February 21, 2013 - Last 16 Week 6 MVP: Walter Hodge, Stelmet Zielona Gora
What
was already a season to remember for Walter Hodge and Stelmet Zielona
Gora finished on a high note Wednesday. Despite knowing before the game
that Zielona Gora could not advance to the quarterfinals, Hodge led the
team to an exciting come-from-behind victory over Lokomotiv Kuban and
his brilliant performance earned the guard Eurocup Last 16 Week 6 MVP
honors. Hodge also became the first person in over two years to win
back-to-back weekly MVP awards. The last player to do so was Damjan
Rudez, who was the Last 16 Week 3 and Week 4 in the 2010-11 season with
Cedevita Zagreb. Hodge produced 29 points and 10 assists for his first
double-double of the season as Zielona Gora won 94-88. Read more here.
February 20, 2013 - Game 6
Cajasol Seville 68 - 66 Spartak St. Petersburg
Tomas
Satoransky’s last-second tip-in lifted Cajasol Seville to a 66-64
victory over Spartak St. Petersburg in the Last 16 Group K finale.
After Spartak used a 0-22 first-half run to dominate the proceedings,
Satoransky starred as he led the hosts back in the third quarter and
finished a strong night with the game winner. It was Cajasol’s first
win in the group and allowed it to avoid being the only winless last 16
team. Spartak slipped to 3-3, but had already clinched second place in
Group K and a spot in the quarterfinals, where it will face Budivelnik.
John Holland paced the hosts with 23 points and Satoransky finished
with 11 points and 5 assists. Loukas Mavrokefalides led Spartak with 19
points, Vladimir Dragicevic netted 14 plus 7 rebounds and Josh Carter
scored 12 in defeat. Read more here.
Stelmet Zielona Gora 94 - 88 Lokomotiv Kuban
Stelmet
Zielona Gora bowed out of the Eurocup on a high-note with an impressive
come-from-behind victory, 94-88, over Lokomotiv Kuban. The hosts used a
13-0 fourth-quarter run into the last minute to stun Lokomotiv and
snatch a win that seemed unlikely when Kuban led by double-digits for
much of the first half. Zielona Gora finished third in Group K with a
3-3 record, only missing a spot in the quarterfinals on a tiebreaker.
The loss for Lokomotiv denied it a chance to be the only team to run
the table in the Last 16. Nevertheless it won the group and will
Buducnost in the quarterfinals. Walter Hodge starred once more for
Zielona Gora with 29 points and 10 assists. Dejan Borovnjak added 23
points and 12 rebounds – both season highs. Read more here.
BC Budivelnik Kiev 88 - 77 Triumph Lyubertsy
BC
Budivelnik Kiev became the Last 16 Group I champion by downing BC
Triumph Lyubertsy 88-77 in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday.
Budivelnik won group I with a 4-2 record and will face Spartak St.
Petersburg in the two-way Eurocup Quarterfinals. Triumph was fourth in
Group I with a 2-4 record. Malcolm Delaney paced the winners with 26
points on 16-of-16 free throws. Michail Anisimov added 16, Giorgi
Tsintsadze had 14 while Artur Drozdov had 13 for Budivelnik. Tywain
McKee led Triumph with 17 points. Sergey Karasev added 15 and Kyle
Landry had 10. Budivelnik had a strong start but Landry and McKee
fueled an 0-8 run that gave Triumph a 9-12 lead. An outstanding Delaney
allowed the hosts to tie the game, 21-21, after 10 minutes. Read more here.
KK Buducnost VOLI 66 - 50 Banvit BK Bandirma
KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica reached the Eurocup Quarterfinals
for the second consecutive season by thrashing Banvit BK Bandirma 66-50
in a do-or-die showdown in the Montenegrin capital in Last 16 Group I
on Wednesday. Both teams tied for second place at 3-3 but Buducnost
advanced due to its tie-break advantage - Banvit had registered an
89-80 home win in Game 2. Dee Bost led the winners with 16 points.
Cedomir Vitkovac and Strahinja Milosevic each added 11 for Buducnost.
Kalin Lucas led Banvit with 12 points but nobody else scored in double
digits. Bost and Vitkovac struck from downtown in an 8-0 opening run
but Vladimir Stimac and Sammy Mejia soon allowed Banvit to tie it at
11-11. Three-pointers by Vitkovac and Strahinja Milosevic gave
Buducnost a 17-14 lead after 10 minutes. Banvit struggled to score
early in the second quarter. Read more here.
February 19, 2013
Galatasaray Medical Park 85 - 84 Crvena Zvezda Telekom
In
a game between two sides already eliminated from Eurocup quarterfinals
contention, Galatasaray Medical Park showed grit and determination to
beat Crvena Zvezda Telekom 85-84 at home in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Galatasaray finished with a 3-3 record, tied for second place but
already having known it would lose the tiebreaker on points difference.
Galatasaray overcame a seven-point deficit in the final quarter to beat
Zvezda thanks to Sertac Sanli’s decisive basket. Jamont Gordon, who
contributed a key three-pointer in the final stages, was one of four
double-digit scorers for Galatasaray, led by Manuchar Markioshivili and
Ender Arslan, with 17 points each. Sanli added 16 and Gordon 12. The
game’s top scorer was Boris Savovic of Crvena Zvezda with a
double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds. Read more here.
Ratiopharm Ulm 77 - 79 Unics Kazan
Unics
Kazan made sure it will play the second game of the quarterfinals at
home by taking a last-second 77-79 win over host ratiopharm Ulm in a
Group L thriller for first place on the final night of the Last 16.
Both teams were already qualified, but the result broke their tie,
giving Unics a 4-2 record. Ulm finished 3-3, in second-place tie with
but having a tie-break advantage over Galatasaray Medical Park. Both
face quarterfinal opponents from Spain: Unics will meet Valencia Basket
in one two-game series, while Ulm will face Uxue Bilbao Basket. The
Unics victory came after Ulm had seemingly sent the game into overtime,
but two free throws from Chuck Eidson meant that Unics got the job done
in regulation time. Read more here.
Uxue Bilbao Basket 76 - 65 VEF Riga
Uxue
Bilbao Basket used a game-ending 16-2 run to rally past visiting VEF
Riga 76-65 and into the quarterfinals with a first-place finish in
Group J on Tuesday. The victory was the fourth straight for Bilbao,
which finished the Last 16 with 4-2 record. Bilbao topped the group
standings by virtue of two victories over second-place Valencia Basket,
which also finished 4-2. In the quarterfinals, Bilbao will play Spartak
St. Petersburg. Riga was eliminated with 3-3 record even though it used
some sharp shooting and tough defense to build a 13-27 lead midway
through the second quarter. Triples from Alex Mumbru and Raul Lopez
highlighted Bilbao's comeback as the hosts made a 12-2 run to grab a
37-36 halftime advantage. Read more here.
Valencia Basket 104 - 55 Cez Nymburk
Valencia
Basket thrashed visiting CEZ Basketball Nymburk 104-55 on Tuesday night
to advance to the Eurocup quarterfinals for the seventh time in club
history. Valencia ends the Last 16 with a 4-2 record, the same as Group
J champion Bilbao, but due to two losses in head-to-head matches
Valencia finishes in the second place and will play Lokomotiv Kuban in
the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Nymburk was eliminated prior to this
game, and finishes the Last 16 with a 1-5 record. Valencia took control
and lead for good after a 12-2 first-quarter run. The hosts pulled away
to a 51-27 lead on the wings of a 15-0 run sparked by 2 triples from
Rafa Martinez and some stellar defensive effort. Read more here.
February 19, 2013 - Last 16, Game 6: Decision time!
The Last 16 reaches a crescendo on Tuesday and
Wednesday with drama that will send four more teams forward to the
quarterfinals. The action starts with four simultaneous tipoffs at
20:00 CET on Tuesday. In Group J, both quarterfinals qualifiers will be
decided among three teams currently tied for first place with 3-2
records. Two of those teams, Uxue Bilbao Basket and visiting VEF Riga,
face a do-or-die battle, with the winner going to the next round. In
the other Group J game, Valencia Basket hosts already-eliminated CEZ
Nymburk (1-3) knowing that a victory will be worth survival, but also
that it can advance in defeat if Bilbao defeats Riga. Also Tuesday,
Group L will decide its first and second places in a winner-take-all
matchup between already-qualified co-leaders ratiopharm Ulm hosts Unics
Kazan, both with 3-2 records. Read more here.
GROUP J
Valencia Basket vs. CEZ Nymburk 104:55
Uxue Bilbao Basket vs. VEF Riga 76:65
GROUP K
Cajasol Seville vs. BC Spartak St. Petersburg 68:66
Stelmet Zielona Gora vs. PBC Lokomotiv Kuban 94:88
GROUP L
Galatasaray Medical Park vs.Crvena Zvezda Telekom 85:84
Ratiopharm Ulm vs. Unics Kazan 77:79
February 14, 2013 - Last 16 Week 5 MVP: Walter Hodge, Stelmet Zielona Gora
Walter
Hodge of Stelmet Zielona Gora continued what has been a brilliant first
Eurocup season for both player and club by leading his team to an 81-85
road win at Cajasol Seville and claiming Last 16 Week 5 MVP honors with
the highest index rating seen yet in the Last 16 in over two years.
Hodge recorded a 42 index after torching Cajasol for 31 points, 5
assists and 3 steals. He made 9 of 14 two-pointers, 2 of 4 threes and
went 7 for 8 from the foul line after drawing 12 fouls en route to his
impressive index total. Two heroes who led their teams to season-saving
wins tied for the second-best index ratings of the week. Chuck Davis of
Banvit BK and Justin Doellman of Valencia Basket each had 28 in crucial
victories. Read more here.
February 13, 2013 - Game 5
Crvena Zvezda Telekom 78 - 92 Ratiopharm Ulm
Ratiopharm
Ulm made club history in its debut Eurocup season by beating Crvena
Zvezda Telekom 78-92 in Belgrade Wednesday to advance to the
quarterfinals. Ulm, which improved to 3-2, hosts Unics Kazan next week
with first place in the group at stake. Zvezda dropped to 2-3 and
despite the chance to win next week and finish with the same record as
the Ulm/Kazan loser, it cannot advance since it lost the potential
tiebreak against both sides. The game was close for the first
quarter-and-a-half, but a 0-9 Ulm run helped make it 38-46 at halftime.
The lead grew to 13 in the third quarter and 18 in the fourth as Ulm
secured the win long before the final buzzer. Allan Ray paced the
winners’ attack with 26 points, Steven Esterkamp netted 20, Lance Jeter
scored 15, Keaton Nankivil 13 and Per Guenther tallied 9 points and 6
assists. Read more here.
Banvit BK Bandirma 94 - 85 BC Budivelnik Kiev
BK
Banvit Bandirma came out on top in a must-win game against Budivelnik
Kiev on Wednesday night, shaking off a late scare thanks to a great
performance from Chuck Davis. The hosts hit a late basket in the 94-85
triumph that could be crucial, as it gave Banvit the advantage over
Budivelnik in the event of a tie-break situation. Davis scored 24
points and almost got into double digits with 9 rebounds. Kalin Lucas
added 14 points for the winners, Sammy Mejia finished with 13, and
Vladimir Stimac and Kenan Bajramovic netted 12 apiece. Banvit will win
Group I if it can beat Buducnost on the road next week. For Budivelnik,
which would have clinched first place in Group I with a victory, Leo
Lyons was in great form with a double-double of 20 points and 11
rebounds, Artur Drozdov added 14 points and Malcolm Delaney 10. Read more here.
Lokomotiv Kuban 77 - 72 Spartak St. Petersburg
Lokomotiv
Kuban became the Group K champion by routing Spartak St. Petersburg
77-72 on Wednesday in Krasnodar, Russia. Lokomotiv remained undefeated
with a 5-0 record, while Spartak, which had already qualified for the
quarterfinals, is second at 3-2. The home team led 36-31 at halftime
and used a 20-6 third-quarter run to break the game open, 59-41.
Spartak came close in the final minutes, 71-68, but Lokomotiv never
lost the lead. Derrick Brown led the winners with 18 points, Aleks
Maric bagged 16, Simas Jasaitis 15, Mantas Kalnietis contributed 11 and
Nick Calathes had more rebounds (9) than points (8). Josh Carter of
Spartak led all the scorers with 20 points, Loukas Mavrokefalides
netted 12 and Darius Johnson-Odom 10. Read more here.
BC Triumph 76 - 66 KK Buducnost VOLI
BC
Triumph Lyubertsy rejoined the race to reach the Eurocup Quarterfinals
by downing KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica 76-66 in Last 16 Group I at home
on Wednesday. Both teams now tie in Group I, each with a 2-3 record.
Triumph visits BC Budivelnik Kiev and Buducnost hosts Banvit BK
Bandirma. Both teams need to win and wait for other results in order to
advance. Sergey Karasev paced the winners with 24 points on 5-of-8
three-point shots. Tywain McKee added 16 and 8 assists for Triumph.
Marko Popovic led Buducnost with 18 points on 5-of-10 three-point
shots. Dusko Bunic added 11 for the guests. Triumph opened the game
with a 7-0 run and managed to keep a 18-16 edge after 10 minutes. A
three-pointer by Karasev restored a 26-19 Triumph lead early in the
second quarter. Read more here.
Unics Kazan 64 - 57 Galatasaray Medical Park
Despite
late comeback efforts by the guests, Unics Kazan managed to hold off
Galatasaray Medical Park on Wednesday, and racked up a valuable home
win by 64-57. This result could grant the Russian team a berth in the
Quarterfinals thanks to a 3-2 record in Group L. However, Unics will
still have to wait for the result of the game between Crvena Zvezda
Telekom and ratiopharm Ulm later in the evening to see the final
outcome. Galatasaray dropped to 2-3 and still retains some options to
advance, always taking into account the result of the game between
Zvezda and Ulm. After trailing during the whole first half, Galatasaray
managed to tie the game in the third quarter and even jump ahead for a
few minutes, but Unics regrouped and thanks to a late 10 run in the
game, it put the win in a safe place. Read more here.
February 12, 2013
Cajasol Seville 81 - 85 Stelmet Zielona Gora
Stelmet
Zielona Gora came from a 15-point deficit to shock Cajasol Seville
81-85 on Tuesday night. Although both teams had already been eliminated
from quarterfinals contention, the victory improved Zielona Gora to 2-3
and secured them third place in Group K, while Cajasol remained winless
in the Last 16. The hosts led by as many as 31-16 in the second
quarter, but Walter Hodge rallied Zielona Gora for a 3-14 run that
bridged the halves and tied it the score at 43-43. Zielona Gora did not
lead until midway through the fourth quarter, however, and finished the
game with a 0-9 run to complete its comeback. Hodge had another
brilliant performance, scoring 31 points en route to victory. Oliver
Stevic scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, while Dejan Borovnjak
collected 11 points plus 7 boards. Read more here.
CEZ Basketball Nymburk 69 - 83 Uxue Bilbao
Uxue
Bilbao Basket took over its own fate in the Last 16 by posting a strong
69-83 road win against CEZ Nymburk on Tuesday in the Czech Republic.
Bilbao is now tied in first place with Valencia Basket and VEF Riga,
all with 3-2 records. Bilbao hosts Riga in the sixth and final game of
the Last 16 next week; a win or a loss by Valencia would put Bilbao in
the quarterfinals. With the loss on Tuesday, Nymburk fell to 1-4 and is
eliminated from the competition. A 7-29 run by Bilbao bridged the first
two quarters and put the visitors in control for the rest of the game.
When Nymburk fought back to within 69-75 with 2:20 to play, Bilbao made
sure with a game-ending 0-8 run. Milan Rakovic led the winners with 18
points on near-perfect shooting, 7 for 8 inside the arc and 4 for 4 at
the foul line. Read more here.
VEF Riga 96 - 103 Valencia Basket
With
its possible elimination at stake, two-time Eurocup champion Valencia
Basket rallied from a 22-point deficit to grab a life-saving 96-103
overtime win over VEF Riga in the Latvian capital on Tuesday. With this
victory, Valencia gained control of its own fate in Group J. Both teams
now hold 3-2 records, but Valencia holds a tiebreaker with two wins
over Riga. The hosts, who would have secured the club’s first Eurocup
quarterfinal berth with a victory, seemed in control after building
37-15 lead in the second quarter. But, Valencia cut it to 11 points
before halftime, and with 13 third-quarter points from Justin Doellman,
came back to tie the game at 70-70. With leads changing hands in the
fourth quarter, Pau Ribas forced overtime with a reverse layup that
made it 90-90 with 6 seconds left. Read more here.
February 12, 2013 - Last 16 Game 5: it's crunch time!
The 2012-13 Eurocup Last 16 reaches its most
decisive games as many teams can either qualify, be eliminated or win
their respective groups in a pivotal, critical Week 5.
Only two teams - PBC Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and Spartak St.
Peterburg in Group K - have qualified so far, but some others can join
them this week. Action starts with three games on Tuesday, including
both showdowns in Group J. At 18:30 CET, VEF Riga (3-1) hosts Valencia
Basket (2-2) in the Latvian capital, while one hour later, Czech champ
CEZ Basketball Nymburk (1-3) takes Uxue Bilbao Basket (2-2) of Spain.
Riga will qualify with a win, regardless of other scores. If VEF wins,
Bilbao will also qualify if it beats Nymburk. Read more here.
Here is the schedule for Eurocup Last 16, Game 5:
GROUP I
BC Triumph Lyubertsy vs. KK Buducnost VOLI 76-66
Banvit BK Bandirma vs. BC Budivelnik Kiev 94-85
GROUP J
VEF Riga vs. Valencia Basket 96-103
CEZ Nymburk vs. Uxue Bilbao Basket 69-83
GROUP K
Cajasol Seville vs. Stelmet Zielona Gora 81-95
PBC Lokomotiv Kuban vs. BC Spartak St. Petersburg 77-72
January 31, 2013 - Last 16 Game 4 MVP: John Bryant, ratiopharm Ulm
What
has already been a brilliant Eurocup rookie season for ratiopharm Ulm
center John Bryant just got better. The big man continued his fantastic
Last 16 with his best game yet, dominating the paint against
Galatasaray Medical Park to the tune of 20 points, 17 rebounds and 4
assists. That performance not only led Ulm to a 91-70 victory and a
real shot a quarterfinals spot, but also earned Bryant Last 16 Game 4
MVP honors. Bryant finished the week with a performance index rating of
36, which was best in the competition. He made 7 of 11 two-point shots,
added 1 three-pointer and was perfect in 3 trips to the foul line.
Bryant’s 17 rebounds were the most in the Eurocup in the past two
seasons. Read more here.
January 30, 2013 - Game 4
Crvena Zvezda Telekom 81 - 73 Unics Kazan
Crvena Zvezda Telekom rallied from a double-digit deficit to down Unics Kazan
81-73 on Wednesday night at Hala Pionir. The result left Group L wide
open as all four teams now have 2-2 records, however, Unics managed to
preserve a tiebreaker over Zvezda due to a 19-point win in their
matchup a week ago. Unics led 20-30 in the second quarter, but Zvezda
finished the first half with an 11-3 spurt, and then opened the second
half with a 15-0 run to pull away and never look back. The hosts
allowed only one field goal during the third quarter as the lead
reached 16 points and Unics never came closer than 7 points rest of the
way. Igor Rakocevic led the winners with 21 points, Rasko Katic muscled
his way to 12 points, and Mike Scott scored 9 of his 11 points in the
third quarter. Read more here.
Ratiopharm Ulm 91 - 70 GS Medical Park
Ratiopharm Ulm routed
Galatasaray Medical Park 91-70 in Group L, to have an incredible
four-way-tie atop the table with all the teams owning 2-2 records. Ulm
also managed to gain the pivotal points differential tiebreaker in the
head-to-head battle with Galatasaray after losing by 16 in Istanbul.
Ulm led much of the game, though Galatasaray tied it at 39-39. The home
team used a 17-2 run early in the last quarter to take a comfortable
73-55 margin en route to victory. John Bryant led the winners with 20
points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and an index rating of 36. Allan Ray
added 18 points, Sebastian Bezt nailed 9 of his 13 points in the
crucial run in the final quarter, Philipp Schwethelm scored 12 and
Lance Jeter 10. Read more here.
KK Buducnost VOLI 75 - 77 BC Budivelnik Kiev
Budivelnik
Kiev escaped from Podgorica with a 75-77 come-from-behind win over
Buducnost to storm into first place in Group I with a 3-1 record. The
result dropped Budivelnik into a tie for second place with Banvit BK at
2-2. After trailing by 16 in the third quarter, Budivelnik used a 2-11
run to open the fourth quarter and climb within 67-66. Leo Lyons tied
the score at 70-70 and scored what proved to be the game winner with a
fast break layup with 17 seconds left. Lyons led the winners with 17
points, Artur Drozdov added 16 with 8 rebounds, 4 steals and an index
rating of 26, George Tsintsadze bagged 12 points with 7 assists and
Malcolm Delaney chipped in 12 points for the winners. Read more here.
VEF Riga 81 - 59 CEZ Basketball Nymburk
VEF Riga moved into the driver’s
seat in Group J on Wednesday with an impressive 81-59 victory over CEZ
Basketball Nymburk. The Latvian powerhouse improved to 3-1, which tops
the group, while the Czech champs fell to last place in Group J at 1-3.
With a win in either of its remaining Last 16 games, Riga will advance
to the quarterfinals. Riga took charge early with the game’s first 9
points and though Nymburk showed spirit in coming back, the hosts
pulled away to a 44-31 halftime lead and never looked back. Antanas
Kavaliauskas paced the winners with 17 points and 9 rebounds, E.J.
Rowland tallied 15 points and 4 assists, Kristaps Janicenoks scored 14
and Will Daniels 10. Pavel Houska led Nymburk with 14 points Vojtech
Hruban added 11 points and 6 assists. Read more here.
Spartak SPB 81 - 54 Stelmet Zielona Gora
Spartak St. Petersburg
routed Stelmet Zielona Gora 81-54 on Wednesday evening to march into
the quarterfinals. Spartak improved to 3-1 in Last 16 Group K and 9-1
this season in securing a ticket to the next round, along with fellow
Russian side Lokomotiv Kuban, which also advanced following Spartak’s
victory. A second quarter capitulation from Stelmet – in which it
scored just 7 points to Spartak’s 22 – had a large say in the outcome.
Zach Wright led the way with 17 points for Spartak, including the final
points of the night with a dunk. He also provided 8 assists. Vladamir
Dragisevic added 14 points for the winners, Joshua Carter 13, Loukas
Mavrokefalides 11 and Fedor Dmitriev 10. Read more here.
PBC Lokomotiv Kuban 83 - 72 Cajasol Seville
PBC Lokomotiv Kuban
booked a place in the Eurocup quarterfinals with an 83-72 win over
Cajasol Sevilla on Wednesday afternoon, keeping its perfect record in
the Last 16 intact and denying the road side a first win of the stage.
While Cajasol now has no hope of progressing, Lokomotiv’s path is
assured after another key result in Group K went its way –Spartak St.
Petersburg beat Stelmet Zielona Gora. Derrick Brown led Lokomotiv with
20 points and also contributed 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while Aleks
Maric, whose late baskets ensured the win, tallied 14 points and 11
rebounds. Mantas Kalnietis added 17 points, Simas Jasaitis scored 13
and Nick Calathes 11 for the winners. Read more here.
BC Triumph 93 - 89 Banvit BK Bandirma
BC Triumph Lyubertsy picked up its first victory in
the Last 16 by downing BK Banvit Bandirma 93-89, thus keeping alive its
chances of grabbing a quarterfinal spot. Triumph improved to 1-3, but
remains at the bottom of Group I, while Banvit dropped to 2-2 and after
Week 4 will be in a share of the second place. Banvit, however, won the
potential tiebreaker as it celebrated a 7-point victory in a match-up
of these two teams a week ago. On Wednesday, Triumph led for
essentially the entire game, grabbing the lead for good in the third
minute and never looking back. The margin was as big as 17 points
before Banvit closed the gap in the final minutes and threatened to
make a comeback, but Kyle Landry and Tywain McKee sealed the deal. Read
more here.
January 30, 2013 - 2013 Eurocup Final presented in Charleroi, Belgium
The
Eurocup's return to a single-game final at its long-time home under
that format, the RTL Spiroudome in Charleroi, Belgium, was celebrated
with a press conference at the venue on Thursday. The RTL Spiroudome,
which hosted the Eurocup title game for four consecutive years in the
middle of last decade, will do so again in both 2013 and 2014, it was
announced recently. The Eurocup will hold its 11th final in as many
years and determine a new champion on Saturday, April 13, 2013 starting
at 21:00 local time (CET). Previously, four iconic clubs – Hapoel
Migdal Jerusalem in 2004, Lietuvos Rytas in 2005, Dynamo Moscow in 2006
and Real Madrid in 2007 – were crowned Eurocup champions on the RTL
Spiroudome floor. Read more here.
January 29, 2013 - Game 4
Valencia Basket 60 - 61 Uxue Bilbao Basket
Kostas
Vasiliadis gave Uxue Bilbao Basket a new life in the Last 16 by
drilling a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to defeat Valencia
Basket 60-61 on the road Tuesday. The result gave both teams 2-2
records with two games left in the Last 16. Nonetheless, Bilbao's
back-to-back wins over its Spanish rival in Group J could become
decisive in the event of future ties. Vasiliadis was open for a
heads-up pass from Axel Hervelle as the shot and game clocks ticked
away. He didn't hesitate pulling the trigger and certifying Bilbao's
comeback from 8 points behind after halftime. Vasiliadis led the
winners with 14 points, while Lamont Hamilton added 12, Adrien Moerman
9 and Roger Grimau 8. Hervelle pulled 11 rebounds while Bilbao's hustle
for 9 team rebounds gave the visitors a telling 44-32 advantage on the
boards. Read more here.
January 29, 2013 - Eurocup Last 16, Game 4: Rematch!
The 2012-13 Eurocup Last 16 enters decisive Game 4,
in which two teams could qualify to the next round. All teams that
played on the road in Game 3 return home to hosts their opponents this
time around. Game 4 starts with a big all-Spanish showdown in Group J,
as Valencia Baskets hosts Uxue Bilbao Basket at 20:30 CET. Both teams
faced each other in a Spanish League game three weeks ago and Valencia
beat Bilbao 113-111 in overtime, so expect another huge showdown this
time around. Valencia (2-1) can put Bilbao (1-2) into a very tough
situation if it wins. All other seven games will be played, just as
usual, on a busy Wednesday. In Group I, Triumph Lyubertsy welcomes
Banvit BK Bandirma at 16:00 CET. Read more here.
Here is the schedule for Eurocup Last 16, Game 4:
GROUP I
BC Triumph Lyubertsy vs. Banvit BK Bandirma 93:89
KK Buducnost VOLI vs. BC Budivelnik 75:77
GROUP J
Valencia Basket vs. Uxue Bilbao Basket 60:61
VEF Riga vs. CEZ Basketball Nymburk 81:59
GROUP K
PBC Lokomotiv Kuban vs. Cajasol Seville 83:72
BC Spartak St. Petersburg vs. Stelmet Zielona Gora 81:54
January 24, 2013 - Last 16 Game 3 MVP: Cedomir Vitkovac, KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica
For
the second time in three weeks, not only has Cedomir Vitkovac led KK
Buducnost Voli Podgorica to a big win, but his outstanding performance
has resulted in him earning weekly MVP honors. Vitkovac is the Last 16
Game 3 MVP after producing a performance index ranking of 30 while
leading Buducnost to a pivotal 75-79 road win over BC Budivelnik Kiev.
Vitkovac paced the Montenegrin champs with 24 points on 5-of-11
two-point shooting, 3 of 5 three-point attempts and 5 of 6 free throws.
He added 10 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, a block and 7 fouls drawn for
the 30 index. Vitkovac previously earned Last 16 Week 1 MVP honors
after registering a 40 index in Buducnost's home win over BC Triumph
Lyubertsy. Read more here.
January 23, 2013 - Game 3
Uxue Bilbao Basket 91 - 76 Valencia Basket
In
an all-Spanish League clash, Uxue Bilbao Basket came back from a
double-digit first half deficit to down Valencia Basket 91-76 and pick
up its first win in the Last 16. Bilbao improved to 1-2 in Group J, the
same record as CEZ Basketball Nymburk, while Valencia dropped to 2-1
and shares the top spot with VEF Riga. The hosts trailed 31-42 midway
through the second quarter after Valencia made an 0-18 run. However,
Bilbao answered with a 23-4 spurt that bridged the second and third
quarters, taking the lead for good. A 10-2 run midway through the
fourth quarter sealed the deal for Bilbao, which had four players,
Nikos Zisis, Milovan Rakovic, Alex Mumbru and Raul Lopez, with 14
points. Rakovic and Mumbru also grabbed 8 rebounds apiece, while Lopez
dished out 7 assists. Read more here.
Cajasol Seville 80 - 87 PBC Lokomotiv Kuban
PBC
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar stayed undefeated in Last 16 Group K by
topping Cajasol Seville 80-87 on the road on Wednesday. Lokomotiv
improved to 3-0 and could qualify to the Quarterfinals next week if it
wins and Spartak St. Petersburg defeats Stelmet Zielona Gora. Cajasol
dropped to 0-3 and could be eliminated with a loss next week. Derrick
Brown led the winners with 28 points on 14-of-17 two-point shots. Aleks
Maric added 26 on 11-of-19 two-point shots and 9 rebounds, Mantas
Kalnietis had 15 points and Nick Calathes got 9 and 9 assists for
Lokomotiv. Luka Bogdanovic led Cajasol with 18 points. Joan Sastre
added 14 while Latavious Williams and Ondrej Balvin each had 12 for the
hosts. Cajasol had a strong start as Williams and Holland allowed the
hosts to get a 23-17 after 10 minutes. Read more here.
Stelmet Zielona Gora 69 - 89 Spartak SPB
Spartak
St. Petersburg improved to 2-1 in Last 16 Group K by thrashing Stelmet
Zielona Gora 69-89 in Poland on Wednesday. Spartak registered its
second consecutive win in Group K and Zielona Gora dropped to 1-2. Both
teams are set to face again in St. Petersburg, Russia next week. Loukas
Mavrokefalidis paced the winners with 19 points. Vladimir Dragicevic
added 16, Zach Wright had 13, Vasily Zavourev got 11 while Josh Carter
contributed 10 for Spartak. Dejan Borovnjak led Zielona Gora with 17
points. Walter Hodge added 13 while Oliver Stevic had 10 for the hosts.
Spartak had a strong start but Hodge and Borovnjak kept Zielona Gora
within 21-24 early in the second quarter. Read more here.
CEZ Basketball Nymburk 80 - 85 VEF Riga
VEF
Riga hit three-pointers on four consecutive possessions in the final
four minutes of the game as it rallied from a 17-point deficit to shock
CEZ Basketball Nymburk 80-85 on Wednesday night. Riga improved to 2-1
in Group J, while Nymburk dropped to 1-2. The hosts were in control for
35 minutes after leading 53-36 lead in the third quarter and 72-62
midway through the fourth. However Donatas Zavackas, Dairis Bertans and
Kristaps Janicenoks combined to nail 4 triples, and Zavackas made a
basket-plus-foul to cap a 3-17 run that swung the game Riga’s way.
Janicenoks finished with 16 points, Antanas Kavaliauskas scored 15
while shooting 7 for 7 on two-pointers. Kaspars Berzins had 14 points
plus 6 rebounds, and Zavackas scored 11 of his 13 points in the
decisive fourth quarter. Read more here.
Banvit BK Bandirma 86 - 79 BC Triumph
Banvit
BK Bandirma held off a third quarter charge from BC Triumph Lyubertsy
at home on Wednesday evening en route to an 86-79 win that lifted the
hosts into a three-way tie for first place in Group I. Banvit improved
to 2-1, while dropping Triumph, which was undefeated in the regular
season, to 0-3. Chuck Davis fueled the winners with 26 points, 6
rebounds and 3 assists. He was aided by Kalin Lucas with 15 points,
while Keith Simmons and Serkan Erdogan scored 12 apiece and Vladimir
Stimac posted 10 points and 10 rebounds. Tasamin Mitchell paced Triumph
with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while Yuval Naimy netted 20 points,
Tywain McKee 12, and Kyle Landry 11. Read more here.
BC Budivelnik Kiev 75 - 79 KK Buducnost VOLI
KK
Buducnost Voli Podgorica escaped from Kiev with a thrilling 75-79
victory over Budivelnik to join a three-way-tie atop the Group I with
the home team and Banvit BK Bandirma all with 2-1 records. Budivelnik
used a 23-7 run bridging halftime to take a comfortable 63-51 advantage
late in the third quarter, but Buducnost replied opening the fourth
quarter with 14 unanswered points to regain the lead, 65-66. The teams
exchanged leads in a thrilling finish before a three-pointer by Aleksa
Popovic gave a 72-75 lead to the visitors, who were able to maintain a
slim margin till the final buzzer. Cedomir Vitkovac led the winners
with a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds for an index rating
of 30. Read more here.
Unics Kazan 78 - 59 Crvena Zvezda Telekom
Unics
Kazan took the Group L showdown against Crvena Zvezda Telekom on
Wednesday by 78-59. After averaging 91 points per game up to this week,
Zvezda was shut down by Unics' defense in the second half as the hosts
cruised to the win thanks to a 18-7 last quarter partial score. The win
allows Unics to improve to a 2-1 record while Crvena Zvezda dropped to
1-2. Also, with a 0 of 12 from the arc, it was the first time ever in
the Eurocup that Crvena Zvezda didn't score a single three in a game.
That, together with 20 turnovers, was a recipe for defeat for the
guests. Mire Chatman led the winners with his 20 points, Chuck Eidson
added 16, Kostas Kaimakoglou 11 and Ian Vougioukas 10. For the guests,
Elton Brown had 13 points, DeMarcus Nelson added 12 and Igor Rakocevic
had 10. Read more here.
January 22, 2013
GS Medical Park 82 - 66 Ratiopharm Ulm
Galatasaray
Medical Park Istanbul improved to 2-1 in Last 16 Group L by downing
ratiopharm Ulm 82-66 at home on Tuesday. Galatasaray grabbed its second
consecutive win in Group L and Ulm dropped to 1-2. Both teams will meet
again in Germany next week. Jamont Gordon paced the winners with 18
points. Carlos Arroyo added 15 and 8 assists, Milan Macvan had 14
points and Furkan Aldemir got 10 for Galatasaray, that was without
David Hawkins. John Bryant led Ulm with 18 points and a game-high 7
rebounds. Galatasaray opened the game with a 9-0 run and an inspired
Gordon soon made the hosts boost their margin to 21-8. An unstoppable
Bryant brought Ulm within 21-13 after 10 minutes. He got some help from
Allan Ray and Steven Esterkamp to give Ulm its first lead, 36-37, near
halftime. Read more here.
January 22, 2013 - Eurocup Last 16, Game 3
After eight games spread over two days in six countries, the Eurocup Last 16 will have reached its midway point.
And while no teams will yet be qualified for the quarterfinals nor will
any be eliminated, for many the direction could be clear. Thus the Last
16, Game 3 contests have a lot riding on them in every group. The
statement could not be truer when it comes to Group L, which has four
teams with identical 1-1 records. The week’s action begins with one of
those fixtures. Galatasaray Medical Park hosts ratiopharm ulm on
Tuesday at 19:15 CET live on Eurosport 2. Interestingly, after losing
their home openers in Game 1, both teams roared to impressive road wins
last week. Group L action will conclude before most others start. Unics
Kazan welcomes Crvena Zvezda Telekom in Wednesday’s first tip off at
16:00 CET. Read more here.
Here is the schedule for Eurocup Last 16, Game 3:
GROUP I
BC Budivelnik Kiev vs. KK Buducnost VOLI 75:79
Banvit BK Bandirma vs. BC Triumph Lyubertsy 86:79
GROUP J
CEZ Basketball Nymburk vs. VEF Riga 80:85
Uxue Bilbao Basket vs. Valencia Basket 91:76
GROUP K
Stelmet Zielona Gora vs. BC Spartak St. Petersburg 69:89
Cajasol Seville vs. PBC Lokomotiv Kuban 80:87
GROUP L
Galatasaray Medical Park vs. Ratiopharm Ulm 82:66
Unics Kazan vs. Crvena Zvezda Telekom 78:59
January 22, 2013 - Eurocup Final heads back to Charleroi
Euroleague Basketball has announced that the
crowning event of both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 Eurocup seasons, the
Eurocup Final, will return to Belgium as the city of Charleroi will
again crown the competition’s champion for two years in a row. The
newest Eurocup champion will lift the trophy at the 6,000-seat RTL
Spiroudome, the homecourt of Belgacom Spirou. The Eurocup Final returns
this season to a single-game final format, as it was in the editions
played from 2004 to 2007. The finals in those years were also played in
Charleroi when the competition was called the ULEB Cup. The Eurocup
will celebrate its 11th final on April, 13, 2013 in the most emblematic
basketball venue in Belgium, the RTL Spiroudome, after having had
successful experiences in Torino, Vitoria, Treviso and Khimki over
recent years. Read more here.
January 17, 2013 - Last 16 Game 2 MVP: E.J. Rowland, VEF Riga
An
outstanding performance in a winning effort allowed veteran guard E.J.
Rowland of VEF Riga to pick up Last 16 Game 2 MVP honors. Rowland led
VEF to a 99-73 home win over Uxue Bilbao Basket with 30 points on
8-of-12 two-point shooting and 4 of 5 three-point attempts. He added 3
rebounds, an assist, 3 steals, a block and 7 fouls drawn for a
performance index ranking of 36 - the best among all players on winning
teams in Last 16 Game 2. Chuck Eidson of Unics Kazan also amassed a 36
index, but his team fell short 87-95 against Ratiopharm Ulm. Eidson led
Unics with 31 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting and 5-of-5 free
throws, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 fouls drawn. Read more here.
January 16, 2013 - Game 2
Crvena Zvezda Telekom 74 - 91 GS Medical Park
Galatasaray
Medical Park Istanbul bounced back from its initial loss in Last 16
Group L by topping Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 74-91 in the Serbian
capital on Wednesday. Both teams join Unics Kazan and Ratiopharm Ulm in
a four-way tie in Group L at 1-1. Jamont Gordon led 6 Galatasaray
players in double digits with 22 points on 9-of-10 two-point shots.
Carlos Arroyo added 19 on 5-of-8 three-point shots, Boni Ndong had 15
while Milan Macvan, Ender Arslan and David Hawkins each got 10 for the
winners. Igor Rakocevic led Zvezda with 16 points. DeMarcus Nelson had
13, Rasko Katic added 12 and Elton Brown for 10 for the hosts. Gordon
shined early in the game to give Galatasaray a 10-17 lead, enough for
the guests to keep a 18-22 edge after 10 minutes. Read more here.
CEZ Basketball Nymburk 77 - 82 Valencia Basket
Valencia Basket made a
huge step towards a place in the quarterfinals after saving an 18-point
lead and picking up a dramatic 77-82 win over CEZ Basketball Nymburk on
Wednesday night. Valencia improved to 2-0 record atop of Group J, while
Nymburk drops to 1-1 in a share of second place with VEF Riga. It
looked as though Valencia had the game all wrapped up as it had 49-67
advantage after 29 minutes, but Radoslav Rancik scored 15 points in an
ensuing 17-4 run, and Lukas Palyza strung together 10 unanswered points
late in the fourth quarter for 76-76. However, Justin Doellman hit key
baskets in the final 2 minutes as Valencia held on for an important
victory. Doellman finished with 18 points, while Bojan Dubljevic led
Valencia with 19 plus 6 rebounds. Read more here.
Banvit BK Bandirma 89 - 80 KK Buducnost VOLI
Banvit
BK Bandirma held off Buducnost Voli Podgorica 89-80 to pick up its
first victory in the Last 16. Both teams now hold 1-1 record in the
second place of the Group I standings. Banvit grabbed control of the
game midway through the second quarter with an 8-1 run. Although
Buducnost came within 63-62 in the third quarter, the hosts never gave
up their advantage led by Chuck Davis and Vladimir Stimac, while Sammy
Mejia sealed the deal in the final 2 minutes of the game. Stimac
finished with 17 points plus 9 rebounds, while Davis also scored 17.
Mejia and Serkan Erdogan had 14 apiece, and Kalin Lucas chipped in with
12 for Banvit. Aleksa Popovic led Buducnost with 16 points. Read more here.
BC Triumph Lyubertsy 84 - 85 BC Budivelnik
Budivelnik Kyiv escaped
from Triumph Sports Palace with a thrilling 84-85 victory over Triumph
Lyubertsy thanks to a Leo Lyon layup with 77 seconds left. Tyawin McKee
gave an 84-83 lead to the home team with 1:22 left in the game and
Lyons posted the game winner five seconds later, but the hero was
Sergiy Gorbenko, who blocked the final attempt of Artem Vikhrov at the
buzzer. Budivelnik remains unbeaten in Group I, while Triumphs is still
winless. Lyons led the way with 26 points and 16 rebounds for the
winners with a performance index index rating of 32; Malcolm Delany
added 16 points with 6 rebounds and 3 steals, while Gorbenko scored 14.
Read more here.
Unics Kazan 87 - 95 Ratiopharm Ulm
A
solid game throughout the first three quarters and cold blood in the
last were all thet ratiopharm Ulm needed to pull a valuable road win at
Unics Kazan on Wednesday by 87-95. The lead changed hands a few times
even though Ulm was dominating for most of the game and in the last
3:30 minutes, the guests soared to a 18 of 20 from the charity stripe
that allowed them to stay safe despite Chuck Eidson's late attempts to
save Unics. The win allows Ulm to improve its record to 1-1 in Group L,
while Unics collects its first Last 16 loss to drop to 1-1. Allan Ray
led the winners with 20 points, Per Guenther contributed 19, John
Bryant added 18 plus 13 boards and Keaton Nankivil had 14. Read more here.
Lokomotiv Kuban 96 - 87 Stelmet Zielona Gora
Lokomotiv Kuban
defeated Stelmet Zielona Gora 96-87 in Group K to improve to 2-0 and
take over as the group’s exclusive leader. Zielona Gora dropped to 1-1
with the loss. Lokomotiv used a 17-2 run that bridged halftime to take
a 62-51 lead and Mantas Kalnietis extended it to 71-58 before Quinton
Hosley led the visitors within 91-85 late in the game, but Lokomotiv
never flinched. Simas Jasaitis led the winners with 21 points and 6
rebounds, Nick Calathes amassed 21 with 12 assists, Mantas Kanietis
produced 20 points and 9 assists and Derrick Brown netted 12. Hosley
posted 22 for Zielona Gora, Oliver Stevic added 15, while Walter Hodge
and Dejan Borovniak chipped in 13 apiece. Read more here.
Spartak St. Petersburg 78 - 59 Cajasol Seville
Spartak
St. Petersburg bounced back from its first loss of the Eurocup season
by routing visiting Cajasol Seville 78-59 on Wednesday night. Josh
Carter scored 14 points and Zach Wright quietly played a brilliant game
despite only scoring 6 points to lead Spartak, which grabbed the lead
midway through the first quarter and never looked back. The hosts
proceeded to outscore Cajasol in every quarter and forced 17 turnovers,
which proved to be enough, even though the visitors outrebounded
Spartak 23-31. Vladimir Dragicevic added 13 points, Fedor Dmitriev
scored 11 and Janis Strelnieks 10, while Wright led the team with 6
rebounds and 8 assists. Luka Bogdanovic paced Cajasol with 14 points
and Latavious Williams tallied 12 points and 13 rebounds. Read more here.
January 15, 2013
VEF Riga 90 - 76 Uxue Bilbao Basket
VEF
Riga sent a message that echoed all around the Eurocup Last 16 by
downing Uxue Bilbao Basket 99-76 in Group J on Tuesday. VEF improved to
1-1 in Group J and Bilbao dropped to 0-2. E.J. Rowland paced the
winners with 30 points on 8-of-11 two-point shots and 4-of-5 shots from
beyond the arc. He had 23 points after the break in an outstanding
second-half exhibition. Gatis Jahovics added 16, Donatas Zavackas had
11 while Kristaps Janicenoks got 10 for VEF. Kostas Vasileiadis led 5
Bilbao players in double digits with 20 points. Raul Lopez added 15,
Alex Mumbru and Lamont Hamilton each had 13 and Roger Grimau got 10 for
the guests. Read more here.
January 15, 2013 - Eurocup Last 16, Game 2: Ready for more action!
The Eurocup Last 16 continues with the second batch of games,
the results of which will start to discriminate between the teams that
show real options and the ones who will have to regroup soon in order
to keep their options. Action starts on Tuesday at 18:30 CET with VEF
Riga welcoming Uxue Bilbao Basket in Latvia in a Group J game between
the two teams that lost the Last 16 opener. The other seven games are
due on Wednesday. To complete the aforementioned Group J, the two
winners from last week will face off in the Czech Republic as CEZ
Nymburk hosts Valencia Basket at 18:00 CET. Group I will be featuring
an early 16:30 CET duel between Triumph Lyubertsy and Budivelnik Kiev
in Russia, while 90 minute later, in Turkey, Banvit BK Bandirma
welcomes KK Buducnost VOLI to try to jump on the winning bandwagon.
Read more here.
Here is the schedule for Eurocup Last 16, Game 2:
GROUP I
BC Triumph Lyubertsy vs. BC Budivelnik Kiev 84:85
Banvit BK Bandirma vs. KK Buducnost VOLI 89:80
GROUP J
VEF Riga vs. Uxue Bilbao Basket 99:76
CEZ Basketball Nymburk vs. Valencia Basket 77:82
GROUP K
PBC Lokomotiv Kuban vs. Stelmet Zielona Gora 96:87
BC Spartak St. Petersburg vs. Cajasol Seville 78:59
GROUP L
Unics Kazan vs. Ratiopharm Ulm 87:95
Crvena Zvezda Telekom vs. Galatasaray Medical Park 74:91
January 10, 2013 - Last 16 Game 1 MVP: Cedomir Vitkovac, KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica
An
outstanding individual performance in a winning effort ended with a
bonus for Cedomir Vitkovac of KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica as he claimed
Last 16 Game 1 MVP honors. Vitkovac led Buducnost to a 90-69 home win
against BC Triumph Lyubertsy with a performance index record of 40,
which tied him for the third-greatest individual performance in Last 16
history. Vitkovac tied Nando De Colo, Hrvoje Peric and Darius
Washington on that impressive list. Only Devin Smith of Benetton Basket
Bwin (index 47) and Torin Francis of Panellinios Athens (44) have had
better index ratings than Vitkovac in this tough stage. Vitkovac led
Buducnost with 24 points on 7-of-12 two-point shooting. Read more here.
January 9, 2013 - Game 1
Uxue Bilbao Basket 83 - 85 CEZ Basketball Nymburk
CEZ Nymburk Basketball
edged Uxue Bilbao Basket 83-85 on the road Wednesday night, handing the
Spanish side its first Eurocup defeat of the 2012-13 campaign. The
Czech champs recovered from a late Bilbao surge to ice the win on free
throws by Radoslav Rancik. The big man paced Nymburk with 30 points and
7 rebounds, while Drew Naymick provided 20 points and 7 rebounds. Jiri
Welsch added 12 points and 6 assists and Miljan Pavkovic netted 10 for
the winners. Alex Mumbru led five Bilbao scorers in double figures with
13 points. Lamont Hamilton added 12, Raul Lopez and Kostas Vasiliadis
scored 11 each and Milovan Rakovic 10. Read more here.
Galatasaray Medical Park 74 - 80 Unics Kazan
Unics Kazan escaped
from Abdi Ipecki Arena in Istanbul with a 74-80 victory over
Galatasaray Medical Park in Group L on Wednesday. Unics used a late
11-2 run to take a 69-75 with a minute left in the game and then made 5
of the last 6 free throws to seal the win. Chuck Eidson led the winners
scoring 23 points – 9 of which came during the crucial run – Ian
Vougioukas bagged 17 points with 7 rebounds, while Mike Wilkinson
drained 14. David Hawkins contributed with 20 points for Galatasaray,
Jamont Gordon nailed 18 and Erwin Dudley added 16, but prized newcomer
Carlos Arroyo scored just 2 points off the bench. Read more here.
Ratiopharm Ulm 95 - 100 Crvena Zvezda Telekom
In
arguably one of the best games so far in this 2012-13 Eurocup season,
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade grabbed a key road win in difficult
Group L by edging Ratiopharm Ulm 95-100. Igor Rakocevic paced the
winners with 32 points. Boris Savovic added 17, Elton Brown had 16 and
10 rebounds while Vuk Radivojevic got 13 points for Zvezda. John Bryant
led Ulm with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Allan Ray added 19 points,
Steven Esterkamp had 16 and Per Guenther got 15 for the hosts. Ray
shined early in the game but Rakocevic stepped up late in the first
quarter to give Zvezda a 17-19 lead after 10 minutes. Radivojevic
struck three times from downtown and Brown led a 0-9 run which made the
guests boost their margin to 27-36, enough to keep a 39-48 lead at
halftime. Read more here.
Buducnost VOLI 90 - 69 Triumph Lyubertsy
KK
Buducnost VOLI opened the Top 16 with a bang by routing BC Triumph
Lyubertsy 90-69 in Podgorica. Cedomir Vitkovac starred with 24 points
and 12 rebounds, plus 7 of 8 free throws made after drawing 10 fouls to
lead the winners. The Montenegrin champs opened strong and led by 13 in
the first quarter before Triumph rallied back. The visitors scored the
first 7 points of the second half to take a 47-51 edge, but soon Aleksa
Popovic, Vitkovac and Strahinja Milosevic combined for all the points
in a 15-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters and Buducnost
never looked back. Ball control was a key to the win; Buducnost
registered 10 steals while Triumph had just 1. Read more here.
BC Budivelnik Kiev 76 - 69 Banvit Bandirma BK
BC Budivelnik Kiev came
back from a double-digit deficit to down Banvit BK Bandirma 76-69 and
pick up an important victory in the opening game of Eurocup Last 16
Group I. Banvit led by as many as 10 points in the second quarter,
however, Budivelnik crawled back to take its first lead at the end of
third. The hosts then hit 4 of their 10 three-pointers in the final 10
minutes. Three triples at the start of the fourth, two from Sergiy
Gorbenko and one from George Tsintsadze, put Budivelnik in control, and
another triple from Tsintsadze with 35 seconds remaining sealed the
win. Leo Lyons had 15 points plus 9 rebounds in victory while Dainius
Salenga scored 14 points. Read more here.
Stelmet Zielona Gora 76 - 67 Cajasol Seville
Stelmet
Zielona Gora registered its first-ever win in the Eurocup Last 16 by
downing Cajasol Seville 76-67 in Group K on Wednesday. Walter Hodge
paced the winners with 27 points on 7-of-7 two-point shots and 6
assists. Dejan Borovnjak added 16 points, Oliver Stevic had 12 while
Quinton Hosley got 11, 7 rebounds and 8 assists for Zielona Gora. John
Holland led Cajasol with 17 points. Joan Sastre added 15 while
Latavious Williams had 10 and 10 rebounds for the guests. Holland and
Williams shined early to give Cajasol a 6-17 lead midway through the
first quarter. Zielona Gora answered with a 13-0 run which allowed the
hosts to get a 19-17 edge early in the second quarter. Read more here.
Spartak St. Petersburg 70 - 84 Lokomotiv Kuban
Lokomotiv
Kuban took the all-Russian duel in the Last 16 opening week at Spartak
St. Petersburg by 70-84 on Wednesday night. The win allows Loko to
start with a 1-0 record in Group K, while Spartak is 0-1. Despite a
strong Kuban start, Spartak reacted and even jumped ahead at 27-26, but
Kuban was back in business soon and a timely 0-9 burst allowed them to
jump ahead again and manage the lead from there. Derrick Brown led the
winners with 21 points, Simas Jasaitis added 15, Aleks Maric 14, Jimmy
Baron 13 and Nick Calathes 12. For Spartak, Loukas Mavrokefalides led
the way with 20 points and 9 boards, Zach Wright added 16 and Janis
Strelnieks contributed 11. Read more here.
January 8, 2013
Valencia Basket 86 - 82 VEF Riga
Valencia
Basket became the first team to register a win in the 2012-13 Eurocup
Last 16 by rallying from a double-digit second-half deficit to edge VEF
Riga 86-82 at home in Group J on Tuesday. Valencia grabbed its 46th win
in 48 Eurocup home games. Rafa Martinez paced the winners with 27
points on 5-of-6 three-point shots. Bojan Dubljevic and Justin Doellman
each added 14, Thomas Kelati had 11 and Stefan Markovic got 10 and
dished 11 assists to tie a Last 16 record that previously belonged to
Dontaye Draper and Tutku Acik. E.J. Rowland led VEF with 21 points.
Donatas Zavackas added 18 while Kristaps Janicenoks got 16 for the
guests. Read more here.
January 8, 2013 - Eurocup Last 16, Game 1: a new, decisive phase starts!
Eurocup fans, here comes the Last 16!
A decisive, six-game round-robin round which will leave just 8 teams
standing in the fight to become the 2012-13 Eurocup champion. All 16
surviving teams have been devided into 4 groups of 4 based on their
final regular season rankings. Only the best two teams in each group
will advance to the two-way quarterfinals. In the earliest game in this
round, two-time champion Valencia Basket hosts VEF Riga in Group J on
Tuesday at 20:30 CET. Valencia and VEF already faced each other in the
2011-12 Last 16. Valencia beat VEF twice and eventually managed to
reach the title game. All other seven games will be played on
Wednesday. At 17:00 CET in Group K, Spartak St. Petersburg faces PBC
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in an All-Russian showdown between regular
season group champions. Also in Group K, Stelmet Zielona Gora welcomes
Cajasol Seville at 18:00 CET. Read more here.
Here is the schedule for Eurocup Last 16, Game 1:
GROUP I
BC Budivelnik Kiev vs. Banvit Bandirma BK 76:69
KK Buducnost VOLI vs. BC Triumph Lyubertsy 90:69
GROUP J
Uxue Bilbao Basket vs. CEZ Basketball Nymburk 83:85
Valencia Basket vs. VEF Riga 86:82
GROUP K
Stelmet Zielona Gora vs. Cajasol Seville 76:67
BC Spartak St. Petersburg vs. PBC Lokomotiv Kuban 70:84
December 28, 2012 - Last 16 groups breakdown, Group L
A
Euroleague winner with Panathinaikos, Vougioukas now wants to add a
Eurocup title to his personal roll of honors. Vougioukas leads Unics in
rebounds (6 rpg.), blocks (1 bpg.) and performance index ranking (22.5
per game, third overall) and is second in scoring (16.5 ppg.). He leads
all Last 16 players in two-pointers made (40) and is second in
two-point percentage (78.7% 2FG). In other words, he has been
unstoppable and the best is yet to come for him and Unics. A three-time
Alphonso Ford Scoring Trophy winner looking for its first continental
title, Rakocevic is trying to lead Zvezda to a historical season.
Rakocevic leads Zvezda is scoring (18.7 ppg., 47.6% 3FG, 80% FT), fouls
drawn (4.2 per game) and performance index ranking (18 per game), as
well as ranking second in assists (3.3 apg.). Read more here.
December 24, 2012 - Last 16 groups breakdown, Group K
A
two-time Euroleague champion, Calathes has a different role with
Lokomotiv and has become his team's undeniable leader. Calathes is the
only player to average more than 6 rebounds (6.5 rpg., 8th overall) and
6 assists (6.5 apg., 3rd overall) so far this season. He also leads
Lokomotiv in fouls drawn (4.7 per game) and is second in scoring (14.7
ppg.). In other words, Calathes has simply been all over the place for
Lokomotiv. The reigning Eurocup MVP is definitely living up to the
expectations. Beverley is once again leading Spartak this season. He
leads his team in assists (2.8 apg.), steals (1.3 spg.), fouls drawn
(4.5 per game) and performance index ranking (15.3 per game), to go
with 12.2 points on 50% three-point shooting and 4 rebounds on average.
Read more here.
December 17, 2012 - Last 16 groups breakdown, Group J
Once
a top European prospect, Vasiliadis has found the right place to fulfil
its great talent, feeling really comfortable in Bilbao. Vasiliadis
leads Bilbao Basket in scoring (17.3 ppg.) and performance index
ranking (19.8 per game) and ranks second in assists (2.8 apg.) and
steals (1.8 spg.), proving he is much more than a great shooter. His
buzzer-beating basket against Buducnost to force overtime has been one
of the competition's highlights this season. An All-Eurocup second team
selection last season, Dubljevic moved to Valencia last summer and has
stepped up big in the biggest challenge of his short, promising career.
Despite stepping on court 20 minutes per game, Dubljevic has averaged
14.2 points on 89.7% free throw accuracy and 3.5 rebounds for a
performance index average of 13.2. Read more here.
December 14, 2012 - Last 16 groups breakdown, Group I
Budivelnik
is a very balanced team but Delaney has shined throughout the regular
season, leading Budivelnik in minutes (over 30 per game), scoring (15.2
ppg.) and ranking second in assists (2.5 apg.). He ranks third in the
Eurocup in fouls drawn per game (6.5) but is just 22nd is free throw
attempts (4.33 per game, hitting 73.1%). His explosiveness and
quickness can make Budivelnik reach bigger heights in the Eurocup.
Nobody has been more solid all around the competition. McKee earned
back-to-back Eurocup weekly MVP honors throughout the regular season.
He leads the Eurocup in performance index ranking (28.2 per game), is
its second top scorer (20.6 ppg.), is ninth in assists (5.2 apg.),
second in steals (2.4 spg.) and fouls drawn (7.8 per game). He leads
the Eurocup in free throws made (6.8 per game). Read more here.
What
was already a season to remember for Walter Hodge and Stelmet Zielona
Gora finished on a high note Wednesday. Despite knowing before the game
that Zielona Gora could not advance to the quarterfinals, Hodge led the
team to an exciting come-from-behind victory over Lokomotiv Kuban and
his brilliant performance earned the guard Eurocup Last 16 Week 6 MVP
honors. Hodge also became the first person in over two years to win
back-to-back weekly MVP awards. The last player to do so was Damjan
Rudez, who was the Last 16 Week 3 and Week 4 in the 2010-11 season with
Cedevita Zagreb. Hodge produced 29 points and 10 assists for his first
double-double of the season as Zielona Gora won 94-88. Read more 
Tomas
Satoransky’s last-second tip-in lifted Cajasol Seville to a 66-64
victory over Spartak St. Petersburg in the Last 16 Group K finale.
After Spartak used a 0-22 first-half run to dominate the proceedings,
Satoransky starred as he led the hosts back in the third quarter and
finished a strong night with the game winner. It was Cajasol’s first
win in the group and allowed it to avoid being the only winless last 16
team. Spartak slipped to 3-3, but had already clinched second place in
Group K and a spot in the quarterfinals, where it will face Budivelnik.
John Holland paced the hosts with 23 points and Satoransky finished
with 11 points and 5 assists. Loukas Mavrokefalides led Spartak with 19
points, Vladimir Dragicevic netted 14 plus 7 rebounds and Josh Carter
scored 12 in defeat. Read more 
BC
Budivelnik Kiev became the Last 16 Group I champion by downing BC
Triumph Lyubertsy 88-77 in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday.
Budivelnik won group I with a 4-2 record and will face Spartak St.
Petersburg in the two-way Eurocup Quarterfinals. Triumph was fourth in
Group I with a 2-4 record. Malcolm Delaney paced the winners with 26
points on 16-of-16 free throws. Michail Anisimov added 16, Giorgi
Tsintsadze had 14 while Artur Drozdov had 13 for Budivelnik. Tywain
McKee led Triumph with 17 points. Sergey Karasev added 15 and Kyle
Landry had 10. Budivelnik had a strong start but Landry and McKee
fueled an 0-8 run that gave Triumph a 9-12 lead. An outstanding Delaney
allowed the hosts to tie the game, 21-21, after 10 minutes. Read more 
In
a game between two sides already eliminated from Eurocup quarterfinals
contention, Galatasaray Medical Park showed grit and determination to
beat Crvena Zvezda Telekom 85-84 at home in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Galatasaray finished with a 3-3 record, tied for second place but
already having known it would lose the tiebreaker on points difference.
Galatasaray overcame a seven-point deficit in the final quarter to beat
Zvezda thanks to Sertac Sanli’s decisive basket. Jamont Gordon, who
contributed a key three-pointer in the final stages, was one of four
double-digit scorers for Galatasaray, led by Manuchar Markioshivili and
Ender Arslan, with 17 points each. Sanli added 16 and Gordon 12. The
game’s top scorer was Boris Savovic of Crvena Zvezda with a
double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds. Read more 
Unics
Kazan made sure it will play the second game of the quarterfinals at
home by taking a last-second 77-79 win over host ratiopharm Ulm in a
Group L thriller for first place on the final night of the Last 16.
Both teams were already qualified, but the result broke their tie,
giving Unics a 4-2 record. Ulm finished 3-3, in second-place tie with
but having a tie-break advantage over Galatasaray Medical Park. Both
face quarterfinal opponents from Spain: Unics will meet Valencia Basket
in one two-game series, while Ulm will face Uxue Bilbao Basket. The
Unics victory came after Ulm had seemingly sent the game into overtime,
but two free throws from Chuck Eidson meant that Unics got the job done
in regulation time. Read more 
Uxue
Bilbao Basket used a game-ending 16-2 run to rally past visiting VEF
Riga 76-65 and into the quarterfinals with a first-place finish in
Group J on Tuesday. The victory was the fourth straight for Bilbao,
which finished the Last 16 with 4-2 record. Bilbao topped the group
standings by virtue of two victories over second-place Valencia Basket,
which also finished 4-2. In the quarterfinals, Bilbao will play Spartak
St. Petersburg. Riga was eliminated with 3-3 record even though it used
some sharp shooting and tough defense to build a 13-27 lead midway
through the second quarter. Triples from Alex Mumbru and Raul Lopez
highlighted Bilbao's comeback as the hosts made a 12-2 run to grab a
37-36 halftime advantage. Read more 
Valencia
Basket thrashed visiting CEZ Basketball Nymburk 104-55 on Tuesday night
to advance to the Eurocup quarterfinals for the seventh time in club
history. Valencia ends the Last 16 with a 4-2 record, the same as Group
J champion Bilbao, but due to two losses in head-to-head matches
Valencia finishes in the second place and will play Lokomotiv Kuban in
the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Nymburk was eliminated prior to this
game, and finishes the Last 16 with a 1-5 record. Valencia took control
and lead for good after a 12-2 first-quarter run. The hosts pulled away
to a 51-27 lead on the wings of a 15-0 run sparked by 2 triples from
Rafa Martinez and some stellar defensive effort. Read more 
Ratiopharm
Ulm made club history in its debut Eurocup season by 
BK
Banvit Bandirma came out on top in a must-win game against Budivelnik
Kiev on Wednesday night, shaking off a late scare thanks to a great
performance from Chuck Davis. The hosts hit a late basket in the 94-85
triumph that could be crucial, as it gave Banvit the advantage over
Budivelnik in the event of a tie-break situation. Davis scored 24
points and almost got into double digits with 9 rebounds. Kalin Lucas
added 14 points for the winners, Sammy Mejia finished with 13, and
Vladimir Stimac and Kenan Bajramovic netted 12 apiece. Banvit will win
Group I if it can beat Buducnost on the road next week. For Budivelnik,
which would have clinched first place in Group I with a victory, Leo
Lyons was in great form with a double-double of 20 points and 11
rebounds, Artur Drozdov added 14 points and Malcolm Delaney 10. 
Lokomotiv
Kuban became the Group K champion by routing Spartak St. Petersburg
77-72 on Wednesday in Krasnodar, Russia. Lokomotiv remained undefeated
with a 5-0 record, while Spartak, which had already qualified for the
quarterfinals, is second at 3-2. The home team led 36-31 at halftime
and used a 20-6 third-quarter run to break the game open, 59-41.
Spartak came close in the final minutes, 71-68, but Lokomotiv never
lost the lead. Derrick Brown led the winners with 18 points, Aleks
Maric bagged 16, Simas Jasaitis 15, Mantas Kalnietis contributed 11 and
Nick Calathes had more rebounds (9) than points (8). Josh Carter of
Spartak led all the scorers with 20 points, Loukas Mavrokefalides
netted 12 and Darius Johnson-Odom 10. Read more 
BC
Triumph Lyubertsy rejoined the race to reach the Eurocup Quarterfinals
by downing KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica 76-66 in Last 16 Group I at home
on Wednesday. Both teams now tie in Group I, each with a 2-3 record.
Triumph visits BC Budivelnik Kiev and Buducnost hosts Banvit BK
Bandirma. Both teams need to win and wait for other results in order to
advance. Sergey Karasev paced the winners with 24 points on 5-of-8
three-point shots. Tywain McKee added 16 and 8 assists for Triumph.
Marko Popovic led Buducnost with 18 points on 5-of-10 three-point
shots. Dusko Bunic added 11 for the guests. Triumph opened the game
with a 7-0 run and managed to keep a 18-16 edge after 10 minutes. A
three-pointer by Karasev restored a 26-19 Triumph lead early in the
second quarter. Read more 
Despite
late comeback efforts by the guests, Unics Kazan managed to hold off
Galatasaray Medical Park on Wednesday, and racked up a valuable home
win by 64-57. This result could grant the Russian team a berth in the
Quarterfinals thanks to a 3-2 record in Group L. However, Unics will
still have to wait for the result of the game between Crvena Zvezda
Telekom and ratiopharm Ulm later in the evening to see the final
outcome. Galatasaray dropped to 2-3 and still retains some options to
advance, always taking into account the result of the game between
Zvezda and Ulm. After trailing during the whole first half, Galatasaray
managed to tie the game in the third quarter and even jump ahead for a
few minutes, but Unics regrouped and thanks to a late 10 run in the
game, it put the win in a safe place. Read more 
Stelmet
Zielona Gora came from a 15-point deficit to shock Cajasol Seville
81-85 on Tuesday night. Although both teams had already been eliminated
from quarterfinals contention, the victory improved Zielona Gora to 2-3
and secured them third place in Group K, while Cajasol remained winless
in the Last 16. The hosts led by as many as 31-16 in the second
quarter, but Walter Hodge rallied Zielona Gora for a 3-14 run that
bridged the halves and tied it the score at 43-43. Zielona Gora did not
lead until midway through the fourth quarter, however, and finished the
game with a 0-9 run to complete its comeback. Hodge had another
brilliant performance, scoring 31 points en route to victory. Oliver
Stevic scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, while Dejan Borovnjak
collected 11 points plus 7 boards. Read more 
Uxue
Bilbao Basket took over its own fate in the Last 16 by posting a strong
69-83 road win against CEZ Nymburk on Tuesday in the Czech Republic.
Bilbao is now tied in first place with Valencia Basket and VEF Riga,
all with 3-2 records. Bilbao hosts Riga in the sixth and final game of
the Last 16 next week; a win or a loss by Valencia would put Bilbao in
the quarterfinals. With the loss on Tuesday, Nymburk fell to 1-4 and is
eliminated from the competition. A 7-29 run by Bilbao bridged the first
two quarters and put the visitors in control for the rest of the game.
When Nymburk fought back to within 69-75 with 2:20 to play, Bilbao made
sure with a game-ending 0-8 run. Milan Rakovic led the winners with 18
points on near-perfect shooting, 7 for 8 inside the arc and 4 for 4 at
the foul line. Read more 
With
its possible elimination at stake, two-time Eurocup champion Valencia
Basket rallied from a 22-point deficit to grab a life-saving 96-103
overtime win over VEF Riga in the Latvian capital on Tuesday. With this
victory, Valencia gained control of its own fate in Group J. Both teams
now hold 3-2 records, but Valencia holds a tiebreaker with two wins
over Riga. The hosts, who would have secured the club’s first Eurocup
quarterfinal berth with a victory, seemed in control after building
37-15 lead in the second quarter. But, Valencia cut it to 11 points
before halftime, and with 13 third-quarter points from Justin Doellman,
came back to tie the game at 70-70. With leads changing hands in the
fourth quarter, Pau Ribas forced overtime with a reverse layup that
made it 90-90 with 6 seconds left. Read more 
What
has already been a brilliant Eurocup rookie season for ratiopharm Ulm
center John Bryant just got better. The big man continued his fantastic
Last 16 with his best game yet, dominating the paint against
Galatasaray Medical Park to the tune of 20 points, 17 rebounds and 4
assists. That performance not only led Ulm to a 91-70 victory and a
real shot a quarterfinals spot, but also earned Bryant Last 16 Game 4
MVP honors. Bryant finished the week with a performance index rating of
36, which was best in the competition. He made 7 of 11 two-point shots,
added 1 three-pointer and was perfect in 3 trips to the foul line.
Bryant’s 17 rebounds were the most in the Eurocup in the past two
seasons. Read more 
Budivelnik
Kiev escaped from Podgorica with a 75-77 come-from-behind win over
Buducnost to storm into first place in Group I with a 3-1 record. The
result dropped Budivelnik into a tie for second place with Banvit BK at
2-2. After trailing by 16 in the third quarter, Budivelnik used a 2-11
run to open the fourth quarter and climb within 67-66. Leo Lyons tied
the score at 70-70 and scored what proved to be the game winner with a
fast break layup with 17 seconds left. Lyons led the winners with 17
points, Artur Drozdov added 16 with 8 rebounds, 4 steals and an index
rating of 26, George Tsintsadze bagged 12 points with 7 assists and
Malcolm Delaney chipped in 12 points for the winners. Read more 
Spartak St. Petersburg
routed Stelmet Zielona Gora 81-54 on Wednesday evening to march into
the quarterfinals. Spartak improved to 3-1 in Last 16 Group K and 9-1
this season in securing a ticket to the next round, along with fellow
Russian side Lokomotiv Kuban, which also advanced following Spartak’s
victory. A second quarter capitulation from Stelmet – in which it
scored just 7 points to Spartak’s 22 – had a large say in the outcome.
Zach Wright led the way with 17 points for Spartak, including the final
points of the night with a dunk. He also provided 8 assists. Vladamir
Dragisevic added 14 points for the winners, Joshua Carter 13, Loukas
Mavrokefalides 11 and Fedor Dmitriev 10. Read more 
BC Triumph Lyubertsy picked up its first victory in
the Last 16 by downing BK Banvit Bandirma 93-89, thus keeping alive its
chances of grabbing a quarterfinal spot. Triumph improved to 1-3, but
remains at the bottom of Group I, while Banvit dropped to 2-2 and after
Week 4 will be in a share of the second place. Banvit, however, won the
potential tiebreaker as it celebrated a 7-point victory in a match-up
of these two teams a week ago. On Wednesday, Triumph led for
essentially the entire game, grabbing the lead for good in the third
minute and never looking back. The margin was as big as 17 points
before Banvit closed the gap in the final minutes and threatened to
make a comeback, but Kyle Landry and Tywain McKee sealed the deal. Read
more 
The
Eurocup's return to a single-game final at its long-time home under
that format, the RTL Spiroudome in Charleroi, Belgium, was celebrated
with a press conference at the venue on Thursday. The RTL Spiroudome,
which hosted the Eurocup title game for four consecutive years in the
middle of last decade, will do so again in both 2013 and 2014, it was
announced recently. The Eurocup will hold its 11th final in as many
years and determine a new champion on Saturday, April 13, 2013 starting
at 21:00 local time (CET). Previously, four iconic clubs – Hapoel
Migdal Jerusalem in 2004, Lietuvos Rytas in 2005, Dynamo Moscow in 2006
and Real Madrid in 2007 – were crowned Eurocup champions on the RTL
Spiroudome floor. Read more 
Kostas
Vasiliadis gave Uxue Bilbao Basket a new life in the Last 16 by
drilling a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to defeat Valencia
Basket 60-61 on the road Tuesday. The result gave both teams 2-2
records with two games left in the Last 16. Nonetheless, Bilbao's
back-to-back wins over its Spanish rival in Group J could become
decisive in the event of future ties. Vasiliadis was open for a
heads-up pass from Axel Hervelle as the shot and game clocks ticked
away. He didn't hesitate pulling the trigger and certifying Bilbao's
comeback from 8 points behind after halftime. Vasiliadis led the
winners with 14 points, while Lamont Hamilton added 12, Adrien Moerman
9 and Roger Grimau 8. Hervelle pulled 11 rebounds while Bilbao's hustle
for 9 team rebounds gave the visitors a telling 44-32 advantage on the
boards. Read more 
In
an all-Spanish League clash, Uxue Bilbao Basket came back from a
double-digit first half deficit to down Valencia Basket 91-76 and pick
up its first win in the Last 16. Bilbao improved to 1-2 in Group J, the
same record as CEZ Basketball Nymburk, while Valencia dropped to 2-1
and shares the top spot with VEF Riga. The hosts trailed 31-42 midway
through the second quarter after Valencia made an 0-18 run. However,
Bilbao answered with a 23-4 spurt that bridged the second and third
quarters, taking the lead for good. A 10-2 run midway through the
fourth quarter sealed the deal for Bilbao, which had four players,
Nikos Zisis, Milovan Rakovic, Alex Mumbru and Raul Lopez, with 14
points. Rakovic and Mumbru also grabbed 8 rebounds apiece, while Lopez
dished out 7 assists. Read more 
Spartak
St. Petersburg improved to 2-1 in Last 16 Group K by thrashing Stelmet
Zielona Gora 69-89 in Poland on Wednesday. Spartak registered its
second consecutive win in Group K and Zielona Gora dropped to 1-2. Both
teams are set to face again in St. Petersburg, Russia next week. Loukas
Mavrokefalidis paced the winners with 19 points. Vladimir Dragicevic
added 16, Zach Wright had 13, Vasily Zavourev got 11 while Josh Carter
contributed 10 for Spartak. Dejan Borovnjak led Zielona Gora with 17
points. Walter Hodge added 13 while Oliver Stevic had 10 for the hosts.
Spartak had a strong start but Hodge and Borovnjak kept Zielona Gora
within 21-24 early in the second quarter. Read more 
VEF
Riga hit three-pointers on four consecutive possessions in the final
four minutes of the game as it rallied from a 17-point deficit to shock
CEZ Basketball Nymburk 80-85 on Wednesday night. Riga improved to 2-1
in Group J, while Nymburk dropped to 1-2. The hosts were in control for
35 minutes after leading 53-36 lead in the third quarter and 72-62
midway through the fourth. However Donatas Zavackas, Dairis Bertans and
Kristaps Janicenoks combined to nail 4 triples, and Zavackas made a
basket-plus-foul to cap a 3-17 run that swung the game Riga’s way.
Janicenoks finished with 16 points, Antanas Kavaliauskas scored 15
while shooting 7 for 7 on two-pointers. Kaspars Berzins had 14 points
plus 6 rebounds, and Zavackas scored 11 of his 13 points in the
decisive fourth quarter. Read more 
Unics
Kazan took the Group L showdown against Crvena Zvezda Telekom on
Wednesday by 78-59. After averaging 91 points per game up to this week,
Zvezda was shut down by Unics' defense in the second half as the hosts
cruised to the win thanks to a 18-7 last quarter partial score. The win
allows Unics to improve to a 2-1 record while Crvena Zvezda dropped to
1-2. Also, with a 0 of 12 from the arc, it was the first time ever in
the Eurocup that Crvena Zvezda didn't score a single three in a game.
That, together with 20 turnovers, was a recipe for defeat for the
guests. Mire Chatman led the winners with his 20 points, Chuck Eidson
added 16, Kostas Kaimakoglou 11 and Ian Vougioukas 10. For the guests,
Elton Brown had 13 points, DeMarcus Nelson added 12 and Igor Rakocevic
had 10. Read more 
An
outstanding performance in a winning effort allowed veteran guard E.J.
Rowland of VEF Riga to pick up Last 16 Game 2 MVP honors. Rowland led
VEF to a 99-73 home win over Uxue Bilbao Basket with 30 points on
8-of-12 two-point shooting and 4 of 5 three-point attempts. He added 3
rebounds, an assist, 3 steals, a block and 7 fouls drawn for a
performance index ranking of 36 - the best among all players on winning
teams in Last 16 Game 2. Chuck Eidson of Unics Kazan also amassed a 36
index, but his team fell short 87-95 against Ratiopharm Ulm. Eidson led
Unics with 31 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting and 5-of-5 free
throws, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 fouls drawn. Read more 
Galatasaray
Medical Park Istanbul bounced back from its initial loss in Last 16
Group L by topping Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 74-91 in the Serbian
capital on Wednesday. Both teams join Unics Kazan and Ratiopharm Ulm in
a four-way tie in Group L at 1-1. Jamont Gordon led 6 Galatasaray
players in double digits with 22 points on 9-of-10 two-point shots.
Carlos Arroyo added 19 on 5-of-8 three-point shots, Boni Ndong had 15
while Milan Macvan, Ender Arslan and David Hawkins each got 10 for the
winners. Igor Rakocevic led Zvezda with 16 points. DeMarcus Nelson had
13, Rasko Katic added 12 and Elton Brown for 10 for the hosts. Gordon
shined early in the game to give Galatasaray a 10-17 lead, enough for
the guests to keep a 18-22 edge after 10 minutes. Read more 
Banvit
BK Bandirma held off Buducnost Voli Podgorica 89-80 to pick up its
first victory in the Last 16. Both teams now hold 1-1 record in the
second place of the Group I standings. Banvit grabbed control of the
game midway through the second quarter with an 8-1 run. Although
Buducnost came within 63-62 in the third quarter, the hosts never gave
up their advantage led by Chuck Davis and Vladimir Stimac, while Sammy
Mejia sealed the deal in the final 2 minutes of the game. Stimac
finished with 17 points plus 9 rebounds, while Davis also scored 17.
Mejia and Serkan Erdogan had 14 apiece, and Kalin Lucas chipped in with
12 for Banvit. Aleksa Popovic led Buducnost with 16 points. Read more 
VEF
Riga sent a message that echoed all around the Eurocup Last 16 by
downing Uxue Bilbao Basket 99-76 in Group J on Tuesday. VEF improved to
1-1 in Group J and Bilbao dropped to 0-2. E.J. Rowland paced the
winners with 30 points on 8-of-11 two-point shots and 4-of-5 shots from
beyond the arc. He had 23 points after the break in an outstanding
second-half exhibition. Gatis Jahovics added 16, Donatas Zavackas had
11 while Kristaps Janicenoks got 10 for VEF. Kostas Vasileiadis led 5
Bilbao players in double digits with 20 points. Raul Lopez added 15,
Alex Mumbru and Lamont Hamilton each had 13 and Roger Grimau got 10 for
the guests. Read more 
Lokomotiv
Kuban took the all-Russian duel in the Last 16 opening week at Spartak
St. Petersburg by 70-84 on Wednesday night. The win allows Loko to
start with a 1-0 record in Group K, while Spartak is 0-1. Despite a
strong Kuban start, Spartak reacted and even jumped ahead at 27-26, but
Kuban was back in business soon and a timely 0-9 burst allowed them to
jump ahead again and manage the lead from there. Derrick Brown led the
winners with 21 points, Simas Jasaitis added 15, Aleks Maric 14, Jimmy
Baron 13 and Nick Calathes 12. For Spartak, Loukas Mavrokefalides led
the way with 20 points and 9 boards, Zach Wright added 16 and Janis
Strelnieks contributed 11. Read more 
A
Euroleague winner with Panathinaikos, Vougioukas now wants to add a
Eurocup title to his personal roll of honors. Vougioukas leads Unics in
rebounds (6 rpg.), blocks (1 bpg.) and performance index ranking (22.5
per game, third overall) and is second in scoring (16.5 ppg.). He leads
all Last 16 players in two-pointers made (40) and is second in
two-point percentage (78.7% 2FG). In other words, he has been
unstoppable and the best is yet to come for him and Unics. A three-time
Alphonso Ford Scoring Trophy winner looking for its first continental
title, Rakocevic is trying to lead Zvezda to a historical season.
Rakocevic leads Zvezda is scoring (18.7 ppg., 47.6% 3FG, 80% FT), fouls
drawn (4.2 per game) and performance index ranking (18 per game), as
well as ranking second in assists (3.3 apg.). Read more 
A
two-time Euroleague champion, Calathes has a different role with
Lokomotiv and has become his team's undeniable leader. Calathes is the
only player to average more than 6 rebounds (6.5 rpg., 8th overall) and
6 assists (6.5 apg., 3rd overall) so far this season. He also leads
Lokomotiv in fouls drawn (4.7 per game) and is second in scoring (14.7
ppg.). In other words, Calathes has simply been all over the place for
Lokomotiv. The reigning Eurocup MVP is definitely living up to the
expectations. Beverley is once again leading Spartak this season. He
leads his team in assists (2.8 apg.), steals (1.3 spg.), fouls drawn
(4.5 per game) and performance index ranking (15.3 per game), to go
with 12.2 points on 50% three-point shooting and 4 rebounds on average.
Read more 
Once
a top European prospect, Vasiliadis has found the right place to fulfil
its great talent, feeling really comfortable in Bilbao. Vasiliadis
leads Bilbao Basket in scoring (17.3 ppg.) and performance index
ranking (19.8 per game) and ranks second in assists (2.8 apg.) and
steals (1.8 spg.), proving he is much more than a great shooter. His
buzzer-beating basket against Buducnost to force overtime has been one
of the competition's highlights this season. An All-Eurocup second team
selection last season, Dubljevic moved to Valencia last summer and has
stepped up big in the biggest challenge of his short, promising career.
Despite stepping on court 20 minutes per game, Dubljevic has averaged
14.2 points on 89.7% free throw accuracy and 3.5 rebounds for a
performance index average of 13.2. Read more 
Budivelnik
is a very balanced team but Delaney has shined throughout the regular
season, leading Budivelnik in minutes (over 30 per game), scoring (15.2
ppg.) and ranking second in assists (2.5 apg.). He ranks third in the
Eurocup in fouls drawn per game (6.5) but is just 22nd is free throw
attempts (4.33 per game, hitting 73.1%). His explosiveness and
quickness can make Budivelnik reach bigger heights in the Eurocup.
Nobody has been more solid all around the competition. McKee earned
back-to-back Eurocup weekly MVP honors throughout the regular season.
He leads the Eurocup in performance index ranking (28.2 per game), is
its second top scorer (20.6 ppg.), is ninth in assists (5.2 apg.),
second in steals (2.4 spg.) and fouls drawn (7.8 per game). He leads
the Eurocup in free throws made (6.8 per game). Read more 
