MUNICH (Germany) – It was a thrilling ending to the Regular Season as the final spots were taken through to the Second Round, on Gameday 6.
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg and Bilbao Basket secured the results they needed to win their groups, while the six best runners-up were confirmed on a dramatic final day.
On Tuesday, FC Porto needed to win to guarantee their spot in the next phase, and they produced a strong fourth quarter to take that opportunity. Also, ESSM Le Portel secured their spot as one of the six best runners-up.
Key Storylines
Simon comes up huge as MHP RIESEN advance as winners of Group H;
PAOK, led by Reynolds punch their ticket;
Fribourg splurges on a three-point spree as they advance;
Zoriks goes for 20 as Le Portel qualify alongside Porto.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Taveion Hollingsworth (Petrolina AEK) - 35 Points: Justin Simon (MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg) - 33 Rebounds: Jeriah Horne (Alba Fehervar) / Fardaws Aimaq (NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz) - 12 Assists: Ty Nichols (Patrioti Levice) - 11 Steals: Eric Nottage (Fribourg Olympic) - 6 Blocks: Joshua Sharma (Bursaspor) - 3
MHP RIESEN punch ticket, closely followed by Dijon
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg advanced as winners of Group H after they beat JDA Bourgogne Dijon 93-81. On the big occasion, Justin Simon stepped up, amassing 33 points and 10 rebounds to lead the German side. There was a silver lining, though, for Dijon, as despite the loss, they, too, qualified as one of the best runners-up.
PAOK advanced to the Second Round emphatically from Group I, sweeping aside NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz 92-69 on the road. The Greek side shot an impressive 51 percent from the field as Shavar Reynolds exploded for 32 points, going 4-for-5 from three-point land, shooting 66 percent overall.
In Group C, Fribourg Olympic qualified for the next phase as one of the best runners-up. They drained 12 three-pointers en route to a 102-84 home win over Windrose Giants Antwerp. Anthony Williams and Eric Nottage both hit 20 points to lead the Swiss side, with the latter sneakily getting 6 steals.
Anwil Wloclawek qualified from Group D, by outlasting Sporting CP 97-83 thanks to 16 points from Justin Turner and Maroussi BC did enough to seal their place with an 87-70 win over Spirou Basket, who had already advanced from Group G.
Porto claim top spot in Group I; Le Portel finish on a high
FC Porto needed a big fourth quarter to secure a narrow 83-76 win over Hubo Limburg United, and qualify for the Second Round as winners of Group I. Toney Douglas posted 17 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Portuguese side, who claimed a 28-15 final period to overcome the stubborn Belgian side.
Meanwhile, ESSM Le Portel put themselves in a strong position to advance to the Second Round - which was confirmed on Wednesday - as one of the best runners-up, as 20 points from Kristers Zoriks handed them a comfortable 74-60 win over Rilski Sportist.
FIBA