MIES (Switzerland) - Hapoel U-NET Holon and MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg have claimed the last two tickets to the Quarter-Finals in the Basketball Champions League. Holon won the group with a crazy comeback against JDA Dijon at home, powered by their packed stands once again.

Just before the halftime breaks, it seemed like the Quarter-Finals picture was going to be completely different. JDA Dijon owned a 16-point lead in Israel, Galatasaray Nef were in control of their matchup with Ludwigsburg in Istanbul, had it stayed that way, Dijon would've won the group and Ludwigsburg would've been out.

But Adam Smith and Justin Simon had other plans in those two games.

Smith did his usual thing, getting his midrange pull-ups to fall for Holon, hitting three-pointers that sent him to 17 points in the first half, and when he was done scoring, he started setting up teammates. Michale Kyser's dunk raised the roof, Holon were back to -3 after 20 minutes of basketball.

They kept the momentum going in the second half, too. Dijon had no solutions for the pick-and-roll game with Joe Ragland or Smith running the point, and the two of them combined for 14 assists on the day.

The odd thing is that JDA Dijon's defense actually stopped guys like Tyrus McGee, Steve Zack, Frederic Bourdillon, Rafael Menco and Guy Pnini, stopped them completely, allowing only six points by these five big names.

But, the other four players were unstoppable. Adam Smith had 29 points, Michale Kyser 26, Chris Johnson 16 with 10 boards, and Joe Ragland scored 13. The Big Four outscored JDA Dijon, Holon won the game 90-83.

"This team, we fight every game. It doesn't matter if we're up by 10, down by 10, down by 20. We're gonna bring the fight for 40 minutes," Smith said while still celebrating on the court.

"I'm tired right now, it was a 40 minute fight. Credit to Dijon, great team, but we brought it tonight, I'm just so proud of our guys. (Coach Guy Goodes) gives me freedom, the confidence so I can do what I do best. And he does that for all of our guys. When you've got a coach like that, anything is possible," the 29-year-old guard added.

"Adam Smith raised his game to another level," even JDA Dijon head coach Nenad Markovic was full of praise for Holon's hero.

"In the second quarter, we weren't good on pick-and-roll defense, we allowed Smith to take too many easy shots and he was getting to his shot positions very easy, and that was the main problem. It was like a roller-coaster for us, we commit mistakes and they score, we couldn't stop it. They deserved to win. The atmosphere pushed them, it gave them energy," Markovic explained his side's downfall.

"Amazing. This is the most difficult place to play, maybe in Europe. I never played here before coming here... I love it! Big credit to our fans," Smith confirmed the aforementioned push.

With Holon opening a 17-point lead at one point, there was a sigh of relief some 1000 kilometers to the north. MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg were struggling against Galatasaray Nef, unable to break away even after DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell suffered a major injury early on.

But even with offense not going according to plan, coach John Patrick could rely on his team's biggest strength - the stifling defense. Galatasaray Nef, one of the best offenses of the BCL, were held to less than 60 points in a 64-58 Ludwigsburg road win.

Much like Adam Smith in the other game, there was also a one-man show in this matchup. Justin Simon solidified his MVP of the Season campaign with an 18-point, 14-rebound double-double - with 5 steals also in!

"Huge, huge win. We knew what we had to do when we got here, in order to get to the next round. We stuck to the game plan, played small, showed a lot of grit, showed it throughout the (Round of 16). We had guys hurt, guys sick, but we just had that next man up mentality," Simon said.

Coach John Patrick showed great sportsmanship. After almost being knocked out, after a tense battle in Istanbul, his first words weren't about surviving or making the Quarter-Finals.

"I just hope Akoon-Purcell is okay. It looked like a bad injury. He's a great player, I hope he's okay," MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg's head coach said.

Galatasaray Nef did not have a Round of 16 to remember. But, a new era started. Coach Andreas Pistiolis was in charge for the first time, long time assistant coach with CSKA Moscow, Banvit and Panathinaikos.

"It's important to me that my team reacted well to adversities. My players showed that their heart is in the right place, so there is a silver lining over here. With hard work and by staying positive, we can turn this around," the new playcaller remained optimistic about Galata's future.

Galatasaray are 13-10 in the Turkish League, well on their way towards the Play-Offs, with good chances of making it back to the BCL next season.

But for now, the show belongs to Hapoel U-NET Holon and MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. They will be in the Quarter-Finals draw on Friday, Holon with home-court advantage, Ludwigsburg without it in the upcoming best-of-three series set to start on April 5.