OSTROW WIELKOPOLSKI (FIBA Europe Cup) - After doing most of the heavy lifting in the first leg of the tie, Bnei Rav-Bariach Herzliya locked in a 148-139 triumph against BM Slam Stal on aggregate in spite of suffering a 65-64 loss in the return game in Poland.

Turning Point: There wasn't much of a turning point in the contest, with neither side leading by more than 6 points. It was after the halftime interval that the guests from Israel fully took matters into their own hands, without ever needing to worry about their 10-point cushion slipping away.

Stats Don't Lie: It was a night to forget for both teams in terms of free throws, with the hosts leaving 11 points at the charity line. Slam Stal made 9-of-20 (45%) of their attempts, but Herzliya were just fractionally better, converting 11-of-23 shots (47.8 percent) at the Hala Gimnazjum.

Game Hero: Shawn Dawson, who was the brightest-shining star in the first meeting, was efficient once again with 16 points in 28 minutes of action, but it was Taurean Green who turned in a game-high 19-point performance on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Bottom Line: Herzliya became the last side to hop on the 10-team train to Qualification Round 2, where they will need to get by Portuguese league runners-up FC Porto to secure a place in the Regular Season.

They Said: "I am not the type of person who want to lose. We wanted to beat that team. We know they are a quality team and they showed that today. My players fought and left their heart on the court. In the last quarter, we found the way to win, but it was not enough to go to the second round." - Slam Stal head coach Emil Rajkovic.

"We are very happy. It was our goal to go to the second round. Ostrow is a very good team. They showed this tonight. It was a big fight here." - Bnei Herzliya head coach Mickey Gorka.

FIBA