### Gran Canaria head coach Jaka Lakovic:

"I think our defense in the second half, I would say this was the key. From our defense, we scored some easy points and finally, when we got stops, we got confidence and made some shots, because in the first half we didn't. We go on to the next one, that's it.

"Congratulations to the players for the win and for the right to play in the quarterfinals. This win gives us the right for one more game in the EuroCup, and again, we will be in the same situation, one-and-done. We are happy, first of all, because we won the game against a very tough opponent who played very physical, pushed us to the limit. And I want to congratulate my players for being mentally tough throughout the game. Even in the fourth quarter, we went down 2 points but we kept playing and kept believing. In the end, I think we deserved to win. Bursaspor scored 66 points with 18 offensive rebounds, taking more shots than we did. Defensively, especially in the second half, I think we played excellent. Yes, 18 offensive rebounds are too many and we were aware it was one of the keys to the game, and they hurt us here. We had to have more concentration on free throws, but I don't want to talk too much about free throws. Next time, we will hit them all. 

"Things were not going the way we wanted. It was hard for us to impose our rhythm and dynamism. Credit to Bursaspor for playing very physical, taking us to our limit. It was important to be mentally strong. We never got a comfortable lead, it was tough, but the players were mentally ready. We talked about focusing on small details we had to do well to win. We focused on small things that everyone had to give to the team's success. Even with that, these games are difficult, especially when everyone sees you as a favorite because you had a good regular season. It is not easy, but the players did well."

### Frutti Extra Bursaspor head coach Dusan Alimpijevic:

"I have to congrat my players, they stuck to the game. We prepared this game good and played good. We really couldn't play better. It is difficult when you have two important players with 5 fouls, one injured players during the game, who had hit with an elbow. What can I say? For sure, Gran Canaria also deserved it. This is a good team with good individuals. This is a team that knows how to read the game. This is a team that, for sure, has the best roster in both groups in the EuroCup. I will not be surprised if I see them as a champions of EuroCup. Of course, there are a couple more teams who deserve it but as I said, I will not be surprised if Gran Canaria is the EuroCup champion."

### Gran Canaria forward John Shurna:

"It was a tough game, a playoff atmosphere. We had great teams, and that is a team that played in the finals last year with a lot of the same guys. It was a tough matchup but we were able to get some plays at the end and get a 'W'. We have to play another tough team \[Paris\]. Each game is tough from now on, we have to defend our home court and play our best."

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Coach Lakovic, Gran Canaria: 'When we got stops, we got confidence'

Gran Canaria v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2023-04-12T19:15:00.000Z)

Gran Canaria returned to the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals by downing Frutti Extra Bursaspor 72-66 in the do-or-die eighthfinals at home on Wednesday. 

Gran Canaria eliminates Bursaspor, 72-66

Gran Canaria returned to the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals by downing Frutti Extra Bursaspor 72-66 in the do-or-die eighthfinals at home on Wednesday. Gran Canaria reached the quarterfinals for the eighth time in club history and is set to face Paris Basketball in the next phase. Bursaspor, which won three consecutive road playoff games to reach the final last season, could not repeat that success, finishing the season with an 8-11 record.

John Shurna led the winners with 17 points. Khalifa Diop added 11, and five of his teammates scored 5 points or more for Gran Canaria. Onuralp Bitim paced Bursaspor with 22 points. Zach Auguste posted a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds for the visitors.

Auguste scored twice around the basket and Bitim added a coast-to-coast reverse dunk, a circus shot and a jumper in an early 0-13 run that put Bursaspor in charge, 5-13. Balcerowski and Diop stepped up for the hosts and Ferran Bassas's three-pointer fixed the score at 14-18 after 10 minutes. 

Gran Canaria found a go-to guy in Vitor Benite, who got help from Diop and Damien Inglis to give the hosts a 24-22 lead. Bitim kept pacing Bursaspor and Derek Needham's layup-plus-foul tied it at 27-27. Omer Utku Al soon scored in transition to put the visitors ahead, 31-33. Anthony Clemmons and Nico Brussino traded baskets to fix the halftime score at 33-35.

Shurna banked in a close shot and struck from downtown for a 38-35 Gran Canaria lead soon after the break. Bursaspor kept struggling to score and Inglis's layup boosted the margin to 44-36, after a 13-1 run. Clemmons sank a three-pointer and Auguste's tip-in gave the visitors hope at 47-42. David Dudzinski found his first points and Bitim brought the Bursaspor even closer, 50-49, after 30 minutes. 

Bitim sank his third triple to put the visitors in charge, 50-52, with over 8 minutes left. A.J. Slaughter and Miquel Salvo fueled a 13-0 run that Bassas capped with free throws for a 63-52 Gran Canaria lead. Shurna scored again and Diop added a backdoor layup that sealed the outcome, 67-54, as Bursaspor did not within striking distance in the final 3 minutes.

Promitheas Patras secured an 89-75 victory over Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse on Wednesday night at Dimitris Tofalos Arena to seal a spot in the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals. 

Promitheas overpowers Bourg to advance to quarterfinals

Promitheas Patras secured an 89-75 victory over Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse on Wednesday night at Dimitris Tofalos Arena to seal a spot in the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals. The hosts were superior from start to finish and managed to hold a comfortable lead whenever the visitors tried to fight back. Promitheas will play away Prometey Slobozhanske on the road in next week’s quarterfinals.

Anthony Cowan paired his 20 points with 10 assists to lead the winners. Arnoldas Kulboka also recorded 20 points. Joe Thomasson added 13 points and George Conditt had 12. For Bourg, Jordan Floyd scored 16 points, Isiaha Mike registered 13 and Pierre Pelos had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The two teams got off to a slow start, missing a couple of three-pointers each before Dustin Hogue netted 5 quick points and Vassilis Mouratos added 3 for an 8-3 Promitheas lead. Bourg had no field goal in the first 3 minutes, with all its points coming from the free-throw line. James Palmer scored the visitors' first field goal on a fast break, but Thomasson sank the hosts’ first three-pointer and Hogue took his tally to 6 points, as Promitheas went 14-5 up. Nikos Gkikas came off the bench to set up Nemanja Dangubic and scored a layup to stretch the lead to double digits, 24-13.

What followed was a nervy second quarter, as the two teams recorded a combined 10 turnovers in 4 minutes. As a result, Bourg scored just 3 points in 5 minutes and Promitheas managed its first points in the second quarter from the free-throw line through Hogue for a 26-16 lead with 5:20 to play. Kulboka opened his account with 8 back-to-back points and Cowan scored his first points 8 minutes into the second quarter to boost Promitheas's lead to 37-26. Bourg went on a 0-5 run in the closing stages to get within 41-33 before the break.

 The visitors hit the ground running in the second half, with Floyd scoring 7 back-to-back points to reduce the deficit to 44-40. Promitheas stars Cowan and Kulboka responded, with the latter taking his tally to 16 points, 53-40. Axel Julien and Maxime Courby sank a three-pointer each to bring Bourg within 58-55, but Cowan scored a much-needed triple from the corner as Promitheas headed into the last quarter with a 61-55 lead.

Thomasson and Dangubic pushed their team's lead back to double digits, but Pelos scored 6 straight points and Floyd sank 3 free throws to trim the deficit to 78-71. Cowan stepped up again when Promitheas needed him most and scored his fifth three-pointer of the game for an 81-71 lead to deal Bourg a hard blow. Then Conditt rejected Floyd on one end and scored a put-back-and-one on the other end to practically put the game to bed and seal the victory for the hosts.

Promitheas Patras v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2023-04-12T18:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Vegan friendly Tel Aviv reached the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals with a resounding 90-80 home win over Umana Reyer Venice, on the back of aggressive defense in the first three quarters of the game garnished by selfless teamwork on offense.

Defense and assists carried Hapoel past Reyer

Hapoel Vegan friendly Tel Aviv reached the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals with a resounding 90-80 home win over Umana Reyer Venice, on the back of aggressive defense in the first three quarters of the game garnished by selfless teamwork on offense.

The home team forced 19 turnovers from the visitors, who had fought back from a 77-55 deficit at the end of the third quarter and closed the gap to just 84-80 in the closing stages, but they ran fell short of turning the game on its head.

Hapoel also shared the ball unselfishly on the attack, as it racked up a total of 22 team assists, while six players posted double figures in scoring. The bench made a massive contribution and the second unit's effort was personified by Idan Zalmanson, who had 10 points and 5 rebounds in just 13 minutes on the court.

The overall performance drew praise from head coach Danny Franco, who can now look forward to a last-eight clash with Joventut Badalona and hope that his team will be able to reach the semifinals in their debut EuroCup season.

"I want to congratulate my players for a great night. We played a team with a lot of experienced guys and a great coach, we were never going to take anything for granted against them," Franco said in the post-game press conference.

"The fans gave us incredible energy and with so many players contributing, I am proud as a coach of how we reacted. We needed to be more focused to prevent the momentum that Venice got \[in the latter stages\], but I am happy we’re here and I hope we can keep dreaming."

Reyer made 12 of 36 three-point attempts and 14 of 21 from two-point range, with its head coach Neven Spahija criticizing the shot selection.

"We needed to play inside more because a serious team can’t afford to take 36 shots from three-point range and just 21 from two-point territory," he said. "Basketball is about balancing the inside and the outside game."

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv v Umana Reyer Venice (2023-04-12T18:00:00.000Z)

The story of the eighthfinals game in Germany on Wednesday was ratiopharm Ulm coming back from a 17-point deficit to defeat Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 92-83 and one of the keys to that victory was the hosts dominating the paint. 

Ulm's dominance inside paved the way against Buducnost 

The story of the eighthfinals game in Germany on Wednesday was ratiopharm Ulm coming back from a 17-point deficit to defeat Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 92-83 and one of the keys to that victory was the hosts dominating the paint.

In the first minute alone, Bruno Caboclo showed some of what was to come with 4 points – including a put-back basket – a block and a defensive rebound. It seemed to matter little as Buducnost outscored Ulm 12-30 over the next 9 minutes. However, Caboclo and the Ulm big men had plenty to say all game long.

Even after the halftime break, when Ulm needed to get its attack going, its first 2 baskets came via the offensive glass: one by Caboclo and the second via Philipp Herkenoff. For the night, Ulm outrebounded Buducnost 45-33 and it almost doubled the visitors on the offensive glass, 17-9. From those, Ulm netted 21 second-chance points compared to 10 for Buducnost. Those numbers are even more impressive considering that Buducnost was third in the regular season with 39.0 rebounds per game.

What’s more, Ulm shot 21-for-36 on two-pointers for the game (58.3%), while holding Buducnost to 22-for-47 (46.8%). Caboclo was key to the hosts inside scoring, making 7 of 8 two-point shots. He finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Buducnost's star center Alpha Kaba also had 11 rebounds as well as 3 steals and 3 blocks, but was quiet on offense with just 6 points on 2-for-5 two-point shooting.

Without a consistent frontcourt scoring threat – 55.4% of Buducnost’s points came from starting guards Erick Green (29) and Trae Bell-Haynes (17), the visitors could not threaten Ulm inside and the hosts were able to become more aggressive in other areas to turn things around in the second half and advance to the quarterfinals.  

ratiopharm Ulm v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2023-04-12T17:30:00.000Z)

Carles Duran, Joventut: 'The most important thing is the win'

### Carles Duran, Joventut Badalona head coach

"Probably \[it was a typical playoff game\]. The worst thing is the turnovers, but it's a good victory. The most important thing is to win. I don't know if the team played well or not – sometimes it played well. But, the most important thing is the win and to think in the next round. The fans were spectacular. I think we have Hapoel? Great team, but now we're happy with the victory and we'll try to think about Hapoel.

"Congratulations to the team, the club, but in the next round it will be very difficult. I'm happy for the club and now we'll try to think about the next game."

### Ryan Schmidt, London Lions head coach

"I'm really proud of our guys. I thought the fight was there. We talked a lot the last few months of the season, the games against the better teams – like we played tonight – it's going to come down to the marginal things: missed free throws, offensive rebounds, not being able to capitalize after stops. Credit to them, that's a hell of a team. I'd expect them to go on a really deep run, but I'm really proud of how we fought tonight.

"Obviously it's a tough result for us, but I'm really proud of the way our guys fought. We knew going into this game that it was going to be tough from a size and physicality standpoint. You look at their roster, you watch the film, they do a really good job of just imposing their will in the paint. I thought we did a good job with our post defense, I think just the second-chance opportunities… You give up 15 offensive rebounds, it's going to be tough to win the game. And that's been something that's been hurting us since we've been missing Kosta \[Koufos\] and our roster got, from a size standpoint, a little smaller with four guards playing on the court basically the whole time. But look, overall, I think perspective on the season is really important. There's a lot of firsts that we accomplished as an organization – the first time that a British team has qualified for the playoffs – and that's what we need. As an organization, as a team, you need playoff experience and I don’t think there's a better test than coming over here and playing a team that's rich in history and tradition. Again, just to be able to be in that game continuously, I was proud of the way that we played. I told the guys in the locker room that there were multiple times in that game when we could have let it get out of hand and I thought the fight and resolve we showed was really good. On the flip side, now you see on the other side where we have to get to. That's a team tonight where every time we got it to 6 or 4, they'd make you pay and they'd get it back to 8 or they'd get it back to 10. That's just where we need to get to. I'm really happy with the season, obviously disappointed we didn’t advance, but at the end of the day, I'm really pleased with how we constantly showed improvement from the beginning of the EuroCup competition until now."

### Ante Tomic, Joventut Badalona center

"We were playing good the whole game and we deserved to win today. Starting good always gives us more confidence, especially defensively. Against teams like London, you need to be careful and concentrated during the 40 minutes. We did that today and I'm really proud of the team, because it was a really difficult game for us. But, we did it. The crowd always \[helps us\]. When the Olimpic is like this, it's much easier to play."

Joventut Badalona v London Lions (2023-04-12T18:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv marched into the 7DAYS EuroCup last eight after a strong team effort with six players positing double figures in scoring, gave the Israeli side a 90-80 home win over Umana Reyer Venice in the first knockout round of the competition on Wednesday. 

Hapoel beats Reyer 90-80 to reach quarterfinals 

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv marched into the 7DAYS EuroCup last eight after a strong team effort with six players positing double figures in scoring, gave the Israeli side a 90-80 home win over Umana Reyer Venice in the first knockout round of the competition on Wednesday. It was a big night for EuroCup debutant Hapoel and the home team responded with a superb performance in front of a frenetic crowd that roared on the hosts from start to finish, having given them a standing ovation after the contest.

Xavier Munford and Bar Timor paced Hapoel with 13 points each, J’Covan Brown had 12 points and 8 assists, Chinanu Onuaku scored 11 points while Tomer Ginat and Idan Zalmanson netted 10 each – the latter also racking up 5 rebounds in just 13 minutes on the court. At the other end, Jayson Granger posted a game-high 18 points, Derek Willis scored 16 while Amedeo Tessitori and Jordan Parks amassed 13 apiece.

Hapoel, which has now won nine of its last 10 EuroCup games, will face Joventut Badalona on the road for a semifinal berth after the Spanish side overcame the London Lions at home, 89-78.

The home team made a somewhat jittery start as baskets were hard to come by in the opening exchanges, with both sides forced to take tough long-range shots in the wake of some aggressive defending. Reyer nosed ahead 9-12 midway through the first quarter before Hapoel put together a whirlwind of a 26-4 run stretching into the second period, allowing the home side to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.

Hapoel threatened to vanquish Reyer before halftime as Timor scored 8 successive points without reply at the start of the second quarter, but the visitors were able to regain some of their composure as they cut the gap to 48-32 at the interval.

Battling Reyer continued to claw its way back into the contest with the score 57-43 midway through the third quarter before Hapoel produced a 10-2 run and then stayed on course to maintain a 77-55 heading into the final 10 minutes. The home team repeatedly pierced through Reyer’s defense with pick-and-roll plays which left big men Onuaku and Zalmanson with easy shots at the rim, while Brown dished out assists like confetti.

However, the game was far from over as a contest and Reyer came storming back in the fourth quarter as Hapoel’s offense came to a screeching halt. Having ramped up their defense, the visitors conjured a 20-3 run which slashed the deficit to 80-75 and several minutes later it was 84-80, with the passionate home crowd showing anxiety as Hapoel appeared to have run out of steam.

Brown then nailed a tough lay-up off the glass and with Reyer misfiring in their last few possessions, the hosts were able to seal their victory thanks to ice-cool free-throw shooting from Xavier Munford in the final minute, as he sank 4 shots from as many attempts from the foul line down the stretch.

Joventut Badalona avoided an upset in the 7DAYS EuroCup Eighthfinals as it defeated the London Lions 89-78 at Palau Olimpic de Badalona on Wednesday night. The Spanish team will next take on Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv in the quarterfinals, following the Israeli side's victory against Umana Reyer Venice. 

Joventut eliminates London with 89-78 triumph

Joventut Badalona avoided an upset in the 7DAYS EuroCup Eighthfinals as it defeated the London Lions 89-78 at Palau Olimpic de Badalona on Wednesday night. The Spanish team will next take on Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv in the quarterfinals, following the Israeli side's victory against Umana Reyer Venice.

 

Ante Tomic led the way for Joventut with 16 points on a night when five other players for the hosts reached double figures. Henry Ellenson scored 14 points, Kyle Guy and Andres Feliz both had 13, Joel Parra chipped in with 12 and Guillem Vives finished with 10. For London, Tomislav Zubcic paced the visitors with a game-high 19 points. Aaron Best also had 18 and Jordan Taylor 14, while Sam Dekker scored 8 but was clearly still affected by the ankle injury he suffered in Round 17.

Joventut had a perfect start to the game, hitting 3 three-pointers – 2 from Vives and 1 from Parra – on its first three trips down the floor to open an early 9-0 lead. London's first points came at the 7:26 mark thanks to a couple of made free throws by Zubcic, 9-2, but the hosts soon opened a double-digit lead thanks to another triple, this time by Ellenson, 12-2. The scoring dried up a little for Joventut thereafter, but a made shot by Feliz from behind the arc – Joventut's fifth of the quarter – with 4:00 left ensured that the hosts remained in complete control, 15-6. After the first 10 minutes, Joventut had a 7-point lead, 19-12.

 

Parra opened the second quarter with a corner three, 22-12, which extended the lead to double digits again, but a London fightback saw it pull to within 4 points when Mo Soluade hit a stepback shot from just inside the arc, 24-20. Yet, Joventut managed to hold its nerve, with Guy doing damage around the rim and from mid-range, which allowed the hosts to make it a double-digit game once again, 30-20. Then, with 2:29 remaining before halftime, Joventut opened a 16-point gap, 39-23, as the Spanish side kept finding ways to make London pay from all areas of the floor. However, a late 0-8 run by London, which featured 5 straight points by Taylor, trimmed the deficit and made it 39-31, as the visitors went into the break 8 points down.

Taylor stayed hot coming out of the halftime interview, scoring a layup to make it a 6-point ballgame, 39-33. Joventut responded again, though, scoring 5 straight points to once again go 11 points ahead, 44-33. Despite the best attempts of London, who had Best trying to single-handedly keep it in the game in the third quarter, Joventut never appeared to feel threatened. Instead, Tomic used his experience to keep going to the line and ensure that London remained at arm's length, 54-42. After Best's best efforts to keep London alive, 57-49, Vojtech Hruban and Zubcic appeared to put pressure on the hosts, 59-54. After 30 minutes, Joventut was ahead by 6, 64-58.

 

The fourth quarter could not have got off to a worse start for London, who didn't score inside the opening 3:47 and found itself down by 16, 74-58. Dekker had played a largely peripheral role due to an ankle injury he suffered in Round 17 against Turk Telekom Ankara, but he came to the fore the midway point of the fourth, dunking of a steal, going 2-for-2 at the line and then dunking off another steal to give London hope, 76-66. But, on his second dunk, he was clearly limping in another sign that this might not be London's night. Taylor trimmed the deficit further with a made shot from midrange, 76-68, but 5 points in a row by Joventut calmed down the nerves inside the arena, 81-68. Zubcic hit back-to-back threes on successive trips down the floor, 83-74, before Taylor cut it to 83-76, but a Parra layup and a couple of made free throws by Ellenson led to big roars inside the arena, 87-76. Joventut was then able to see out its 89-79 win and celebrate, having avoided a repeat of last year's eighthfinals nightmare.

Ioannis Christopoulos, Promitheas: 'This is the beauty of basketball'

### Promitheas Patras head coach Ioannis Christopoulos:

"First of all, I think that this is a very important win for the club. I think everyone deserved that: the organization, the family of Promitheas, the players and all the people. I think that this is a great feeling and this is the beauty of basketball. 

"It’s a great win. I think it’s a very good achievement. The players gave everything they had and I think we did a good job at the defensive end, setting the tone. Offensively, even if we missed a couple of shots, we stayed locked in and focused and we played quality basketball for the most part of the game. I think that this is a great win for the organization and the family of Promitheas. We move on to the next opponent. We know who we face. We want to be prepared as much as we can and give everything we have for another game."

### Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse head coach Frederic Fauthoux:

"We are disappointed because we lost an important game. We didn’t deserve to win this game because we made too many mistakes in the first half and we were not good on defense. Congratulations to Patras.

"Prometey is the favorite \[in the quartefinals matchup\], of course. They finished top in our group. They play great basketball, but Patras plays really well too. They showed it tonight. It will be a great game. In one game everything is possible."

### Promitheas Patras guard Anthony Cowan:

"We started out slow, automatically we pushed through. It was a rough game, a hard game, but we knew it was going to be that. But we pulled it off. Good win for us."