Quarter-Final preview: Nanterre 92 v Muratbey Usak Sportif
USAK (FIBA Europe Cup) - No matter how the first leg of the FIBA Europe Cup Quarter-Final tie in Turkey between Nanterre 92 and Muratbey Usak Sportif ends, the other side will know it is probably too early to pop the champagne.
Both teams progressed past the first elimination round in somewhat similar circumstances – after losing the first game on the road, they battled back on their home floor and tipped the overall outcome in their favor.
The French side, who had just a symbolic one-point deficit, got the better of Proximus Spirou from Belgium, while Basketball Champions League transfers Usak overcame a double-digit disadvantage to upset Romanian outfit CSM CSU Oradea.
Having registered a 90-82 victory against Charleroi in the second game, Nanterre won the tie 170-163 on aggregate behind two excellent games from point guard Chris Warren, who averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists against the Belgian side.
"It was a great win. As participants of the competition, we play to win every game and we will try to go as far as we can in the FIBA Europe Cup," said Warren after the second-leg triumph.
In spite of logging 40 minutes in both games, the 26-year-old American isn't the only threat on the roster, with Heiko Schaffartzik, Spencer Butterfield, Mykal Riley, Hugo Invernizzi and Mathias Lessort also posing plenty of danger.
.@Nanterre92, the hottest snipers (43.6% from downtown) in the #FIBAEuropeCup, are looking forward to make it rain in the Quarter-Finals. 💦 pic.twitter.com/CFF3uUvduH
— FIBA Europe Cup (@FIBAEuropeCup) March 1, 2017
"It's a difficult opponent to play because the danger comes from everywhere on roster. This team plays with a lot of heart and the fans are amazing," Nanterre's former opponent Fulvio Bastianini, the head coach of Spirou gave Usak a quick summary.
However, Muratbey Usak Sportif proved they are equally dangerous in their own right with a big second-leg turnaround against CSM CSU Oradea. After losing by 10 points on the road in Romania, coach Ozan Bulkaz's side trumped Oradea 108-82 at home, which was the biggest margin of victory in the Play-Offs so far.
Zach Auguste was the most dominant player in a Usak jersey, averaging 19.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in the tie, while Sarunas Vasiliauskas, D'Angelo Harrison and Shaquielle McKissic were the other main contributors.
Great win for Usak to advance to the Quarter-Finals. #FIBAEuropeCup Round of 16: @usaksportif 108-82 @CSM_ORADEA
— FIBA Europe Cup (@FIBAEuropeCup) February 22, 2017
📊 https://t.co/WjBgmBhwMc pic.twitter.com/yhI2oGabkH
With Demir Insaat and Gaziantep eliminated already in first round of Play-Offs, Usak now stand as the only Turkish representatives in the competition. In spite of a successful European campaign, the side haven't had the best stretch of games in the Turkish Basketball Super League of late, coming dangerously close to the relegation zone.
"The win helped the players get out from a distressed period. I'd like to congratulate my players one by one. For the first time in a long while, we came out on the court as a team," said Bulkaz. "I liked the aggressiveness the guys showed on the court and hope it will continue in the future."
The question now is – can Usak sustain the momentum they picked up in the last game?
FIBA
