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.

Game News

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.

Game Videos

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.

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

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.

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

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."

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

Idan Zalmanson, Hapoel: 'We want to go all the way'

### Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv head coach Danny Franco:

"We were all very excited to play against a team like Venice – a lot of tradition, veteran players and a great coach like Neven \[Spahija\]. I am happy for the way we reacted, we were a bit nervous in the beginning but we came out of it extremely well. A lot of guys contributing, coming off the bench, it was really a team effort. In an atmosphere like that, I am really proud of my team.

"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. The fans gave us incredible energy and with so many players contributing, I am proud as a coach 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."

### Umana Reyer Venice head coach Neven Spahija:

"I would like to congratulate Hapoel for playing amazing basketball, they were the better team and they deserved to win. They’ve played amazing basketball all season and I hope they can go all the way. We didn’t play good basketball today for most of the game. I regret that we were not more consistent and realize that we couldn’t make open shots. We needed to play inside more because a serious team can’t afford to take 36 shots from three-point range and just 22 from two-point territory. Basketball is about balancing the inside and the outside game."

### Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv center Idan Zalmanson:

"They are a good team and if you don’t play well, they’re going to punish you. They showed us that we should never be satisfied and that we have to keep pushing for 40 minutes. It’s a tough win, a big one for us, moving forward we want to go all the way... I am sure a lot of \[our fans\] are going to be with us \[in the quarterfinals\]. The atmosphere here was amazing, we are happy for them and they deserved it more than anything."

ratiopharm Ulm dominated the third quarter to complete a comeback from a 17-point second-quarter deficit en route to a 92-83 victory over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on Wednesday night at Ratiopharm Arena in the 7DAYS EuroCup Eighthfinals. 

Ulm rallies from 17 down to KO Buducnost, 92-83

ratiopharm Ulm dominated the third quarter to complete a comeback from a 17-point second-quarter deficit en route to a 92-83 victory over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on Wednesday night at Ratiopharm Arena in the 7DAYS EuroCup Eighthfinals. Ulm will face the winner of Thursday's clash between Turk Telekom Ankara and Germani Brescia in next week's quarterfinals.

Bruno Caboclo led the winners with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Paul scored 18 on 4-of-7 three-point shooting, Fedor Zugic added 14 against his former team and Yago Dos Santos ran the offense with 10 points and 7 assists. Erick Green paced Buducnost with 29 points, Trae Bell-Haynes contributed 17 points and 8 assists and Alpha Kaba collected 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks in defeat.

It was all Caboclo in the first minute with a slam and a put-back on the first two offensive possessions and a block and a rebound on Buducnost's first two attacks. The Buducnost guards soon tied the score and went ahead 7-10 through 5 points from Edin Atic. Bell-Haynes heated up for the visitors and a pair of triples by Green made it 14-23. An Ulm timeout changed little as Petar Popovic scored the last 5 points of the fist quarter to take a commanding 16-30 advantage.

Buducnost more than doubled the hosts' output after Cameron Reynolds's three-pointer to open the second quarter. Ulm entered the bonus after drawing 5 fouls in the first 3 minutes of the quarter. Dos Santos heated up with free throws and a deep three in an 11-2 run that drew Ulm within 30-37. Green and Buducnost soon restored a double-digit lead. Zugic continued to shine for Ulm, but Buducnost had an answer for each of his scores and halftime arrived with the visitors ahead 42-53.

Ulm came out for the second half with a renewed defensive effort and after put-backs by Caboclo and Philipp Herkenoff and a three by Do Santos, the margin was down to 49-55. A jumper by Caboclo prompted a Buducnost timeout at 56-59, midway through the third quarter, with the crowd in full song. Thomas Klepeisz completed the Ulm comeback with a floating one-legged three-pointer that made it 61-59. Juan Nunez drilled a three and a buzzer-beating layup to make it 68-62 at the end of the quarter.

Reynolds's slam sparked Buducnost, but Ulm maintained a slim lead. Paul's four-point play threatened to blow things open at 77-69 and he followed that up with a three on the next possession.  With less than 5 minutes remaining, Buducnost called timeout and looked to regroup through Bell-Haynes and Green, who got their side within 80-74. Caboclo scored on a mismatch and Klepeisz sank free throws to keep Ulm in control down the stretch, 85-76. Buducnost was unable to mount a final charge and Ulm held on to celebrate.

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

### ratiopharm Ulm head coach Anton Gavel:

"We told them \[at halftime\] that they have to get better defensively. It was in the first half, we received 53 points and that was the difference, we couldn’t handle Green and Bell-Haynes going to the basket. I think the guys stepped up and did a great job defensively in the second half and from there on we were able to score. I think throughout the season, we developed our defense and we have to build on that and without it, in the first half we were non-existent and they took advantage of us. The second half, especially the third quarter, we only allowed 9 points and that was the key for our victory. First of all, congrats to our players. We continue our dream, our journey. It’s huge that we overcame this kind of deficit in the first half. For a young team, it’s great to believe that we can still go on. We deserve the next game and we’re happy about it.

 

### Buducnost VOLI Podgorica head coach Vlada Jovanovic:

"In the first half, we played almost perfect on both sides. Second half, first of all the defense; we didn't have the toughness. Without energy, we allowed them a lot of easy shots, easy and-one situations. Too many mistakes."

 

### ratiopharm Ulm forward Bruno Caboclo

"The first half, they made almost every shot they shot. In the second half, I think we played good defense. We kept playing even better defense and didn't allow them back in the game and we won in the end. I think it was the intensity \[that made the difference in the second half\] and every player playing harder.  I think in the beginning, we didn’t do that. So the second half, we did an even better job, If we play like this, we have a very strong team."

 

Anton Gavel, Ulm: 'We continue our dream'

In a thriller that went down to the wire, Paris Basketball edged 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 97-97 at Cido Arena to make it to the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals. The winners' hustle was shown in the stats and it was a difference-maker. Paris had an advantage in all hustle stats, finishing the game with more steals, offensive rebounds and blocked shots than Lietkabelis

Paris's hustle paid off in a thriller

In a thriller that went down to the wire, Paris Basketball edged 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 97-97 at Cido Arena to make it to the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals. The winners' hustle was shown in the stats and it was a difference-maker.

Paris had an advantage in all hustle stats, finishing the game with more steals, offensive rebounds and blocked shots than Lietkabelis. Paris collected 8 steals, pulled down 12 offensive boards and had 3 blocked shots. Juhann Begarin did a little bit of everything, getting 2 offensive rebounds, 3 steals and a block to go with 20 points and a PIR of 22. Paris ended up out-rebounding the hosts by 30-37.

On the other side, Lietkabekis had 10 offensive rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in this game. Steals and offensive rebounds allowed Paris to finish the game with a really high percentage inside the arc. 

The guests hit 26 of 36 two-pointers, its second-best percentage (72.2% 2FG) this season. Paris had hit 72.4% of its twos in the regular season finale against London Lions. It's two-point accuracy was also the third-best mark in any eighthfinals game, after Krka Novo Mesto in 2003 (75.0% 2FG) and Maroussi in 2005 (72.7% 2FG).

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Paris Basketball (2023-04-12T16:00:00.000Z)

Tyrone Wallace, Paris: 'Our guys battled'

### Paris Basketball head coach Will Weaver

"\[My team\] stayed together tremendously well, and they had to face an incredibly tough, deep, well-coached team in a great atmosphere, so I couldn't be prouder of them. This time of the year is about doing what you do well. They are an amazing pick-and-roll show defensive team, and is really good in the post... We are different: we are running and pushing and getting into early pick-and-rolls. Both teams have done a good job using their strengths tonight. We will keep working hard at it."

### 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys head coach Nenad Canak

"We had problems all game against their transition points. That was one of the tasks we should control and we didn't. Just congratulate them and wish them good luck. I feel sorry because I think we could have won this game and we didn't. It is too early to analyze \[the entire season\]."

### Paris Basketball guard Tyrone Wallace

"Early in the first quarter and second quarter, they jumped on us quick, got out to a good lead but our guys battled. We made the plays down the stretch in order to win. That's how we play \[30 fastbreak points\]. We've got a lot of athletic guys that can get out and run, so whether it is misses or makes, we try to get up and attack the rim. I have not made a shot all game, I don't think, but in the big moments, I think that's when I like to play my best, so I am glad I was able to make some plays down the stretch to help the team win. Wherever we want it to be \[Paris's ceiling\]. We have a good team, and as long as play together and stick together, we can go far."

Paris Basketball has made it to the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals by downing 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 97-98 on the road in a do-or-die thriller at Cido Arena on Wednesday. Juhann Begarin led the winners with 22 points. Tyrone Wallace posted a double-double of 19 and 10 assists. Aamir Sims contributed 16 points, including 5-for-6 free-throw shooting in the final 15 seconds. Gauthier Denis added 11 points while Ismael Kamagate had 10 and 9 rebounds for Paris. Jamel Morris led Lietkabelis with 23 points. Gyorgy Goloman added 22 and 7 rebounds, while Kristian Kullamae had 20 points, Zeljko Sakic 11 and Vytenis Lipkevicius 10.

 Paris KO's Lietkabelis, 97-98! 

Paris Basketball has made it to the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals! Paris stayed alive in the competition by downing 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 97-98 on the road in a thriller at Cido Arena on Wednesday. Paris became the fifth French League team to reach the EuroCup Quarterfinals, after LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, AS Monaco, Strasbourg and Metropolitans 92. Lietkabelis lost in the eighthfinals for the second consecutive campaign, finishing the 2022-23 EuroCup season with a 10-9 record.

Juhann Begarin led the winners with 22 points. Tyrone Wallace posted a double-double of 19 and 10 assists. Aamir Sims contributed 16 points, including 5-for-6 free-throw shooting in the final 15 seconds. Gauthier Denis added 11 points while Ismael Kamagate had 10 and 9 rebounds for Paris. Jamel Morris led Lietkabelis with 23 points. Gyorgy Goloman added 22 and 7 rebounds, while Kristian Kullamae had 20 points, Zeljko Sakic 11 and Vytenis Lipkevicius 10.

Kullamae downed a couple of jumpers in a 6-0 run that gave Lietkabelis an early 8-4 lead. Begarin single-handedly restored an 8-10 Paris lead. Morris, Kullamae and Lipkevicius each struck from downtown in a 14-0 run that made it a double-digit game, 22-10. Kamagate and Simms brought the guests within 24-19 after 10 minutes. Nikola Popovic stepped up early in the second quarter, getting help from Sakic and Morris to restore a 33-23 Lietkabelis margin. Denis and Amar Gegic fueled a 0-9 Paris run highlighted by Kamagate's put-back slam. Jeremy Evans's three-point play completed Paris's comeback, 38-39. Axel Toupane and Begarin kept the guests ahead, 45-46, at halftime.

Morris hit a triple right after the break and Lipkevicius restored a 50-46 Lietkabelis lead. Begarin kept pacing Paris and Simms's dunk gave the visitors a 52-55 edge. Goloman followed a dunk with a three-pointer but Simms and an unstoppable Begarin kept Paris ahead, 57-61. Kullamae, Goloman and Morris each struck from beyond the arc to put the hosts back in charge, 68-63. Gegic and Evans kept Paris within 74-71 after 30 minutes. 

Simms gave Paris a 74-75 edge with 8 minutes left. Kullamae rescued Lietkabelis with a driving layup and back-to-back triples. Denis answered from downtown for an 84-85 Paris lead with over 4 minutes left. Wallace scored in penetration, Sakic and Denis traded three-pointers and Goloman's jump hook kept the hosts within 89-90. Wallace answered from downtown for a 89-93 score with 43.2 seconds remaining. Simms hit 5 of 6 free throws in crunch time to seal the outcome as Sakic's buzzer-beating circus shot from midcourt was too little, too late for the hosts.