MUNICH (Germany) - Alba Fehervar pulled off a huge comeback to claim one of the remaining spots in the Regular Season on a dramatic Friday night.
Elsewhere, there were big wins for Bilbao Basket and JDA Bourgogne Dijon with Anorthosis Famagusta backing up a first leg win and Sporting CP taking the final spot.
On Thursday, Maroussi BC and CSM Constanta secured their spots in the Regular Season with wins over KB Peja and BC Dnipro, respectively.
Despite coming up short in the Qualifiers, BC Prievidza, Spirou Basket, and BC Dnipro advanced to the Regular Season as they were the three losing teams that lost their ties on aggregate by the fewest points.
ALBA Fehervar 104-84 BC Prievidza
ALBA Fehervar overcame a 17-point first-leg deficit to BC Prievidza to win the second leg by 20 points and edge the tie on aggregate, 189-186.
Tyler Thomas was inspired, as he finished with 28 points on 8-for-11 shooting and 7 rebounds for the winners. David Nichols was equally as impressive with 24 points and 9 assists, while Keith Jordan had 21 for BC Prievidza.
After a breathtaking first quarter, during which both teams were tied at 31-31 and seemingly couldn't miss from the field, the Hungarian side took the reins and kept their hot streak going, whereas Prievidza went cold.
During the first half, Fehervar led by as many as 16 before settling for a 59-45 advantage at the break - with Prievidza now hanging on on aggregate. However, it felt like it was only a matter of time before the hosts would complete their comeback and with 5:43 left in the third, a lay-up from Thomas gave ALBA a 72-54 lead on the night and a one-point lead on aggregate and despite a nervy last few minutes, they hung on.
Sporting CP 79-72 Spirou Basket
In a winner-takes-all showdown after the first leg draw, Sporting CP prevailed over Spirou Basket, winning 148-141 on aggregate. All knotted up at 69-69 after the first leg, this game was about who would make the first meaningful run. Throughout the first half, it was closely fought until Sporting took the initiative in the third to take a ten-point heading into the final ten minutes. From there, they maintained their lead and held off a last-gasp fightback from their Belgian counterparts - who still managed to advance.
Kenneth Funderburk played all 40 minutes, amassing 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the win.
Anorthosis Famagusta 87-75 Visit Malta Starlites Naxxar
Anorthosis Famagusta secured their first-ever Regular Season berth, ending the dreams of Maltese side Naxxar by winning by 12 on the night and 168-146 on aggregate.
A 26-9 first quarter set the tone for a comfortable win for the Cypriot outfit, which raced out to a 17-3 lead, as a shellshocked Naxxar in the dust, as they couldn't find their rhythm and never recovered.
Gregory Williams hit five triples as he paced Famagusta with 25 points and 6 assists. Carson Newsome led all scorers for Naxxar with 26, but to no avail.
Bilbao Basket 95-59 Neptunas Klaipeda
Bilbao Basket advanced to the Regular Season as they saw off the challenge of Neptunas Klaipeda for a commanding 159-125 victory on aggregate.
There was a brief scare after the first period, as the Lithuanian side started brightly en route to a 24-18 cushion. However, the Spanish giants regrouped to start the second with a 9-0 run to take the lead on the night and, on aggregate, feel safer. From there, the lead ballooned to double-digits, leaving Klaipeda chasing shadows.
Harald Frey led a balanced scoring effort for Bilbao with 19 points with Kristian Kullamae going 3-for-6 from three-point land to add 15. Zane Waterman led Neptunas with 13.
JDA Bourgogne Dijon 105-57 BC Dinamo Zagreb
French side Dijon comfortably progressed to the Regular Season as they defeated BC Dinamo Zagreb 105-57 on the night, and coasting through 200-141 over the two games.
Already leading by 11 from the first leg, Dijon flexed their muscles in the second quarter to lead 50-36 at the break and their lead peaked at 53 points. Gavin Ware shot 75 percent from the floor, and as a team, Dijon went an eye-popping 61 percent from the field in the win.
BC Dnipro 71-84 CSM Constanta
CSM Constanta quickly overcame a narrow 71-69 deficit from the first leg to prevail 152-143 on aggregate over BC Dnipro on Thursday.
Trailing by two from the first leg, Constanta didn't need long to level the scores on aggregate. A 6-0 start propelled them to a comfortable 12-point lead after the first quarter as they settled for a 47-36 lead at the interval.
Kevaughn Allen led the Romanian side with 18 points, hitting three triples along with 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Volodymyr Koniev had 12 to pace Dnipro.
KB Peja 81-106 Maroussi Basketball Club
Maroussi BC eased past KB Peja over the two legs, securing a 106-81 win to emerge 204-156 victors across the two games in Athens on Thursday.
Despite trailing by 23 points from the first leg, KB Peja started brightly and energetically, taking the game to their Greek counterparts, leading by as many as 10 points late in the opening quarter. However, Maroussi weathered the storm and kept themselves in the game, knowing they had a cushion overall.
And it didn't take Maroussi long to take a proper stranglehold on the tie. Two minutes into the third, a basket from Ismael Sanogo gave them a 54-53 lead, and from there, they never looked back, cruising to a big aggregate win.
Charis Giannopoulos went off as he hit seven three-pointers for 29 points in the win. Shahada Wells responded with 25, but in vain for KB Peja.
FIBA