BANDIRMA (Basketball Champions League) - Banvit had a fight on their hands early against Nanterre 92 but took control in the second quarter and cruised to a 73-64 win to clinch a spot in the Quarter-Finals.

Adonis Thomas had 15 points and 9 rebounds for Banvit, who won by 17 points on aggregate. They now face AS Monaco Basket in the last eight.

"As a team, we played a great team defensive game," Thomas said. "Everybody contributed tonight. We played very hard, we locked in on some of their guys and wanted to keep the lead the rest of the game."

Thomas had 2 of Banvit's 9 steals and also scored 8 points in the decisive second-quarter stretch that saw Banvit open up a 39-30 lead on the night.

Nanterre, who had to go through the Third Qualification Round to reach the Regular Season, gave themselves a solid platform to build on by opening up a 6-point advantage in the first quarter.

The visitors weren't able to sustain their fine play, however, with Banvit outscoring them 27 to 15 in the second frame.

In a brief comment to television before the second half, Banvit coach Saso Filipovski said he wanted his players not to think about their 17-point lead on aggregate but rather to imagine themselves in a game that was knotted at 0-0.

Nanterre made things interesting, closing the gap to 50-48 late in the third quarter after a 3-ball from Kevin Jones - he had 18 points and 9 rebounds - but Thomas answered immediately with a 3-pointer for Banvit.

The French team battled but never got closer than 3 points the rest of the way in Wednesday's game, and 15 points on aggregate.

Damian Kulig was a force to be reckoned with for Banvit, scoring 15 points and corralling 6 rebounds.

Angelo Caloiaro and Andy Rautins also played well for the Turkish club. Banvit will now meet Monaco, a team it beat at the Final Four last year in Tenerife to reach the title game.