EuroCup: Round 7 Recap

Round 7 of the EuroCup Regular Season got underway on Wednesday as the groups started to take more shape heading into the penultimate week. Gran Canaria and Valencia cemented their positions with wins in Group A and Group B. Malaga and Bayern Munich set up an exciting encounter in with wins in Group C.

Group A

Gran Canaria Las Palmas played to form and swept aside Nizhny Novgorod 98-87. The Spanish club has already qualified last week and moved to 5-1 at the top of the standings after this win. The hosts handed 21 assists in a consistent attacking display that was paced by Kyle Kuric with 18 points. Kenny Boynton set the tone for Nizhny with a game-high 19 points.

Croatian club Cedevita picked up an important 68-69 road win, edging out Panevezys by a single point. This was a fight for sole possession of second place and Zagreb secured that berth. Now the Croats are favorite to take second place during the remaining games. This went right to the wire, with Marko Tomas draining from the charity strip with seconds remaining. Tomas topped the winners with a game high 23 points.

Group B

In the tussle for top spot in Group B, Khimki Moscow Region dealt Fuenlabrada a blow with a big 96-84 home win. The Russians looked slick and grabbed control of the standings with a 4-2 record, while the Spanish teams sits on 3-3. Khimki lead 58-50 through halftime and never looked back, with Jacob Pullen (20) and Alexey Shved (19) combining for 39 points.

ALBA Berlin was handed a shock at home as Bilbao Basket built an 88-92 success that gives the Spanish club a chance of qualification. Bilbao now moves to 2-3, while Berlin is halted at 3-3 with all to play for in the coming weeks. The hosts were up 71-66 through thirty minutes, but Bilbao mounted a rally in the fourth act with a 17-26 charge.

Group C

Spanish club Unicaja Malaga crushed Buducnost Voli Podgorica 93-75 to join Bayern Munich in a race for first place at 4-2. As for already eliminated Buducnost, the club has been woeful in the EuroCup and is without a win at 0-6. The hosts drained 74 points in the first three frames to sweep away Buducnost and ease down the straight. Kyle Fogg was outstanding with 31 points.

All eyes are on Bayern Munich vs. Unicaja Malaga next week when the two clubs meet to decide first place. This week, however, Bayern took out Murcia 79-80 on the road to join Malaga at 4-2 at the top of the standings. Murcia led the way through the long break with a 47-43 advantage, but Munich turned the gears in Q4 and took the game.

Group D

Already qualified Valencia secured top spot in Group D with an 84-86 road win over Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli capital. A 33-44 lead at halftime gave Valencia a cushion. The guests would need it as Jerusalem roared back in the second quarter. Ultimately the guests held on to secure the win. Antoine Diot topped the winners with 21 points.