Porto knock out defending champions as six teams advance from Qualifiers

MUNICH (Germany) - Benfica, FC Porto, Iraklis BC, medi Bayreuth all won their respective Final showdowns in the FIBA Europe Cup Qualifiers as the action wrapped up on Friday.

The four teams were joined in heading to the Regular Season by two 'lucky losers' in Donar Groningen and Trefl Sopot as they still made it through despite falling at the final hurdle.

Porto overcame a slow start to defeat Ironi Ness Ziona 79-70 in a result that ended the reign of the defending champions, in Parnu. Max Landis and Jonathan Arledge shared 36 points between them and also combined for nine of the 13 triples for Porto as they came up clutch down the stretch.

Frank Bartley had 20 points for last season's winners, but hobbled out late on with the game beyond Ness Ziona. They had jumped out to a 13-2 start before gradually being dragged back as an exciting final quarter ensued with Landis and Arledge doing the damage from beyond the arc in a crucial spell.

Fellow Portuguese side Benfica joined them in the Regular Season after they upset hosts Donar Groningen 81-73 behind 19 points from Makrem Ben Romdhane. However, the Dutch side still advanced; thanks in large part to their 27-point victory in the Semi-Finals boosting their overall points difference.

Iraklis were pushed right until the final buzzer as they eventually secured a 74-72 victory over debutants Trefl Sopot. Toney Douglas top scored with 15 points with American compatriots Ryan Woolridge and Reggie Lynch both adding 14 points in the narrow win.

Sopot had trailed by as many as 11 points in the third period, but rallied with a 10-2 run late on to set up a tense finish. While it would prove not to be enough on the night for the win, the burst was pivotal in still managing to seal their place in the Regular Season as one of the best runners-up.

Earlier, medi Bayreuth were first to punch their ticket as they overcame Hapoel Haifa for an 80-75 triumph in Krasnoyarsk. The German side had five players in double figures in the win including experienced point guard Bastian Doreth, who finished with 14 points and 9 assists.

The margin of defeat was not enough for Hapoel Haifa as they missed out on a place in the Regular Season alongside compatriots Ironi Ness Ziona.

The ranking of the four runners-up was as follows:

The Regular Season tips off on October 12 as the 32 teams are split into eight groups of four.

FIBA