TUR - Napoli come back to dispatch Fener

ISTANBUL (Euroleague) - Eldo Napoli rallied from 15 points down to stun Fenerbahce Ulker 93-88 in overtime on Thursday night, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the last 16.

The hosts had looked to be in control as they built a 35-20 lead in the second quarter, but they allowed the Italians to chip away at the deficit until Tyrone Ellis sank two free throws late in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.

Ellis then made a three-pointer as part of an 11-0 Napoli run to start the extra period.

Ellis finished with 29 points, having made six of seven from beyond the arc.

Michel Morandais added 17 points and 16 rebounds.

Ibrahim Kutluay led Fenerbahce with 17 points while Damir Mrsic and Kaspars Kambala had 14 each.

The win improves Napoli to 6-7, putting them in a three-way tie for fourth place in Group C with Pau-Orthez and Aris TT Bank. Victory at home over Benetton Treviso would book Napoli a place in the next round.

However, the defeat has eliminated Fenerbahce, who fall to 5-8.

CSKA Moscow had already secured the Group C title, but they emphasised their superiority by going to Barcelona and beating second-place Winterthur 78-70 after overtime.

The absence of leading scorer Matjaz Smodis looked to be taking its toll on CSKA early.

They had trailed by 16, 43-27, at the interval, but went on a 19-7 in the third quarter to get back in touch with the hosts and then JR Holden put them ahead before Barca’s Jaka Lakovic sank a three-pointer on the buzzer to force overtime.

Seven unanswered points midway through the extra period but the Russians in control.

The win leaves CSKA with a 12-1 record, the best in the Euroleague, while Barca slip to 8-5, which could cost them a top-seeding in the next round.

In Group C’s other game, Zalgiris Kaunas gave their fans something to cheer, snapping a 10-game losing streak to beat Aris 77-66 in their final home game.

It was just their second win of the competition for Zalgiris, who were led by 16 points from Jonas Maciulis.

Aris missed the chance to qualify for the next round with the loss.

In Group B, Maccabi Tel Aviv missed their chance to seal second place in a dramatic loss to Union Olimpija.

Teemu Rannikko hit the winning shot with a second to go after the Slovenians had rallied from a 42-32 half-time deficit.

A 14-0 run in the fourth quarter turned the tide but Maccabi were still battling and Nikola Vujcic tied the game with a three-ball 17 seconds from the end.

Maccabi, 7-6, have already sealed qualification for the next round.

Tau Ceramica were crowned Group A champions without taking the court as Dynamo Moscow stunned Olympiacos 84-69 in Athens.

Having led most of the way, Dynamo used a 15-3 run in the fourth quarter to build a cushion for the final stages.

Travis Hansen scored 27 points to lead Dynamo while Antonis Fotsis had 13 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.

The result moves Dynamo above Olympiacos on the tiebreaker as both teams have 9-4 records.

Dynamo can seal second place with a win at Efes Pilsen in their final game.

Le Mans won the last home game of their debut Euroleague season, seeing off RheinEnergie Cologne 69-60.

Eric Campbell and Alain Koffi had 13 points each for Le Mans, who ended a six-game losing streak to improve to 4-9 although qualification for the next round is not possible,

Cologne slip to 2-11.

PA Sport