MUNICH (Germany) - Fribourg Olympic, JDA Bourgogne Dijon and Tofas Bursa all punched their ticket to the Quarter-Finals on Wednesday, collecting the wins they needed to advance.
It went down to the wire in Group K with a game-winner from Alex Perez sealing the deal for Tofas, and leaving FC Porto falling short despite victory of their own.
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg and Bilbao Basket had both already qualified for the Quarter-Finals, but will take momentum into the next phase after securing contrasting wins on Tuesday.
Key Storylines
Alex Perez game-winner sends Tofas Bursa through;
Fribourg and Dijon also advance;
Flawless MHP RIESEN finish 6-0.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Toney Douglas (FC Porto) - 34 Points: Roberto Kovac (Fribourg Olympic) - 27 Rebounds: Yigitcan Saybir (Tofas Bursa) - 11 Assists: Multiple players - 9 Steals: Toney Douglas (FC Porto) - 6 Blocks: Luca Vincini (Banco di Sardegna Sassari) - 3
Tofas Bursa, Fribourg, Dijon, complete last eight
Tofas Bursa qualified for the Quarter-Finals in the most sensational circumstances, as Alex Perez was the hero in their 80-79 win over Casademont Zaragoza.
Perez drove inside to score the game-winning lay-up on the final buzzer to spark scenes of utter euphoria as the Turkish side sealed their spot. Yigitcan Saybir had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Tofas.
Tofas' win meant that FC Porto missed out on the last eight. They beat Maroussi BC 80-76 in their final game of the FIBA Europe Cup season. Toney Douglas led Porto with 25 points, but they needed the other result to go their way.
Fribourg joined MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg amongst the top two from Group N, as the Swiss side overcame Anwil Wloclawek 107-101 in a high-scoring battle.
Roberto Kovac led Fribourg with 27 points, as his side got the victory needed to advance. Anwil, led by Nick Ongenda's 22 points, failed to get the 20-point win they needed to qualify.
JDA Bourgogne Dijon sealed their berth into the Quarter-Finals, beating PAOK mateco 97-93 in Group M. The French side led from the start as Gavin Ware's 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 55 percent shooting as a team helped them over the line.
Jackson Kreuser paced PAOK with 24 points and 7 rebounds, but fell to defeat in their final Group M game, having already advanced to the Quarter-Finals.
Elsewhere, CSM Oradea led from start to finish as they convincingly saw off BC Kalev/Cramo 94-66. Paulius Petrilevicius led the Romanian side with 18 points, shooting a sublime 71 percent from the floor.
Quarter-Final-bound Cholet Basket edged Banco di Sardegna Sassari 78-75 to win their group as T.J. Campbell rattled in a three with 6.4 seconds to go to settle the tie. Mohamed Diawara paced the winners with 13 points.
MHP RIESEN stay perfect, Bilbao win on the road
On Tuesday night, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg completed a perfect Second Round campaign with a comfortable 95-67 win over Spirou Basket. Trailing for the entirety of the first period, the German side bounced back in the second to turn a 23-17 deficit into a 49-35 lead and never looked back.
Ezra Manjon-Van Ewyk led the victors with 20 points - shooting 8-of-12 from the field - as they finished 6-0 in Group N. Xander Pintelon led Spirou Basket with 18, as their hopes were ended.
Meanwhile, Bilbao Basket narrowly defeated ESSM Le Portel 78-74 to finish 5-1 in Group L. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman finished with 16 points to lead the Spaniards, with Deandre Gholston leading the already eliminated Le Portel with 18.
FIBA