7Days EuroCup: Zenit Advances to Top 16

 There was some post-Christmas celebration for some teams as the 7Days EuroCup regular season drew to a close yesterday. Teams from three of the groups to the court as some fought to punch their ticket to the next round, while others played for a better standing into the final 16.

Group A

Unics Kazan secured second place in the group with their 72-79 win over Fiat Torino. Both teams are qualified to advance to the Top 16. Melvin Ejim and Stephane Lasme provided the 1-2 punch for Unics as the team pounded the rock in the paint all game long. Unics had their way in the low post and made the most of their advantage. Ejim ended the game with 17 points and eight boards, while Lasme scored 16 points on a perfect shooting night, making 8-of-8 from the field.

Group C

Similar to Unics, Lietuvos Rytas locked up their second-place finish in Group C after edging out Limoges 71-69. Despite the loss, Limoges is set to advance to the next round with their 5-5 record. Despite missing all 16 attempts from downtown, Lietuvos Rytas did what they could from the free throw line. Their 17-of-19 effort from the stripe would prove to be crucial. Lokomotiv Kuban steamrolled through the group and had a perfect 9-0 record.

Group D

Zenit St. Petersburg came through on the road, topping Tofas Bursa 76-80, to secure their berth into the Top 16. The win came through on the efforts of an explosive effort by Zenit’s Drew Gordon who scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 boards. He helped steer Zenit to a 6-4 finish to the regular season. Zenit held tough and outplayed Tofas Bursa, outlasting the Turkish club and the laudable effort by Sammy Mejia and Raymar Morgan, who scored 21 points apiece.