Eurochallenge: Quarterfinals set
The quarterfinals of the Eurochallenge have been set as Round 6 tied up the Second Stage of the competition. There was heartbreak and jubilation around Europe as teams still waiting on their qualification fates decided their destiny´s.
Tartu Rock gunned down Gas Mean Medias 66-90 on the road to top Group I, and the Estonian club will be joined in the Quarterfinals by Krasnye Krylia. The Russian club overcame PO Antwerp Giants 87-67 at home in a winner takes all contest. In Group J Reggio Emilia held on to top spot by travelling to KRKA Novo Mesto and coming away with a 66-69 win, while Szolnoki Olaj secured qualification with a 74-67 victory over Cholet Basket.
Royal Hali Gaziantep remained the only team with a 100% record in the Second Phase after completing a 69-60 home win over Dijon to top Group K. Already qualified Triumph Lyubertsy ended this period of the Eurochallenge with an 80-71 win over BK Ventspils. In a clash between the two already qualified teams from Group L, Ural Ekaterinburg emerged victorious with a 66-61 home win over Team TEHO Sport Kotka. Tsmoki Minsk ended its Eurochallenge campaign on a high with an 89-51 success over Bakken Bears Aarhus in a game between two eliminated clubs.
Deciding games
Krasnye Krylia vs. Antwerp, 87-67
Krasnye Krylia welcomed PO Antwerp Giants to Russia for a straight fight contest for second place in Group I. With Tartu Rock already qualified and Medias already eliminated it was between these two clubs to take the remaining qualification place in the group.
The visiting team took the early advantage by outscoring Krasnye in the first quarter to ensure a lead of 19-21 after 10 minutes. However, the hosts game crashing back into the game with a blockbuster second that saw the Russian team outscore the Belgians by 27 points to 13. At the midway stage the home team held a solid 46-34 advantage and had one foot in the Quarterfinals. Antwerp made it interesting in the third by chipping away at the lead until the scoreboard read 62-56 after Q3. Any thoughts of an Antwerp comeback were quickly ended as Krasnye put together a confident last quarter that included a 10-0 run to secure the win.
Michal Ignerski paced the winners with 18 points, while Filip Videnov took 16 points for Antwerp.
KRKA Novo Mesto vs. Reggio Emilia, 66-69
Italian club Reggio Emilia traveled to Slovenia to take on KRKA Novo Mesto in a winner takes all clash that would see the successful club progress to the next phase of the Eurochallenge.
The first quarter highlighted what a tight game this would be as the teams traded for the lead and found baskets hard to come by. Reggio´s Ariel Filloy hit a jumper on the buzzer to give the visitors a slender 12-14 lead after the first. The Italians kept KRKA off the board for nearly four minutes in the second quarter, but could only score two points in that time period as the baskets went dry. The hosts compiled a 5 point run and followed with a 9-0 streak later in the period, but Reggio´s consistency kept them in the game with the score low at 29-27 by halftime. KRKA held the lead for the whole of the third quarter, but the home team could not shake off the threat of Emilia and after thirty minutes of play the game was tight at 44-41. The fourth followed the same pattern, and even though the away team was five points behind with just two minutes on the clock they managed to tie the game at 61 apiece after regulation. Overtime descended on the Leon Stukelj court and produced an extremely tight frame of Basketball. Only eight scores were made during the five minutes as Reggio Emilia pulled away and held on for the narrowest of victories.
Quarterfinals
So the Quarterfinals of the Eurochallenge have been set and we know the games awaiting us when the phase starts on March 11th.
Tartu Rock vs. Szolnoki Olaj
Reggio Emilia vs. Krasnye Krylia
Royal Hali Gaziantep vs. Tsmoki Minsk
Ural Ekaterinburg vs. Triumph Lyubertsy