SZOLNOK (FIBA Europe Cup) - Szolnoki Olaj served payback for a loss to Falco Vulcano earlier in the Regular Season with an 89-79 victory in the all-Hungarian Group H clash on Tuesday evening.

The victory allowed the triumphant Dragan Aleksic's side to secure a place in the Second Round, while leaving the visitors from Szombathely no hopes of advancing.

Turning Point: Szolnoki Olaj took command of the game right from the get-go, but really stepped on the gas and turned on the afterburners in the third quarter. Having entered the second half with an 11-point lead, Quincy Ford and David Vojvoda spearheaded a 16-5 charge to increase their 41-40 halftime lead to 57-35 inside the first four minutes of the third period.

Stats Don't Lie: Milos Borisov knocked down four three-pointers and Julian Norfleet added three more, but the rest of the Falco Vulcano team were drawing blanks, as the visitors finished the game with an 8-of-31 mark from beyond the arc. Szolnoki Olaj went 7-of-18 from range, collecting most of their points from closer to the basket. They particularly benefited from 22 fast break points, compared to just 9 by Falco Vulcano.

Game Hero: Another magnificent all-round performance by Kendrick Perry set up the Szolnok side for a turbulence-free ride, the guard stuffing the boxscore with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Having earned a spot on last week's Team of the Week, Perry put together another strong bid to return, with an efficiency of 34.

Bottom Line: The victory against their Hungarian rivals from Szombathely earned Szolnoki Olaj and Nizhny Novgorod tickets to the Second Round, while ending Falco Vulcano's hopes of advancing in Group H.

They Said: "We knew that it will be a hard game against Falco. We all did our best on the court, played tough defense and stayed focused. Thanks to our fans they gave us a lot of energy tonight." – Szolnoki Olaj guard Kendrick Perry.

"Tonight Szolnok were the better team. I am proud of my players because they did all they could and did not give up until the end. Congratulations to Szolnok and I wish them good luck in the future. They are a really good team to represent Hungarian basketball and the country." – Falco Vulcano head coach Srecko Sekulovic.

FIBA