Aris, PAOK and Panellinios all registered crucial wins as the race to the last 16 of the basketball’s Eurocup heats up. Aris booked its place in the next round, while PAOK and Panellinios signalled their intentions with wins of their own, and are both now only a win away from the next stage.
Aris Thessaloniki recorded an important 77-82 road win over Azovmash Mariupol to advance to the Last 16 from Group D.
A 0-9 run gave Aris a 22-30 margin early in the second quarter and it never trailed again.
Demetrius Alexander led the hosts back within 42-43 early in the third quarter only to see Aris respond with a 4-16 charge to take a double-digit lead. P.J. Tucker and Bryant Dunston boosted Aris early in the final quarter to go ahead 56-71.
The hosts never gave up and climbed within 77-80 with seconds remaining in the game, but Kostas Charalampidis was perfect from the foul line to seal the win.
Tucker led the winners with 18 points and a perfect 4 of 4 from beyond the arc, Christos Tapouots added 14 points, Charalampidis 13 and Dunston and Nikos Hatzivrettas had 11 apiece.
Charles Thomas paced Azovmash with 15 points, while Maksym Pustozvonov, Chris Owens and Fred house chipped in 11 each.
PAOK defeated Asefa Estudiantes 77-72 keeping the Last 16 opportunities for both teams heading into Week 6.
An Estudiantes win in Thessalonica would have landed the visitors a ticket to the next round, and the hosts needed a 12-point victory to seal their passport from Group F, but neither result was netted. PAOK improved to 3-2 and controls its destiny.
It will move on to the Last 16 with a win, but travels to Benetton next week. Estudiantes will have to try to beat Chorale Roanne and hope for PAOK to lose in Treviso.
Rawle Marshall scored 18 points and Lazaros Papadopoulos posted 13 plus 11 boards to lead PAOK.
Donnie McGrath netted 12 points on 5 of 5 shooting from beyond the arc and Robert Dozier and Justin Gray added 11 apiece.
It will all be settled in the last week of the regular season between Panellinios BC and Bennet Cantu after the Greek side won by 59-54, in Greece.
Galatasaray’s win earned the Turkish squad a ticket to the Last 16 and therefore, the last berth from Group E will be up for grabs between Panellinios and Cantu.
The Greek team improved to a 3-2 record while Cantu drops to 2-3.
Panellinios has the upper hand as it depends on itself to advance, but a loss combined with a Cantu win would put the Italian team in the Last 16 due to the favorable point differential.
Maurice Bailey led the winners with his 14 points and Vangelis Sklavos added 11. For Bennet Cantu, only Benjamin Ortner scored in double digits with 11.
