7DAYS EuroCup: Top 16 stays shut on Wednesday
No new clubs entered the 7DAYS EuroCup on a busy Wednesday. Limoges joint the teams already in the next round (Lokomotiv, Bayern, and Darussafaka) yesterday. As Round 7 completed on Wednesday, there were still plenty of talking points.
In Group A, Darussafaka relinquished its 100% record with a loss at Cedevita Zagreb. Unics Kazan and Turin continued their qualification push with wins over Levallois and Andorra respectively. In Group B, Bayern Munich joined Lokomotiv as the only clubs unbeaten through 7 rounds with a win over Lietkabelis Panevezys. Buducnost crushed Hapoel Jerusalem in Group B, while Galatasaray collected win over Reggio Emilia.
Down in Group D, the race remains tight, with four clubs holding 4-3 records in a tie for first place. Trento destroyed Zenit on Wednesday, while ASVEL saw off Ratiopharm Ulm, and Gran Canaria impressed in a win over Tofas Bursa.
Group A
Darussafaka Istanbul is already qualified, but could have gone a step closer to first place and maintained its unbeaten record with a win at Cedevita Zagreb. However, the Croatia hosts spoilt the party with an 89-83 win. Cedevita now moves to 4-3 and is firmly in the mix for the Top 16. Darussafaka is already there, but will need to recharge its batteries in the hunt for first place next week.
Group B
Bayern Munich has already progressed and was trying to protect its unbeaten 7DAYS EuroCup record when visiting Lietkabelis Panevezys (3-4). The Germans edged the contest by a single point, taking an 87-88 victory off Braydon Hobbs from the charity strip with 3 second to go. Victory puts Bayern at 7-0, a win away from guaranteeing first place.
No other team could qualify from Group B on Wednesday, but Buducnost VOLI Podgorica is in pole position second place (4-3) after beating Hapoel Jerusalem (2-5) 92-75. This comfortable win saw the hosts lead by just three points (43-40) through the long break. In the second half, Buducnost stepped on the gas with a 30-15 fourth act.
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia (3-4) missed its chance to join Buducnost on 4-3 and instead fell to Galatasaray Istanbul 82-72. Galatasaray stayed alive in the group and now moves to 2-5, still in with a slight chance of progression. The Turkish hosts and 2015 7DAYS EuroCup champs stayed a step ahead through to record the success.
Group D
No team is qualifying this week in Group D, which remains very tight. Dolomiti Energia Trento gave itself a boost with a 103-81 demolition over Zenit St. Petersburg. The team moved to 3-4 in the group, still out of qualification berths, but now within touching distance. Zenit remains steady with 4-3 in joint first.
Tofas Bursa missed the chance to take sole possession of first and instead lost 92-71 at Gran Canaria. The win allowed the Spanish hosts to join Tofas and Zenit on 4-3 in an increasingly exciting Group D as we head into the final three games of the regular season. Gran Canaria scored more than 22 points in each quarter in an impressively consistent home display.
ASVEL Lyon became the fourth team on 4-3 with an 84-94 road win over Ratiopharm Ulm. The French team joins the pack fighting at the top, but even Ulm is not out of the running with its 2-5 record. However, the German team now needs a lot of favours as the regular season runs to an end.