ATHENS (Greece) - It was a series for the ages between AEK BC and Asisa Joventut even before the start of Game 3 in the Quarter-Finals of the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL.
The do-or-die clash between one of the most representative teams in the competition's history and one of the best-ever newcomers to the League, ever, went down to the final possessions in Athens.
In the end, the Queen had the upper hand, emerging victorious with the 72-67 eventful win. It all happened in a glorious clash, perfectly coherent with the classicism and ancient glories of the Greek capital.
Turning Point
Pushed by a wave of black-and-yellow fans in SUNEL Arena, AEK approached this do-or-die Game 3 in the best way possible, going up by 11 points (19-8) with less than three minutes to play in the first.
Joventut, however, didn't come to Athens to be beaten without trying their maximum effort. That's why they not only came back into contention, but escaped all the way up by 8 (49-41) halfway through the third.
Naturally, the remaining minutes were all about nail-biting plays. Frank Bartley came up clutch from deep with 1:11 to go, giving AEK their first lead since 4:26 in the second quarter.
Dimitris Katsivelis surprisingly joined him as the go-to guy, driving to the basket against Jabari Parker to give AEK a three-point comfortable lead with just over 30 seconds left to play.
Later on, Joventut didn't take advantage of the opportunity to return to contention, while James Nunnally stayed cool at the line. That's how the Greeks booked their trip to Badalona.
Player of the Game
Last season, he brought another Greek powerhouse like PAOK all the way to the Finals of the FIBA Europe Cup. Staying in the country but moving from Thessaloniki to Athens, his clutchness didn't disappear.
Frank Bartley has always been AEK's leader since the start of the season, and Game 3 was no exception.
His 16 points, which included the late-game go-ahead dagger against Joventut, pushed the Queen back to their second consecutive BCL Final Four appearance, fourth total, and the first one outside of Athens!
He will now have the chance to fight for a title.
Stats don't lie
AEK are an experienced team, but they could feel the tension of such an important game. Their free-throw percentage clearly shows it: the Queen shot 10-of-20 at the line, while Joventut went 13-of-15.
Despite the winning play coming from outside the arc, Game 3 was mainly won by AEK in the paint, where they outscored Joventut 38-30. They also won the rebounding battle 39-36.
The most important of stats? AEK stayed unbeaten at home in the BCL Quarter-Finals, at 8-0.
Bottom line
For the fourth time in the team's history, AEK will participate in the BCL Final Four. In Badalona, they will go up against Unicaja in a rematch of last season's Semi-Finals.
After being ejected in Game 2, RaiQuan Gray made his presence felt in front of the black-and-yellow fanbase, ending with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. Greg Brown III also added 11 points and 7 boards.
After starting the season on a nine-game unbeaten streak, Joventut won't be able to compete for the title at home in Badalona. But they will surely be back hungry for more in 2026-27.
Still without Ante Tomic, Jabari Parker (22 points and 7 rebounds) and Ricky Rubio (17 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds) tried their best to lead the Catalan side to the BCL Final Four at home.
They said
"First, I want to congratulate AEK. I think they had a really good series. We played good basketball, both teams tonight. We knew it was going to be a battle and it came down the stretch. I think we didn’t execute well in the fourth quarter. I think we had control of the game for most of it then when it mattered the most. Of course, playing away is tough. AEK have a great atmosphere that probably made us probably not as comfortable as we wanted and they got the win in the series so congratulations to them." - Ricky Rubio, Asisa Joventut
"Very difficult game. Somehow, we played against the team who has the best defense in positions that we are supposed to have our best offense. So we struggled enough, especially in the second game, but now in the third game, you have to give everything to win. And this is going to remembered in our history is one of the important wins." - AEK BC head coach Dragan Sakota