MUNICH (Germany) - It's advantage to the French clubs in the FIBA Europe Cup Semi-Finals after contrasting wins on Wednesday night.
Cholet Basket needed a game-winning dunk in the final seconds to upset the home crowd of PAOK mateco, while JDA Bourgogne Dijon established control over Bilbao Basket with a convincing 19-point victory.
The all-important second legs take place next Wednesday, when the Finals matchup will be decided.
Daily Highs
Efficiency: Shavar Reynolds (PAOK mateco) / Gerald Ayayi (Cholet Basket) - 30 Points: Gerald Ayayi (Cholet Basket) - 26 Rebounds: Multiple players - 7 Assists: T.J. Campbell (Cholet Basket) - 7 Steals: Shavar Reynolds (PAOK mateco) - 4 Blocks: Aaron Wheeler (Cholet Basket) - 3
Cholet snatch first leg lead
A two-handed dunk from Jamuni McNeace with 0.9 seconds left gave Cholet Basket an 89-88 road win over PAOK mateco in the first leg of their Semi-Finals matchup.
Gerald Ayayi led Cholet Basket with 26 points, going a near-perfect 11-for-12 from the floor. He also pulled down 4 rebounds. Shavar Reynolds, who agonizingly missed the turnaround on the final buzzer, led PAOK with 20 points as they suffered their first defeat at home in this competition.
Without one of their leaders in Bastien Vautier, Cholet already had their backs against the wall against a PAOK side unbeaten on their home floor. However, the visitors played with tremendous confidence and flair at the start, leading 47-40 at the half and shooting 53.2 percent from the field.
Cholet certainly had to withstand heavy pressure from PAOK, particularly from Reynolds and Kreuser, who both had 14 points after three but kept their noses in front until an 8-2 start to the final 10 minutes lifted the hosts, who were behind for the majority, to take the lead at 83-81 with 3:05 to go.
The visitors recovered, though, and sealed the win with less than a second left with TJ Campbell providing the sublime dime to McNeace.
Dijon takes double-digit lead to Bilbao
JDA Bourgogne Dijon shut Bilbao Basket out in the second half; holding the Spaniards to just 22 points on their way to a comfortable 77-58 first-leg victory.
Slovenian Gregor Hrovat paced Dijon with 18 points and 4 rebounds, supported by Axel Julien, who stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Harald Fray amassed 12 points for Bilbao, which was let down by poor execution as the game wore on. They ended with a subpar 34.6 percent, way below their average of 48.5.
Boasting the competition's meanest defense, Bilbao knew they had to stabilize Dijon's potent offensive threat, being that the French side is the only side left in the FIBA Europe Cup that averages over 90 points per game.
The Spanish outfit's plan worked well in the opening quarter, forcing Dijon into tough shots and making unforced errors. Through solid execution at their end, Bilbao led 21-14 after one.
However, as the second quarter progressed, Dijon got a second wind and bounced back to narrow the gap to just 36-34 at the break, having trailed by as many as nine points. The hosts stormed clear in the third period by holding Bilbao to just four points in the first seven minutes en route to leading 57-45.
Then, Dijon's electrifying attacking prowess was evident as they dragged their lead to double-digits in a one-sided second half. This leaves Bilbao, who overturned a FIBA Europe Cup-record 19-point deficit last season, having to match its accomplishment again on its home floor next Wednesday.
Results
PAOK mateco 88-89 Cholet Basket JDA Bourgogne Dijon 77-58 Bilbao Basket
FIBA