MONS (FIBA Europe Cup) - A 21-point first-leg lead came in handy for Belfius Mons-Hainaut, as the Belgian side avoided the usual drama of a close game in an 84-71 win over KR in the return fixture at home to clinch a place in the next round.

Turning point: Pavel Ermolinskij knocked down a three-pointer to get KR within a single point at 68-67 with 4:20 on the clock, but the duo of Brieuc Lemaire and Tre Demps had a perfect response, combining for a 13-1 run that lasted 3 minutes to ice the game for Mons-Hainaut. 

Stats don't lie: KR kept the game tidy on their end, committing just 6 turnovers. The other side of the same story, however, was their assist tally stuck at just 6 dimes. Meanwhile, all but one player in the 8-deep rotation for the Belgian side registered at least a single assist.

Game hero: Garlon Green was flying all over the court with a game-high 26 rebounds on 11-of-17 shooting from the field, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block for a total efficiency rating of 35.

Bottom line: Having got past Qualification Round 1, Mons-Hainaut still need one more step to book a spot in the Regular Season. They will be paired up with the Bulgarian league runners-up Beroe in Qualification Round 2, with the winner advancing to the Group Phase.

They Said: "In 10 years, it's the first time we have played in a European competition and I'm very satisfied with my players who made some very good things. At home, we made a lot of errors, especially on defense, and that's the reason why we lost by a very big gap, which left us no chances for this second leg in Belgium." - Finnur Stefanson, head coach of KR.

"I want to express my congratulations to the coach and players of KR. And, of course, I'm happy to have qualified for the Qualification Round 2. It was quite difficult to play on defense without four players, who were either sick or injured, and especially the three American ones, but my guys sacrificed themselves all game long." - Daniel Goethals, head coach of Belfius Mons-Hainaut.

FIBA