MIES (Switzerland) - While Tuesday opened up the floor for Game 1 in the Play-Ins of the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, Thursday's action is all about Game 2. Win or go home.
Karditsa Iaponiki started things well on the road in Serbia, moving on to their place with the opportunity of advancing to the Sweet 16. They cherished it at the end of a 40-minute battle.
Karditsa Iaponiki 84-75 KK Spartak Office Shoes
In Serbia, on Tuesday, they went down by 14 points and managed to come back. In Greece, on Thursday, they went down by 9 points and managed to come back. A total of 13 lead changes were necessary, but they finally did it.
That's how Karditsa won back-to-back BCL games for the first time, and clinched a spot in the Round of 16: their 84-75 success in Game 2 of the Play-Ins ruled KK Spartak out of the competition. The Greeks made the best out of KK Spartak's 15 turnovers, scoring 25 points off the opponents' lost possessions.
The two clashes were different in how they panned out, but there was a common protagonist answering to the name of Brandon Jefferson. He already had 29 points and 7 assists in Game 1, and contributed in Game 2 too.
Karditsa's playmaker flirted once again with the double-double, ending at 13 points (shooting 3-of-7 from deep) and 8 assists.
Noah Horchler was crucial as well, with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, while fan favorite Nikolaos Diplaros knocked down four threes in his 14-point, 7-assist performance. Diplaros was just 5-of-26 from three-point range before this game.
On the losing side, Shevon Thompson finished with a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Danilo Nikolic led the eliminated team in scoring with a 15-point losing effort.
The Greek side's campaign in Season X will continue in Group J of the Round of 16, where they will be facing AEK BC, ALBA BERLIN, and either Tofas Bursa or Cholet Basket.
ERA Nymburk 78-71 MLP Academics Heidelberg
ERA Nymburk entered this season's Play-Ins on a five-game losing streak in the competition. Then, the heart of the Czech powerhouse emerged, and something clicked.
They not only beat MLP Academics Heidelberg on the road in Germany, but completed the sweep on Thursday in Kralovka Arena thanks to the 78-71 home victory. They've made it to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in their nine seasons.
However, it wasn't an easy task for the Czech side, which had to trail for 28:45 minutes, being down by 11 points (56-45) with two minutes to go in the third quarter.
Without the league's leading scorer, Sir' Jabari Rice, Nymburk found a precious contribution from one of the team's veteran leaders: Jaromir Bohacik, who ended with 23 points over 6-of-13 from deep off the bench.
Only two Heidelberg players finished the game in double-digit scoring: DJ Horne (12 points and 4 assists) and Marcel Keßen (10 points).
With this victory, Oren Amiel's team officially joined Group L in the Round of 16, alongside La Laguna Tenerife Dreamland Gran Canaria, and one of NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz and Pallacanestro Trieste.
Promitheas Patras Vikos Cola 82-92 Elan Chalon
From the BCL Qualifiers to the BCL Round of 16: Elan Chalon aren't the first club capable of doing that, but it's always an astonishing accomplishment. On Thursday, the dream became reality.
They were already convincing on French soil, winning by 15 points (93-78) in Game 1 against Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola. Game 2 was pretty much a formality, leading from the end of the first quarter until the end.
The result? 92-82 on the road, sweep completed, and Sweet 16 reached: they will play in Group K with Joventut Badalona, Unicaja, and either Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets or Patrioti Levice.
As it usually happens on Eric Delord's team, it was a win shaped by Chalon's collective effort: four players scored in double-digits, and everybody stepped on the court.
"That's also our way of playing. We are looking to find the best shot possible. It doesn't matter who is taking it. Obviously, I always felt that guys like Nate Darling or Jeremiah Hill were born for this. They would somehow find a way anyway. But as a team we need to share the ball, move the ball, play smart all together and then everybody has a chance to score," coach Delord explained the depth.
Both Lionel Gaudoux (18 points and 10 rebounds) and Matheo Leray (12 points and 12 assists) had double-doubles in Game 2 for the French red-and-white side, becoming the first French pair to get double-doubles in the same game in BCL history.
Jeremiah Hill and Nate Darling combined for 31 points.
Scoring 21 points in Tuesday's defeat, Rob Gray was once again the Greek team's leading scorer of the night, ending with a 19-point losing effort with 4 steals. Overall, they prevailed 12-5 in stolen possessions.
Le Mans Sarthe Basket 113-83 Mersin Sports Club
There are important victories to earn a spot in the Round of 16, and then there's Le Mans Sarthe Basket's absolute domination against Mersin Sports Club in Game 2 of their Play-Ins.
If Chalon's victory over Promitheas became a formality as time passed by, Le Mans entered the court ready to deliver from the tip-off, leading for 38:33 minutes to celebrate the 113-83 final party, sweeping the opponents.
Celebrating this achievement at the end of a brilliant shooting night (60.0% from two, 47.1% from beyond the arc, and 81.0% from the free-throw line), everybody on Le Mans' roster contributed to the scoresheet.
Among them, there was one clear protagonist: Johnny Berhanemeskel, who had 24 points over 7-of-9 from beyond the arc while coming off the bench.
What's even crazier? He didn't attempt one single two-pointer.
Shooting perfectly (11-of-11) from the charity stripe, Anthony Cowan had a 23-point losing effort for the Turkish team. Mersin was outassisted 26-17 by Le Mans and committed 17 turnovers.
After seven years of waiting, Le Mans are back in the Round of 16, where they will face Rytas Vilnius, Galatasaray MCT Technic, and Hapoel Netanel Holon in Group I.