08 October, 2019
04 October, 2020
19 Robin Benzing (ZARA)
21/01/2020
Game Report
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Zaragoza punch Play-Offs ticket in style - Gameday 12, Tuesday roundup

MIES (Switzerland) - Casademont Zaragoza secured their passage to the Basketball Champions League Play-Offs in impressive fashion as they hit the century mark for the first time this season in an imposing triumph over JDA Dijon in France.

Meanwhile UNET Holon brought BAXI Manresa's perfect record at home to an abrupt end to inject extra suspense in the race for a Play-Offs berth from Group A.

Let's have a closer look at all 10 clashes on an action-packed Tuesday night:

JDA Dijon 73-105 Casademont Zaragoza - Group D


Zaragoza pulled away from Dijon in the second quarter and knocked down 17 triples to clinch a Play-Offs berth in style as they hit the century mark in an 105-73 statement win in France.

The Spanish team shot 52 percent from beyond the three-point arc, as Robin Benzing led the way with 8 of 11 shooting from long range and a season-high 32 points.

Dijon, who entered the clash as Group D leaders and as the only team to have already secured a place in the postseason from this pool, led briefly in the opening quarter but could not keep up with the Spanish team's pace on the night.

Nemanja Radovic hit a jumper 7:08 from the second buzzer to instigate a 22-11 burst by the visitors, Zaragoza reached the interval leading 51-40 and never looked back.

Benzing had 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal to go with his 32 points, while Radovic finished with 18 points, 3 boards and 3 assists. For Dijon, Rasheed Sulaimon finished with 19 points in defeat.

The two teams are now tied in first place in the Group D standings on a 8-4 record.

BAXI Manresa 65-67 UNET Holon - Group A


Holon all but wasted a 20-point lead but held off Manresa in a tight finish to prevail 67-65, hand the Spanish team their first loss at home and add a big dose of drama to the Group A play-off race.

The Israeli side, who held Manresa to a season-low 18 percent shooting from beyond the three-point arc, claimed the lead late in the opening stanza and led 56-36 shortly before the end of the third frame.

Luke Nelson however inspired a late rally by the hosts and a Dani Perez layup reduced the deficit to 67-65 with 1:07 remaining to play.

After Marcus Foster missed a three-point that would have given Holon a five-point cushion, Perez tried to win it for Manresa from long range but his shot fell short and the Israeli team celebrated a win that boosts their chances of making the Play-Offs.

T.J. Cline paced Holon with a near double-double of 16 points and 9 rebounds while Foster finished with 15 points and 4 assists. Juampi Vaulet collected a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds for Manresa in defeat.

Holon have now improved to 6-6 while Manresa have dropped to 7-5.

Teksut Bandirma 82-70 RASTA Vechta - Group B


A huge double-double by Emanuel Terry propelled Bandirma to an 82-70 win over Vechta at home that greatly boosts the Turkish team's chances of advancing to the Play-Offs.

Terry registered an efficiency rating of 39, the third-highest in the league so far this season, as he collected 24 points and 14 rebounds and added 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

Bandirma jumped in the driver's seat right after tip-off and led by double digits for most of the way but a Vechta rally reduced the deficit to 59-57 early in the fourth stanza

Ridvan Oncel however stopped the rot by drilling a triple 7:54 from the final buzzer and, after Vechta replied, Jaime Smith knocked down another trey to spark a Bandirma mini-run.

The Turkish team pulled away 76-62 on a Tyler Kalinoski three with 3:19 left on the clock and momentarily stretched the lead to as many as 17 points in the final minutes.

Terry had a lot of help from Ian Hummer who finished with a near double-double of 17 points and 9 rebounds while Kalinoski had 14 points and 5 assists. For Vechta, who were playing without Jordan Davis, Josh Young had 23 points and 7 assists in a losing effort.

The two teams are now tied at 6-6 in the standings but Bandirma have the head-to-head advantage, as they had also won the reverse fixture in Germany.

Falco Szombathely 79-83 Besiktas Sompo Sigorta - Group D


The new-look Besiktas extended their win streak to three games with a hard-earned 83-79 victory at Falco that lifts the Turkish side to a 6-6 record in the too-tight-for-comfort Group D standings.

Besiktas trailed by as many as 12 points early on but balanced proceedings late in the third frame and a Samet Geyik layup 5:49 from the final buzzer put the visitors in front, 67-66.

With Besiktas leading 81-79 and 23 seconds left on the clock, Falco sent Geyik to the line. The Turkish forward sunk both his free-throws and Falco's Szilard Benke misfired from long range on the ensuing possession, for the visitors to celebrate the important win.

Geyik led the way for Besiktas with 18 points and 6 rebounds while Ismet Akpinar chipped in with 17 points and 3 rebounds. For Falco, Juvonte Reddic finished with 16 points and 4 boards in a losing effort.

ERA Nymburk 76-72 Nizhny Novgorod - Group C


Nymburk held Nizhny to just 21 points after the interval to turn the tables on the Russian team and claim their fifth win in a row, 76-72, maintaining their tug-of-war with Tenefire for first place in Group C.

The Czech champions trailed by 12 points late in the second quarter but tightened the screws on defense after the break. A Vojtech Hruban layup 6:22 from the third buzzer sparked a 12-1 run by the hosts, which Deishuan Booker capped with a pair of free-throws to put the hosts in front 61-55.

Nihzny recovered their composure on offense with the start of the final stanza and pushed ahead 70-68 but Booker replied by knocking down a triple 1:55 from the final buzzer.

With Nymburk leading 73-72 and 32 seconds left to play, Booker missed from beyond the arc but Zach Hankins came up with the offensive rebound and passed to Vojtech Hruban, who drove to the basket and sealed the hosts' win.

Booker finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while Hrubam added 14 points and 3 assists. For Nihzny, who have now dropped to 7-5 in the standings, Michael Jenkins finished with a game-high 25 points in a losing effort.

Happy Casa Brindisi 93-91 PAOK - Group D


A stone-cold Tyler Stone drilled a triple 4 seconds from the final buzzer to lift Brindisi to a 93-91 victory over PAOK at home, in a hugely entertaining clash which had seeen the hosts trail for most of the first three quarters.

The Greek side grabbed the lead shortly after the opening exchanges and shot an excellent 52 percent from behind the arc to lead by as many as 11 points.

Brindisi however climbed back, gained a slim lead just before the end of the third period and the two teams traded blows for the entire fourth stanza.

Adam Smith knocked down a trey 24 seconds from time to out PAOK in front, 91-88, but Adrian Banks drew a foul and sunk a pair of free-throws to reduce the deficit to just one point.

Brindisi choose to send Bobby Brown to the foul line and the veteran point guard missed both his shots from the line. Stone grabbed the rebound and was vindicated for taking the responsibility of the clutch shot upon himself.

Stone finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds, while John Brown added 17 points and 5 boards. PAOK's Shannon Shorter had a game-high 26 points in a losing effort.

Brindisi have improved to 5-7 while PAOK have dropped to 4-8 in the Group D standings.

Peristeri winmasters 72-67 Mornar Bar- Group C


Peristeri abolished a 17-point lead but turned back Mornar Bar down the stretch to snap a two-game skid with a 72-67 win at home that erases the Montenegro side's hopes of advancing to the Play-Offs.

The Greek side by contrast have strengthened their bid for a post-season berth, as they improve to 7-5 in the Group C standings.

Peristeri raced to a 38-21 lead midway through the second frame but Mornar clawed back after the interval and jumped in front, 46-45, with two minutes left in the third quarter.

With the scores tied at 67 and 54 seconds remaining to play Yanick Moreira made the most of a pass by William Hatcher, who came off the bench despite nursing an injury, and converted a three-point play to give the hosts a 70-67 cushion.

Mornar missed a contested three-point attempt and fouled Christos Saloustros, who made it 72-67 for the hosts from the stripe.

Moreira paced the winners with 16 points and 6 rebounds while Panagiotis Vasilopoulos and Steven Gray chipped in with 11 points apiece. Mornar's Sead Sehovic finished with a game-high 21 points in a losing effort.

Polski Cukier Torun 81-85 Lietkabelis - Group A


Lietkabelis had the final word in a clash that featured 16 lead changes and never saw a double-digit lead, to topple Torun 85-81 in Poland and snap a two-game skid.

The Lithuanian team jumped ahead for good late in the third frame and led by as many as seven points early in the fourth, but Torun reduced to 73-71 midway through the final stanza.

A pair of Zeljko Sakic free-throws and a Vytenis Lipkevicius triple gave the visitors a five-point cushion going into the final three minutes and Lietkabelis held on until the end.

Paulius Valinskas paced the winners with 19 points and 6 rebounds while Lipkevicius added 17 points and Sakic collected a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards. Torun's Alade Aminu finished with game-high 23 points in a losing effort.

Telenet Giants Antwerp 99-87 Anwil Wloclawek - Group B


A youthful Antwerp used an 18-6 run just before the half-time break to jump into the lead and outscore Anwil 99-87 at home, dealing a serious blow to the Polish team's chances of reaching the Play-Offs.

Vrenz Bleijenbergh drilled a triple 5:23 from the second buzzer to tie the scores at 35 and instigate the hosts' burst, although Ricky Ledo scored with a layup just before the interval to stop the rot for Anwil.

Antwerp led by as many as 15 points in the third and when the visitors reduced the deficit to 81-77 halfway through the final stanza, Stephaun Branch and Owen Klassen hit back-to-back jumpers to end Anwil's fightback attempt.

Ibrahima Fall Faye led the way for the Belgian side with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals while Branch and Vincent Kesteloot added 17 points apiece. For Anwil, Ledo and Rolands Freimanis finished with 21 points each in defeat.

Antwerp, who are out of the play-off race, have now improved to 4-8 while Anwil have dropped to 5-7.

Brose Bamberg 91-53 VEF Riga - Group C


Bamberg shifted gears in the second quarter and cruised to a 91-53 rout of VEF Riga at home, the German team's sixth win this season and their largest of the campaign so far.

The hosts started off the second frame on a 14-2 run which Kameron Taylor capped with a layup 4:57 from the half-time break to extend their lead to 31-17 and Bamberg never looked back.

Darion Atkins and Assem Marei finished with 13 points apiece and Christian Sengfelder posted a near double-double of 10 points and 9 boards as 11 Bamberg players wrote their name on the scoreboard. For VEF, Lester Medford and Alexander Madsen had 10 points each.

Bamberg improve to 6-6 and continue in pursuit of spot in the Play-Offs while VEF, who have suffered their 11th straight defeat, drop to 1-11 and remain bottom of the group.