MIES (Switzerland) - Basketball Champions League games in mid-March mean only one thing: eyes on the big prize named Quarter-Finals.
Tuesday's action in the Round of 16 started in Türkiye, with all four teams contending in Group J fighting with the same goal in mind: winning the game and claiming ambitions later on.
Manisa Basket Divissa 97-103 Unicaja
The last time Unicaja visited Türkiye in this season's Round of 16, things didn't work out perfectly against Galatasaray, as Ibon Navarro's team saw their 18-game winning streak get to a stop.
That's why their matchup against Manisa Basket Divissa was particularly important. Not only because adding one win to their 3-1 record in Group J would have meant jumping to the Basketball Champions League Quarter-Finals; but also to showcase mental strength, putting fear into the drawer of memories.
On the other side, Manisa were in desperate search of a much needed victory, as losing would have meant elimination. They stayed true to their belief, fighting until the end; it ultimately wasn't enough.
Manisa had a 13-2 run in the third quarter to try postponing Unicaja's path to the Quarter-Finals, but the champs survived in a game conditioned by 17 lead changes, winning 103-97 on the road on Turkish soil. One player stood out from the usual union of intent by the Spanish side.
Kameron Taylor displayed a wonderful offensive performance away from home, getting a career-high night of 33 points, shooting 7-of-10 from two, 4-of-5 from three, and 7-of-9 at the line.
Not only was this Taylor's best game in the BCL, it was the best game of his entire career as a pro, surpassing the previous mark of 32 points scored for PVSK Veolia on May 15, 2019 in the Hungarian League matchup with Jaszberenyi KSE.
If scoring 33 wasn't enough, the 30-year-old also grabbed 5 rebounds and shared 5 assists. Speaking about assists, those are the house specialty for several players stepping onto Manisa's Muradiye Sports Hall on Tuesday.
Among them, Hugo Besson had 15 points, 8 assists, and 6 steals in the loss.
Jo Lual-Acuil (22 points and 9 rebounds) was the absolute dominator at the rim but he couldn't avoid Manisa's elimination in the Round of 16. Getting out despite scoring 97 points against the defending champs must be bittersweet.
Galatasaray 89-81 Rytas Vilnius
Either one between Galatasaray and Rytas Vilnius could have booked their ticket for the following stage as well, at the same time as Manisa and Unicaja battling it out more than 400 km away.
The Lithuanians just needed a win, while the hosts should have won by 21 or more points to put their name into the best eight teams of this BCL season.
In the end, nobody could be fully satisfied - apart from Unicaja, obviously, as the Spaniards secured the first place in Group J following Galatasaray's 89-81 win in front of their loud fans.
Despite poorly shooting 59.26 percent (16-of-27) at the line, missing even in clutch time, Yakup Sekizkok's team got an important home victory. They have now won eight of their last nine home games in the BCL, including each of the last five.
Will Cummings was the protagonist of another offensive showcase, scoring 22 points over 4-of-10 from beyond the arc. He has now scored 20+ points in four of his last five BCL games.
Overall, Galatasaray shared the ball better than Rytas (20-13 in assists made), with James Palmer Jr displaying some new playmaking duties, finishing with 18 points and 7 assists.
RJ Cole (25 points) has now scored 15+ points in each of his last four BCL games and has made 3+ three-pointers in five of his last six games in the competition; Arturas Gudaitis made his BCL debut with 2 points and 4 boards in nine minutes.
"I think we're in as good a position as anybody. We have a good team and a great opportunity to keep fighting to have a position to advance against Malaga next week," Cole eyed next week's matchup against the reigning champions.
"We're just gonna go there with the mentality to win the game no matter what. We've got the team to do that. It was tough tonight for us, but we'll bounce back and I'm pretty sure we're gonna put up a good fight against Malaga."
With Unicaja (4-1) officially qualified as 1st team in Group J and Manisa (1-4) officially out of contention, Galatasaray (3-2) and Rytas (2-3) will battle for the second spot available for the Quarter-Finals in this group.
The Lithuanian champions need to defeat Unicaja in Vilnius, and they also need a helping hand from Manisa, to take down Galatasaray. All other results send Galatasaray through as the #2 seed from Group J.
ERA Nymburk 96-68 Falco-Vulcano Szombathely
Balance is nice in basketball, isn't it? Well, moving to Czechia for the third game of the night in Tuesday's BCL Round of 16 action, you should forget about it.
Against the already-eliminated Falco-Vulcano Szombathely, which now stand at a winless 0-5 record at the bottom of Group L, ERA Nymburk displayed complete supremacy, winning 96-68 at home.
Francesco Tabellini's team will now watch closely Wednesday's matchup between UCAM Murcia and Nanterre 92: with a Murcia win, Nymburk will return to the BCL Quarter-Finals for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
The Nymburk duo composed of Stephen Brown (17 points and 7 assists in only 16 minutes on the court) and Nighael Ceaser (17 points on 8-of-10 from the field, with 8 rebounds).
It was a complete domination for the Czech champs, who outplayed their opponents in rebounds grabbed (54-30) and assists shared (26-17).
"For us, the job is not finished. All the players I'm coaching are pretty competitive. For us, the mission is showing up next week in Murcia with the right mindset, with the right mentality, and with the purpose of playing an amazing game," Tabellini commented.
Falco were without their captain Zoltan Perl - another experienced player in Benedek Varadi had a 17-point losing effort coming off the bench.
BAXI Manresa 96-90 Pallacanestro Reggiana
The most passionate followers of the Basketball Champions League still dream of that BAXI Manresa team from the 2021-22 season, that managed to overcome all odds to go all the way to the Final Four in Bilbao.
Things have drastically changed for the Catalans since that majestic run, including key players and the head coach, with Diego Ocampo bravely stepping in to replace the mastermind, Pedro Martinez.
If Manresa wanted to live some déjà vu moments in the BCL, experiencing once again a post-season run, they needed to win on Tuesday night, avoiding an early elimination. Coming off a three-game losing stretch, they also needed to bounce back emotionally, keeping their composure against Pallacanestro Reggiana.
At the end of a 40-minute battle that saw nine lead changes, the hosts fulfilled their crucial goal, winning 96-90. However, following their 85-70 loss in Italy, they couldn't get the tiebreaker.
Derrick Alston Jr (29 points - 14 in the second quarter - over 5-of-8 from deep) reminded everybody in the stands of his legendary father, who won an ACB title in front of these fans back in the day.
When needed, captains always step up, and that's what Michele Vitali did for Reggiana: never scoring more than 12 points this season in the BCL, he had 19 over 5-of-6 from three off the bench.
Waiting for the other appointment of the week in Group K, with Aliaga Petkimspor still alive before facing the already-qualified La Laguna Tenerife, everyone's eyes will be focused on the last game day of the BCL Round of 16.
A home victory against Aliaga Petkimspor next week would mean Dimitris Priftis' team wrote another chapter in the club's history, reaching its first-ever BCL Quarter-Finals.