The EuroCup semifials will pit Hapoel Tel Aviv against Valencia Basket and Gran Canaria against Bahcesehir
Game Center: Valencia, Hapoel advance to semifinals
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Wednesday, March 12
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 67-61 Turk Telekom Ankara
Hapoel reached the semifinals for the first time after a hard-fought win over Turk Telekom at Samokov Arena in Bulgaria. After getting stopped at the quarterfinal stage in each of the last two seasons, Hapoel is final through to the best-of-three semis where it will play Valencia Basket. Hapoel led for most of the night and took the lead for good midway through the third quarter. The margin reached 12 points in the fourth, before Hapoel held off Turk Telekom’s rally. Marcus Foster led Hapoel with 21 points plus 8 rebounds. Olivier Hanlan scored 17 points in defeat.
Valencia Basket 98-74 U-BT Cluj-Napoca
Valencia held its home court in emphatic fashion for a victory over Cluj that sent the Spanish team into a semifinal meeting with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv. Valencia quickly found its offensive rhythm to take a double-digit first-quarter lead, and raced into a 53-36 advantage by halftime. Cluj fought but never got within single digits, as the host cruised to a victory that was safe long before the final buzzer. Chris Jones orchestrated Valencia with 14 points and 9 assists, while Semi Ojeleye added 13 points. Zavier Simpson led Cluj with 12 points and 10 assists.
Tuesday, March 11
Bahcesehir College Istanbul 85-81 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
Bahcesehir advanced to the semifinals by downing Cedevita at Sinan Erdem Dome on Tuesday. Bahcesehir reached this stage for the first time in the competition, denying Cedevita the chance to play its first semifinals. The visitors led by as many as 19 and went into the fourth quarter up 9 before Bahcesehir came racing back. Marko Simonovic led the winners with 20 points and Tyler Cavanaugh added 14. Danilo Tasic paced Cedevita with 14 points.
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem 89-92 Dreamland Gran Canaria
Grand Canaria booked a semifinals berth and a best-out-of-three clash with Bahcesehir after ice-cold free throw shooting in a dramatic climax that saw the Spanish side edge Hapoel. Caleb Homesley paced Gran Canaria with 21 points, while Joe Thomasson chipped in 16 after scoring the opening 10 points for his team. At the other end, Jared Harper led Hapoel on a game-high 24 points and Khadeen Carrington amassed 20 and 5 rebounds.