MUNICH (Germany) - Casademont Zaragoza became the fifth team to book their spot into the FIBA Europe Cup Quarter-Finals with victory on Wednesday night.
The Spanish side beat Maroussi BC to confirm their ticket, while Tofas Bursa's place in the last eight was put on hold as they lost at home to FC Porto - with three spots remaining in the final week of Second Round action.
On Tuesday, Banco di Sardegna Sassari finally secured their first win of the Second Round, beating ESSM Le Portel 88-80. Giovanni Veronesi led the Italian side with 19 points.
Key Storylines
Zaragoza book Quarter-Finals ticket with 12-point win;
Dijon move closer to last eight spot;
Road win for Porto keeps Tofas waiting.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Wes Washpun (FC Porto) / Nick Ogenda (Anwil Wloclawek) - 28 Points: Donatas Tarolis (CSM CSU Oradea) - 30 Rebounds: Mathieu Boyer (ESSM Le Portel) - 10 Assists: Alex Perez (Tofas Bursa) / Brandon Brown (CSM CSU Oradea) - 8 Steals: Toney Douglas (FC Porto) - 6 Blocks: Multiple players - 3
Casademont Zaragoza punch ticket to last eight
Casademont Zaragoza advanced to the Quarter-Finals after beating Maroussi BC 80-68 - claiming the crucial head-to-head in the process following an earlier nine-point defeat.
The Spanish side led for the majority, as they raced ahead 20-9 in the first quarter. Maroussi did strike back and at one point, took a slender lead in the third, but Zaragoza bounced back and secured the margin of victory needed to advance.
Trae Bell-Haynes led Zaragoza with 13 points and 5 assists with Santi Yusta adding 12 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Marcus Keene led all scorers in vain for the Greek outfit with 24.
JDA Bourgogne Dijon inched closer to the last eight as they toppled BC Kalev/Cramo 76-70. However, they sealed the win the hard way, trailing for most of the first half; the French side regained the lead in the third quarter and then took the advantage for good with 3:22 remaining.
David Holston led Dijon with 18 points and 8 assists, connecting on four triples in his haul. Stefan Vaaks had 14 for the Estonian side, now eliminated from contention.
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg recovered from a disastrous first quarter to beat Fribourg Olympic 78-73. Trailing 30-11 after the first ten minutes, the German side regrouped to take the lead four minutes into the third and maintained it throughout.
Joel Scott led Ludwigsburg with 16 points, with Jonathan Kazadi amassing 15 for Fribourg.
FC Porto stalled Tofas Bursa's qualification party with a stunning 90-82 win in Türkiye. Wes Washpun was a sniper from three-point land; draining all five of his attempts for 25 points and 5 assists. Devyn Marble added 21, while Kristeon Bankston shot 90 percent from the field for Tofas Bursa, leading them with 18.
CSM CSU Oradea stayed alive in the hunt for the Quarter-Finals with an 83-74 win at home to already qualified PAOK mateco. Donatas Tarolis was outstanding with 11-of-15 shooting from the floor for a game-high 30 points for the winners.
Spirou Basket were narrow 87-83 victors over Anwil Wloclawek. Christopher Lykes led the winners with a game-high 21 points as the Belgian side improved to 2-3 alongside Fribourg.
And in the battle between two teams who have already advanced via Group L, Cholet Basket edged Bilbao Basket 82-75. Stefan Smith led the French side with 19 points with both teams now at 4-1.
FIBA