MUNICH (Germany) - It was a good night for the Spanish clubs in the FIBA Europe Cup Quarter-Finals, but there is still a lot to play for in the race to reach the Semi-Finals.
Holders Surne Bilbao Basket, along with UCAM Murcia, grabbed away wins with Falco Vulcano Energia KC Szombathely and PAOK BC also victorious in the first leg. The second leg plays out next Wednesday.
Key Storylines
Murcia take a slender one-point margin back to Spain;
Holders Bilbao keep winning run going, as they beat Petkimspor;
PAOK dominate all-Greek affair.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Jake Van Tubbergen (Peristeri Betsson) - 31 Points: Zoltan Perl (Falco Vulcano KC Szombathely) - 29 Rebounds: Roberts Blumbergs (Aliaga Petkimspor) - 11 Assists: Troy Caupain (Pallacanestro Reggiana) - 7 Steals: Michael Forrest (UCAM Murcia) - 3 Blocks: Jaime Echenique (Pallacanestro Reggiana) - 3
Murcia edge Reggiana in final seconds
UCAM Murcia needed a game-winning free throw by Michael Forrest to seal a narrow 85-84 victory on the road over Pallacanestro Reggiana in a thrilling first-leg tie.
Forrest split his free throws with eight seconds left to bag the win, as Stephen Brown's half-court heave hit the back iron as the buzzer sounded. Forrest would end with 22 points to lead Murcia to the win.
Troy Caupain paced Reggiana with 22 points, with 11 of those points coming from the foul line.
Bilbao's winning run continues with away win over Petkimspor
Surne Bilbao Basket will take a 77-66 lead going into their second leg clash with Alaga Petkimpor, but had to recover from a chippy third quarter to claim the win.
Having led for the majority of the first half, the holders found themselves on the back foot in the third as Petkimspor took command to lead by as many as eight points midway through. But Bilbao bounced back in the final stretch to hold an 11-point cushion heading back to Spain.
Darrun Hilliard led the winners with 19 points, helped along by Tryggvi Hlinason's 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Roberts Blumbergs and Yannick Franke paced the hosts with 13 points, as Blumbergs added 11 boards to his statline.
PAOK take control of all-Greek affair
PAOK BC led for all but two minutes of their Quarter-Final first leg tie with fellow Greek side Peristeri Betsson and eventually secured a 101-77 victory going into next Wednesday's second leg.
Breein Tyree lit up the boxscore with 26 points on 10-for-12 shooting, 6 assists and 2 steals, helped along by Cleveland Melvin's 18 points. PAOK shot a blistering 54 percent from the field, as Peristeri fell to their first loss on the road in this competition.
Jake Van Tubbergen paced Peristeri with 23 points and 9 rebounds, but his side has it all to do in next week's return fixture.
Szombathely pounce in second half to beat Bosna
After trailing by as many as 10 points, Falco Vulcano Energia KC Szombathely fought back to outscore KK Bosna BH Telecom 44-20 in the third and fourth quarters to win 81-66 in their Quarter-Final first leg.
In a game that featured six lead changes up until the third quarter, it was looking like a closely-fought battle until the Hungarian side breezed clear, led by the evergreen Zoltan Perl, who had 29 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
Michael Young and Janari Joesaar both had 11 points for KK Bosna who will still feel that the tie is in their hands, despite the double-digit loss.
Results
PAOK BC 101-77 Peristeri Betsson Falco Vulcano Energia KC Szombathely 81-66 KK Bosna BH Telecom Aliaga Petkimspor 69-77 Surne Bilbao Basket Pallacanestro Reggiana 84-85 UCAM Murcia
FIBA