept Bilbao at arm’s length for much of the second half.
Group D
Zenit St. Petersburg edged Tofas Bursa at home in Russia, using an 84-82 win to move to 3-2 in the standings. Incidentally, that’s the same record as Bursa in an increasingly tight Group D. Through the long break the scoreboard favoured Tofas Bursa by 2 points (42-44). A 19-27 third act seemed to have settled it for the visitors (61-71), but Zenit hit back with a game-winning 23-11 fourth quarter.
Gran Canaria had a much easier game, defeating ASVEL Lyon 68-84 in France. The win pushed the Spanish team 3-2 alongside ASVEL and two other clubs. The visitors poured in 49 points in the first half, enough for a sizeable 19-point lead through the long break. ASVEL never looked like getting back into the contest as Gran Canaria eased down the straight.