CHALON-SUR-SAONE (FIBA Europe Cup) - Elan Chalon booked their second consecutive Semi-Finals appearance in the FIBA Europe Cup, coming out on top against Cibona Zagreb after a gritty back-and-forth tussle in the second leg of the Quarter-Final tie in France.

Having lost the first leg in Zagreb by two points, Jean-Denys Choulet's side outlasted the visitors from Croatia 83-78 thanks to crucial crunch time plays by Cameron Clark and John Roberson to win the tie 168-165 on aggregate.

The team from Chalon-sur-Saone will now face Belgian outfit Telenet Oostende in the Semi-Finals, while fellow French side Nanterre 92 will take on Telekom Baskets on the other side of the bracket.

Turning Point: Things were looking rough for the home side, when Cibona opened up a 60-51 lead with 2:40 left in the third quarter after back-to-back threes by Nebojsa Joksimovic. However, Elan Chalon didn't let things get out of hand and answered with a Jeremy N'Zeulie-led 8-0 run that kept their heads above water before making a full recovery in the final period.

🏀📺WOUHAWWWW ! Quel alley-oop Roberson-Clark 😵😵😵 ! L'@ELANCHALON est bien de retour 🏀🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/044Wd4kkfL

— SFR Sport (@SFR_Sport) March 21, 2017

Game Hero: Cameron Clark's energy was the difference-making factor for Elan Chalon. Although his 9-of-19 shooting from the field is nothing to write home about, the 25-year-old forward provided the otherwise stagnant French offense with a much-needed scoring punch with a game-high 26 points and 8 rebounds. Elan Chalon were outscored by double figures in the 9 minutes he was off the floor.

Stats Don't Lie: Jean-Denys Choulet couldn't hide his frustration with his side's careless ball-handling, stressing the importance of taking care of the ball during every single timeout. Having committed 15 turnovers in the first three quarters, Elan Chalon lost the ball only once in the final frame. Even with a more composed finish, Cibona outscored the hosts 24-9 with fast-break points.

Bottom Line: Although Elan Chalon have made a name for themselves as the fun run-and-gun team this season, they proved their title credentials by getting the job done in grit-and-grid mode as well. Having finished third in the FIBA Europe Cup last season, Elan Chalon will have their eyes on the big prize this time around as the only returning Semi-Finalist.

What They Said: "The crowd was amazing today and we simply couldn't lose in such an atmosphere" - Cameron Clark, Elan Chalon.

FIBA