MUNICH (Germany) - An incredible second leg of FIBA Europe Cup Quarter-Finals packed with drama saw the combatants whittled down just four sides.
Bilbao Basket needed a heroic buzzer-beater from Saudi Arabia international Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman to edge Tofas Bursa over the two legs, while there were wins for PAOK mateco, Cholet Basket and JDA Bourgogne Dijon to advance.
Key Storylines
Abdur-Rahkman cashes in for Bilbao, as they head to the last four;
PAOK flex muscles in early stages of the fourth to advance;
Cholet put on first half masterclass to beat Zaragoza;
Dijon hand MHP RIESEN a first home loss to see them through in style.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Alex Perez (Tofas Bursa) - 26 Points: Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (Bilbao Basket) - 24 Rebounds: Jakob Forrester (PAOK mateco) - 10 Assists: Axel Julien (JDA Bourgogne Dijon) - 12 Steals: Anthony Williams (Fribourg Olympic) - 4 Blocks: Gavin Ware (JDA Bourgogne Dijon) - 3
Abdur-Rahkman heroics seal Bilbao's place
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman's long three-pointer on the final buzzer punched Bilbao Basket's ticket to the Semi-Finals. Despite losing 102-93 to Tofas Bursa on the night, the Spanish side prevailed 177-174 on aggregate in a dramatic conclusion in Bursa.
Alex Perez thought his three for the hosts with 13 seconds left would take the game to overtime. But out of the timeout, Adbur-Rahkman drained a step-back triple as time expired to scenes of jubilation for Bilbao and heartbreak for the home side.
Adbur-Rahkman led Bilbao with 24 points and 6 assists as they reach their second straight Semi-Final. Marcquise Reed had 21 for Tofas Bursa, as they bow out.
PAOK overcome stern Fribourg test to go through
PAOK mateco needed a strong fourth quarter to finally shake off Fribourg Olympic 82-76 on the night and 144-138 on aggregate in a physical and demanding Quarter-Final matchup that could have gone either way. All tied up at 62-62 after the first leg, PAOK enjoyed the best of the second bout but couldn't shake off their Swiss counterparts.
However, the home side executed in the early stages of the final period, highlighted by a triple from Dimitrios Katsivelis to give PAOK a 71-61 lead with 4:43 remaining, as they distanced themselves from Fribourg and advanced to the last four.
Jakob Forrester had a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds to guide the Greeks to victory. Roberto Kovac and Eric Nottage both had 16 for Fribourg.
Dominant first half sends Cholet through
Cholet Basket outclassed Casademont Zaragoza 90-71 in their second leg encounter. Having come into this game tied up at 83-83 from the first leg, it was about who could hold their nerve, and Cholet exploded out the gates to lead 45-30 at the break, with Zaragoza unable to recover.
Stefan Smith led the victors with a game-high 21 points, to go with 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Dijon dismantles MHP RIESEN to advance
After two losses in the Regular Season, JDA Bourgogne Dijon exacted the best possible revenge by hammering MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 83-72 for a convincing margin over the two legs to advance to the Semi-Finals.
From the third minute of the second quarter, Dijon never relinquished their lead on the night. However, as they took an 88-75 lead into the second leg, the visitors were rarely troubled despite a strong start from Ludwigsburg. Gregor Hrovat paced the winners with 16 points on 4-for-6 from three-point land.
Yorman Polas led all scorers for the hosts with 21 points, but his efforts, on this night, were in vain.
Results
Tofas Bursa 103-92 Bilbao Basket (Bilbao win 177-174 on aggregate) PAOK mateco 82-76 Fribourg Olympic (PAOK win 144-138 on aggregate) MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 72-83 JDA Bourgogne Dijon (Dijon win 171-147 on aggregate) Cholet Basket 90-71 Casademont Zaragoza (Cholet win 173-154 on aggregate)
FIBA