27 September, 2022
26 April, 2023
9 Artur Konontsuk (KALEV), 5 Wesley Van Beck (KALEV)
15/03/2023
Review
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Kalev/Cramo, Anwil and Karhu advance to join Cholet in last four

MUNICH (Germany) - BC Kalev/Cramo closed out the FIBA Europe Cup Quarter-Finals with a resounding road win to join Anwil Wloclawek and Karhu Basket in sealing spots to the next round.

Those three sides followed Cholet Basket into the last four, who booked their ticket after coming through in a thrilling battle Tuesday.

Kalev/Cramo cruise to road win over Bamberg

Artur Konontsuk finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds, but it was a true team effort that gave Kalev/Cramo an 85-67 success over Bamberg - winning 165-144 on aggregate. 

The Estonian side saw nine different players score on offense, and held everyone except Gerel Simmons to ineffective scoring nights on the defensive end. 

Simmons tried his best to keep the hosts in the game, putting up 24 points in 27 minutes of play. However, none of his teammates managed to break double-figures as Kalev/Cramo moved onto the next round of the competition.

Anwil upset Gaziantep at home to advance


Anwil pulled off a big upset after recording 91-75 victory on the road over Gaziantep to take a 175-160 win on aggregate.

The Polish club opened up a 43-33 lead at halftime over Gaziantep, riding Lee Moore's 13 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting and their advantage grew to as many as 26 points on the night.

Gaziantep battled back in the second half, led by a resurgent Codi Miller-McIntyre, who led all scorers with 29 points along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists - as they cut the gap to six points late in the third.

However, Anwil's team offense, which saw five different players score in double-figures, was the key to a spot in the next round as they halted the seven-game win streak of their opponents.

Karhu down Porto for Semi-Finals trip


Karhu came into the contest with a single point lead after a narrow first leg win, and the Finnish side secured a 75-65 victory at home to advance 156-145 on aggregate.

Henri Kantonen drained a three as the first half drew to a close to give Karhu a 42-28 lead, and the team never looked back after that. Newest acquisition Dikembe Dixson led his team in scoring with 18 points, while Jaye Crockett added 16 rebounds to 5 points and 3 assists.

Porto got good contributions as usual from American big Brian Conklin, whose dangerous rolls to the basket got him a game-leading 22 points to go with 7 rebounds. However, the usually reliable Max Landis opened the game 0-for-7 from the field, leading to a hole that the club couldn't dig itself out from. 

Cholet edge Kyiv in thriller to advance


Cholet held off a late comeback attempt from BC Budivelnyk Kyiv to claim an 83-79 victory at home to progress to the Semi-Finals by three points on aggregate in Tuesday's action.

Dominic Artis produced a strong performance with 26 points to go with 5 assists and 4 rebounds in the win as Cholet managed to hold off a 24-14 fourth quarter from the visitors.

The French club finally sealed the game thanks to a pair of clutch free throws from Enzo Goudou-Sinha after a tense finale that saw the gap cut to a single possession inside the final minute.

Budivelnyk Kyiv can end their season with heads held high as they battled until the end, having trailed by 20 points midway through the fourth. As usual, Bogdan Bliznyuk filled up the statsheet with 12 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals as the Ukrainian club's European run comes to an end.

The Semi-Finals action will close  with Brose Bamberg  hosting BC Kalev/Cramo to decide the last team to advance to the next round. 

FIBA