EUROLEAGUE - Partizan crash Final Four party

BELGRADE (Euroleague) - Partizan Belgrade's magical Euroleague campaign will finish in Paris!

In an electric atmosphere at the Belgrade Arena on Thursday night, Dusko Vujosevic's side won 76-67 to complete a 3-1 series win in their Quarter-Final showdown.

Partizan will meet Olympiacos in one Semi-Final on May 7.

Olympiacos progressed after winning 86-70 in Poland on Thursday against Asseco Prokom for a 3-1 series triumph.

Regal Barcelona and CSKA Moscow had 3-1 victories over Real Madrid and Caja Laboral, respectively, in their last-eight ties and will meet in the other Semi-Final.

Partizan Party

Bo McCalebb scored 19 points, Dusan Kecman 12 and Aleks Maric nine for Partizan against Maccabi.

Big man Lawrence Roberts, who had to leave the game temporarily in the fourth quarter after banging his head on a computer monitor, also had 12 rebounds to go with his eight points.

The 25-year-old Maric, whose career has taken off in Belgrade following his move from CB Granada last summer, said: "This is something you wait a lifetime for.

"It was a tough game physically and psychologically, but we won with heart, with five players on the court and with our fans."

More than 21,000 fans piled into the Belgrade Arena, with many a familiar face looking on and supporting the men in black and white.

Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic was on hand, as well as Sasa Djordjevic and Vlade Divac - two of the country's all-time greats.

Ivkovic would have taken note of the great play of Kecman, a Euroleague winner with Panathinaikos last season.

The veteran guard had scored a game-high 29 points for Partizan in their crucial Game 1 win in Tel Aviv last week, a result that put them on the way to victory in the series.

Kecman didn't make the final cut for last year's EuroBasket in Poland when Serbia won the silver medal.

He will be in the national team reckoning again this summer when Serbia play at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

"I will be the only player in Paris defending the Euroleague title that I won last year with Panathinaikos," he said.

"I hope to defend it."

Vujosevic has shown once again this season that he is a master of his craft.

Despite the departure of rising stars Novica Velickovic (Real Madrid) and Milenko Tepic (Panathinaikos) from last season's squad and Nikola Pekovic (Panathinaikos) the year before, yet his team achieved even more.

Maccabi coach Pini Gershon had suggested his team could win twice in Belgrade but he was wrong.

"They thought they were already in the Final Four after they beat Real in Madrid," Vujosevic said, referring to Maccabi's big win at the end of the Top 16 that earned them home-court advantage in the Quarter-Finals.

"So they were expecting an easy job with us."

Partizan's crowd made sure there was only going to be one winner on Thursday.

"Our fans are best in the whole world," Partizan's Jan Vesely said.

"Thanks to them."

Holden heroics in Vitoria

JR Holden and Sasha Kaun led CSKA Moscow to a 74-70 win at Caja Laboral in Vitoria, Spain.

Holden hit four three-pointers and buried a go-ahead 15-footer in the final minute as CSKA hit back from an eight-point deficit to prevail and clinch a 3-1 series win.

Kaun had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Russians, who advanced to the Final Four the eighth consecutive year.

Ricky Rubio had 19 points and Juan Carlos Navarro 21 as Barcelona overcame Real Madrid for the second consecutive game at the Vistalegre.

The Catalans won 84-78 to clinch a 3-1 series victory.

For Olympiacos in their big win, Josh Childress had 22 points while Serbia point guard Milos Teodosic poured in 15, handed out five assists, grabbed seven rebounds and came up with four steals.

FIBA