Eurocup Quarterfinals: game one complete

The first leg of the Eurocup Quarterfinals closed for business on Wednesday with the last two games of the round, and unlike yesterday’s action, there were two road victories during the evening.

Interestingly, all winning clubs put together near double digit advantages over their opponents this week, and on Wednesday Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas took out Stelmet Zielona Gora by 11 points on the road, while Strasbourg came away from Nizhny Novgorod with a nine point cushion.

Stelmet Zielona Gora vs. Gran Canaria Las Palmas, 82-93

Last season’s runner-up, Gran Canaria, put a big step into the semi-finals by taking out Stelmet Zielona Gora in fine fashion in the first leg of their Eurocup Quarterfinals tie. The Spanish club will now take an 11 point lead back to the Canary Islands, and Gora will need a titanic performance to overturn the deficit in a week’s time.

The visitors took the first quarter 20-23, but Stelmet Zielona Gora roared back in the second frame with a 29-21 run that made it 49-44 through the long break. In the third act, Gran Canaria took control with 23 points, making it 65-67 with the fourth quarter to play. The guests carried the momentum and pulled away down the straight, bolstering its chances of qualification in the process.

Alen Omic set the rhythm for Gran Canaria with 20 points and 8 rebounds, while Sasu Salin added 16 points, and Xavi Rabaseda 12 points.

Dee Bost had a strong personal game for the losing team, scoring 20 while grabbing 6 boards and laying on 8 assists. Karol Gruszecki scored 13 points and Lukasz Kozarek 12 points.

Nizhny Novgorod vs. Strasbourg, 85-94

Like Gran Canaria, French outfit Strasbourg put a foot in the final four with a comfortable road win over Nizhny in Novgorod. The visitors own by 9 points and will now look to dictate the pace with home hardwood advantage next week.

Nizhny exploded with 28 points in the opening frame, but Strasbourg kept pace with 25 points through the first split. The guests maintained the consistency at the bucket with another 25 points in the second act, building a 48-50 lead as the buzzer sounded. The French club continued its solid offensive play with another 25 points in the third stanza, extending to a 67-75 lead through thirty minutes. A controlling fourth quarter followed as Novgorod struggled to rally late on.

Mardy Collins was a regular threat and netted 24 points in the win, followed by Romain Duport with 18 points, and Jeremy Leloup with 16 points.

Evgeny Baburin set the tone for Nizhny with 20 points, while Semen Antonov scored 18 points and Dimitriy Khvostov with 14 points.