AVELLINO (FIBA Europe Cup) - Over the course of the season, Bakken Bears have already accumulated a double-digit number of wins in the FIBA Europe Cup.

That is a feat no Danish side had ever accomplished on the European stage before head coach Steffen Wich and his players made it a very sweet reality with a deep Play-Off run.

By qualifying for the Semi-Finals, Bakken Bears turned a new page in the country's basketball history. One could say, having defeated teams from as far east as the Volga and as far west as the Atlantic Ocean, they put Denmark on the map.

"Look at the scoreboard, we lost by three. Look at the whole trip we are on, it's definitely a victory for Danish basketball."Steffen WichSteffen Wich

The Danes were not able to get their eleventh win of the season in Italy on Wednesday, coming up short 75-72 on the first leg of the Semi-Final clash against Sidigas Scandone Avellino on the road. However, a close-fought game away from home against a powerful opponent just further validated their successful season.

"Look at the scoreboard, we lost by three. Look at the whole trip we are on, it's definitely a victory for Danish basketball," satisfied with his team's performance, Steffen Wich said in the post-game press conference. "I think tonight we showed that we are among the final four for a reason."

Having trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half, Bakken Bears battled back in the fourth quarter to get themselves into a conducive situation for the return fixture.

"It's a fairy tale and we're still living it."Steffen WichSteffen Wich

"It was a hell of a game against a really good team, Avellino. An experienced team. And I was kind of nervous about how the game unfolded. I look at the stats and I see that we won the fourth quarter, 20-10. I think our guys really came together and were really, really aggressive," Wich provided a summary of the game through his eyes.

"It's a fairy tale and we're still living it."

Tickets for the home leg of the Semi-Finals vanished in a couple of hours

After getting past the ESSM Le Portel hurdle in the Quarter-Finals, it took only a couple of hours for Bakken Bears to declare there are no more tickets remaining for their upcoming Semi-Finals game at the Vejlby-Risskov Hallen against Avellino.

"It's just the first half of the tie and our home court has been sold out for many, many weeks for this game next Wednesday. It's going to be a special atmosphere, because there will be a lot of spectators," Wich looked ahead.

"I'm not saying it's the first time they're going to come to basketball, but you know, Denmark is a football and handball country. There's going to be so many people and it's going to be incredibly loud."

In what has been their best-ever European campaign, Bakken Bears have already triumphed over rivals from Belarus, France, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Portugal and Russia.

They will attempt to add an Italian banner to that collection in Aarhus next week with the hope of overturning a three-point first-leg deficit and qualifying for the Final still very much alive.

FIBA