MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - There was only one game in the FIBA Europe Cup this week, but it was quite a treat in and of itself, as French side Elan Chalon became the last team to clinch a Semi-Final berth after nipping Cibona to the spot in the Quarter-Finals.

In spite of big performances by Luka Zoric and Scottie Reynolds, Elan Chalon took care of business and won the second leg of the tie 83-78, coming out on top by just 3 points on aggregate.

Like at the end of every week, we explore the events in the FIBA Europe Cup through the lens of numbers, focusing on dominance of home teams in the Play-Offs, the diminishing number of Basketball Champions League transferees in the competition and other interesting facts.

1

Eight Basketball Champions League teams joined the competition in the Round of 16 and half of them made it to the Quarter-Finals, keeping an equal ratio with sides who have been in the FIBA Europe Cup from the start of the Regular Season.

However, that balance of power shifted away from the newcomers ahead the Semi-Finals, as Telenet Oostende were the only Basketball Champions League side to punch their way through to the next round of the Play-Offs, while Cibona Zagreb, Muratbey Usak Sportif and Ironi Nahariya were eliminated.

2

Although the format of the competition has changed since last year, Elan Chalon still found their way among the four best teams in the FIBA Europe Cup, making their second consecutive Semi-Finals appearance.

Along with head coach Jean-Denys Choulet, three players, John Roberson, Axel Bouteille and Assane Ndoye, will be able to draw on their last season's Final Four experience, as Chalon-sur-Saone will want to improve on their third-place finish.

Also, former Elan Chalon big man Mathias Lessort will be suiting up for Nanterre 92 this time around, while Telekom Baskets players Konstantin Klein and Johannes Richter actually lifted the trophy with Fraport Skyliners last time around.

Unfortunately for Bonn, Klein played only a single game in the FIBA Europe Cup this season before falling out of rotation with a long-term injury.

5

Although Frank Elegar and his Enisey side were knocked out from the FIBA Europe Cup in the Quarter-Finals by Telenet Oostende, he added yet another appearance in the Top Performers before waving goodbye, pulling away even further as the run-away leader in the category with five such achievements.

Up until now, 58 players from 28 different teams have received Top Performer nominations, with Elan Chalon forward Cameron Clark being the highest-ranked active player with three ticks to his name. Marcus Denmon of Gaziantep also has three appearances.

8

The recent trend of home team dominance in the Play-Offs continued with Elan Chalon's victory against Cibona completing a clean sweep for the hosts in the Quarter-Finals. All eight Quarter-Final fixtures ended in favor of the hosts and you would have to go back to February 22 for the last win by an away team in the competition, when Telekom Baskets defeated Kataja Basket 88-84 in Joensuu.

10

Elan Chalon were like night and day, with Cameron Clark off and on the floor. Not only did the forward score 26 points and grab 8 rebounds, but he was also the only player with a double-digit input in the plus/minus category with a +10 glowing next to his name.

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

— SFR Sport (@SFR_Sport) March 21, 2017

During the 9 minutes Clark spent resting on the bench, the French club were outscored by 5 points, with the alternative frontcourt of Abdoulaye Loum and Moustapha Fall not working for Elan Chalon.

16

Silly turnovers were a thorn on coach Choulet's side for the better part of Elan Chalon's showdown with Cibona, with the hosts coughing up the ball 15 times in the first three quarters of play. Down by as many as 9 points in the third quarter, the French side got things under control and committed just a single turnover in the final frame of action.

Cibona, who have been taking care of the ball extremely well since transferring from the Basketball Champions League, had just 11 turnovers.

23

More known for what he brings to the table on the defensive end, Luka Zoric somewhat surprisingly was the focal point of Cibona's offense in the second leg of the Quarter-Final tie against Elan Chalon.

The 33-year-old Croatian veteran tied a competition season-high 23 field goal attempts and finished the game with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, but missed a couple of big free throws during crunch time.

Only two players have attempted 23 field goals previously this season – Terry Allen of Kormend reached the mark twice, while Toni Bizaca did it once for Sodertalje Kings.

26

After having a relatively quiet tie against Stelmet Zielona Gora, Scottie Reynolds dazzled his Quarter-Final opponents Elan Chalon with across-the-board contributions and mighty fine playmaking, dishing out 15 assists in the first leg and adding 11 dimes in the second one.

Only Parrish Petty of Kormend has had more combined assists in back-to-back games this season, following up a 15-assist game against Limburg United with a 13-assist performance versus BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque back in the Regular Season.

FIBA