Bakken Bears survive rollercoaster ride to lead 10 teams into the Second Round

MUNICH (Germany) - Bakken Bears were one of 10 teams to secure their places in the Second Round this week, with an action-packed Wednesday night concluding Gameday 5.

The Bears eventually got the job done on the road as they came through a topsy-turvy encounter to edge out Kataja 85-82 in Group H with Ryan Evans scoring 17 of his team-high 21 points in the first half.

Having trailed 19-10 in the first, the visitors responded with a 10-2 close before putting 31 points on the board in the second to lead by 14 at the half. Kataja provided another twist with a 23-11 third by taking the lead early in the final period, but a couple of big triples from Nimrod Hilliard and Darko Jukic  helped the Bears prevail down the stretch.

Egis Kormend also advance from the group as they moved level with Bakken with four wins from five after beating Legia Warszawa 78-68 on the road as Justin Edwards netted 23 points with 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

Five players reached double figures for medi Bayreuth in a dominant 93-68 triumph away at Sigal Prishtina in a decisive Group C clash. Pinar Karsiyaka were another side to enjoy their travels to seal a place in the Second Round in beating Donar Groningen 79-62 to win Group E.

ZZ Leiden followed SL Benfica into the Second Round from Group A as they completed a home-and-away double over Inter Bratislava with an 88-77 victory on the road. Worthy De Jong led a balanced scoring attack for the visitors with 23 points along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists to help seal qualification.

BC Kyiv claimed an 86-66 victory over Levski-Lukoil to book their place in the next round and could still be joined by Ukrainian counterparts BC Dnipro after their 90-75 upset at home over Tsmoki-Minsk. Issuf Sanon had 23 points in the win for Dnipro, and they will need another next week as well as a favor from Kyiv to advance alongside them.

Two teams made it through from Group G as U-BT Cluj Napoca overcame BC Balkan 86-76 on the road before Enisey Krasnoyarsk powered past Sodertalje 92-65 with the leaders of the pack meeting next week to decide top spot.

Raviv Limonad came up with 20 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds as Ironi Ness Ziona returned to action by beating Keravnos 85-74 for their fourth win. They were joined in the next round by Landstede Hammers Zwolle following their crushing 100-67 victory at Kapfenberg Bulls.

Bahcesehir College took control of Group D with an impressive 88-77 success at CSM CSU Oradea with both sides already guaranteed to advance. Trae Golden produced the goods again for the side from Turkey with a 30-point outing with backcourt partner London Perrantes producing 18 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds on his debut.

Ventspils moved to 5-0 to top Group C as they eased their way to an emphatic 105-57 victory over Apoel Nicosia, who were already eliminated. Ryan Luther starred with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in the win to help the Latvians stay perfect with Kristaps Gluditis adding 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, Isaiah Philmore and Jordan Chatman combined for 51 points to help BC CSU Sibiu to their first win as they defeated Fribourg Olympic 91-69 in Switzerland with both sides already eliminated.

FIBA