MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - On the final night of any stage of any competition, there is sure to be drama and the FIBA Europe Cup was dishing it up in ample servings on Wednesday evening.

On paper, the situation was simple: The top team from each group advances to the Round of 16, along with the two best second-placed teams. There they will be joined by eight teams from the Basketball Champions League. 

Early in the night, it was Gaziantep staking a claim to one of those best second-placed team tickets, with a dominant 92-80 victory over Elan Chalon. At one stage leading by 32, it even appeared that Gaziantep would take top spot in Group K, by overturning their 19-point loss on the road in the reverse fixture.

However, Chalon finished strong to limit the damage and assure their top billing in the group remained intact. Despite missing out on top spot, Gaziantep were the only second-placed team to finish with a 5-1 record, handing them their pass to the last 16.

"For 35 minutes we played a good game but for the last five minutes we relaxed," expressed Gaziantep head coach Stefanos Dedas following the game.

"That's why we only finished the game with a 12-point buffer and we couldn't finish the group in first spot. But I am proud of my players and the way we played the game."

Down in Group N, Nanterre 92 were making tough work of confirming their Round of 16 spot. Suffering a surprise 88-82 loss to the already relegated Tsmoki Minsk, news would have quickly filtered back to the locker room that they had been knocked off top spot in the group by Kormend. Playing at the same time, the Hungarian club held on for a hard-fought 91-88 win over Bnei Herzliya. The win saw them improve to an identical 4-2 record with Nanterre, then ultimately finish top of the group thanks to a superior head-to-head record over the French club.

However, there was no need to despair for Nanterre, their 52-point goal differential far superior to any of the other second-placed teams with a 4-2 record.

Around the league

Naturally, the collective joy of Gaziantep, Kormend and Nanterre spelled heartbreak for others. In particular, it was a tough pill to swallow for Antwerp Giants, who had little reason to celebrate a 90-81 road win over Prievidza, in the knowledge that Demir Insaat held on to top spot in the group with an 87-77 win over BCM Gravlines, as well as knowing that their final goal differential of +32 was simply not enough to push them into contention as one of the best second-placed teams.

It was a similar feeling for Prienu-Birstono. A victory for the Lithuanian club over visiting Telekom Baskets Bonn would have improved their record to 5-1, but instead they found themselves staring down the barrel of a 75-61 defeat.

In Group P, BC Enisey, Donar Groningen and Lukoil Academic could all theoretically still advance. But with a comfortable 89-58 win over SL Benfica, it was ultimately Enisey going through, meaning Donar Groningen's 95-89 win over Lukoil Academic was purely academic.

In the remaining Wednesday night games, the fate of the teams had already been sealed. In Group K, BC Mures defeated Sodertalje Kings 84-77 for their only win of the round. In Group M, Redwell-Gunners avoided finishing bottom of the group, instead handing the dubious honor to APOEL with a 79-75 win. In Group O, Pardubice could not avoid finishing last in the group, despite overcoming U-BT Cluj Napoca 74-65.

FIBA