By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The fourth round of Eurocup’s Last 32 started with four games on Tuesday night, with Limoges destroying Valencia for a second straight time (82-67).
The French team (2-2) went on a 21-9 run in the second quarter to take control of the game and never look back (39-32). In the second half, things didn’t change much, with the visitors playing mediocre on both ends of the floor and the hosts extending their lead to double digits (62-50) to earn a big victory.
For the winners, Bo McCalebb was tremendous with 15 points, on 7 for 9 shooting, whereas Rafa Martinez scored 17 points for the Spaniards (2-2), who suffered their second defeat in all competitions.
In Russia, a 30-18 run in the first quarter let Nizhny Novgorod (2-2) beat Olimpija Ljubljana (0-4) 81-74. For the winners, Victor Rudd had 28 points, with three more players scoring in double figures. On the other hand, Sasa Zagorac scored 18 points for the losing squad, on 9 for 10 shooting.
Nizhny made an explosive start to the game and earned a double-digit advantage at the end of the first quarter (30-18). Later, the visitors enhanced their defensive performance (conceding just 15 points) and were down by seven (45-38), after 20 minutes in the game. In the second half, the Slovenians managed to cut the deficit to five points (63-58), but the hosts stood tall, retained their lead and claimed a crucial win (81-74).
In Klaipeda, a 21-10 run in the fourth quarter wasn’t enough for Neptunas (1-3) to make a come-back against Armani Milano (3-1) (73-74). For the winners, Krunoslav Simon had 15 points and six assists, whereas Donatas Zavackas scored 17 points for the losing squad.
Although the match was close in the beginning (15-16), the Italians took control of the game and retained a double-digit lead (26-36, 52-64). However, the hosts fought back and cut the deficit to just one (73-74), but they ran out of time and the visitors secured the victory.
In Germany, a 26-10 run in the third quarter helped Oldenburg (3-1) prevail over PAOK Thessaloniki (1-3) (83-71). For the winners, Kris Kramer had 23 points and five assists, as three more players scored in double figures. On the other hand, Nikola Markovic had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Greeks.
The match was close in the first half (24-24, 48-39), however the hosts were unstoppable in the third quarter, extended their lead to 25 points (74-49) and never looked back, as the visitors were unable to make a big come-back.