SAN CRISTOBAL DE LA LAGUNA (Basketball Champions League) - Banvit became the first team to book their spot in the Basketball Champions League final after a thrilling 83-74 come from behind victory over AS Monaco on Friday evening.

Trailing by as many as 13, the Turkish side rode a 21 point, 11 assist double double from star-man Jordan Theodore to overcome the favourites AS Monaco.

Nineteen year old Furkan Korkmaz had 13 points, including the dagger three-pointer with 41 seconds remaining to put Banvit up 6.

"We knew it was going to be a hard game," Banvit big man Gasper Vidmar commented.

"They have a lot of athletes, get a lot of offensive rebounds and fast breaks. We figured that out in the second half. We were fighting from the beginning of the game and just kept on fighting so that we got this win and (move on to) the Finals." 

It was anything but easy, with the game featuring multiple lead changes in the fourth quarter before Theodore broke the sequence with a 3 point play to put Banvit up for good with 1:55 remaining.

"Congratulations to my team and my staff," Sasa Filipovski, Banvit Head coach said.

"We gave our best so we knew that it would be a very difficult game. I respect very much Monaco and their coaching staff, Zvezdan was doing a great, great job, they didn't lose a lot of games this season.

"It was a game of two halves. First half Monaco was much better, second half we were better. I'm very happy with this win, now we need to refresh and get energy for the big Final. We were dreaming this all our season, so we will give our best to perform at a high level in the Final.

"Congratulations to Monaco, and to Zvezdan, because I think they are a very, very good team and they showed that all season. Big, big, respect to them."

Gediminas Orelik was outstanding on his way to 16 points for the victors, with Vidmar's contributions going beyond his 12 points and 6 rebounds shown on the box score.

Jamal Shuler finished with 20 points to lead Monaco, whilst Yakuba Ouattara had 11 on 5/7 shooting, and Dee Bost joined them in double figures with 10.

"Congrats to Banvit, and to my team too," AS Monaco Head Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic commented.

"Banvit deserved this the way they played. They made this break in the third quarter. After the third they played much more aggressively, offensively and defensively. It is absolutely deserved for Banvit. 

"I'm really proud for my players, opening season our goal was to go to the second round and we went to the Final Four."

It was AS Monaco who got the better of the early exchanges. Shuler got going early, scoring 8 points in the opening six minutes to put Monaco up 14-6 and forcing Banvit into a timeout.

The timeout did little to stop Monaco’s surge, as they reeled off another 4-0 run punctuated by Outarra’s fast break dunk to extend the lead to 18-6 and appear comfortable. However, Banvit responded behind Theodore, as they held a 23-14 lead after the opening period.

Theodore continued where he left off in the second, as tensions rose with unsportsmanlike fouls called on both Banvit and then AS Monaco a few minutes apart. From there, the remainder of the half would follow a familiar pattern, as every time Banvit would close the gap, Monaco would respond.

When Vidmar checked back in with 5 minutes left in the half and scoring six quick points it appeared the momentum was beginning to shift. Another Theodore hoop saw Banvit pull within three, 36-39, with 1:40 left in the half for their thinnest margin yet. However, Monaco finished the second on a 6-1 run to take a 37-45 lead into the halftime break.

In the third, it was a determined Banvit who side who refused to go down without a fight. Trailing by seven with four minutes to play, Banvit went on a 13-4 run, punctuated by Orelik’s buzzer beating lay in to put Banvit up two heading into the final quarter.

The drama continued in the fourth, with no less than five lead changes. Shuler re-awakened to spark Monaco, but the young Korkmaz hit two huge threes and behind the leadership of Theodore, Banvit advanced.

Banvit will await the winner of Iberostar Tenerife and Umana Reyer Venezia, with the final being set for Sunday at 19:15 (GMT+1) in Tenerife.