MINSK, 28 January (BelTA) – BC Tsmoki-Minsk came back from a 15-point third-quarter deficit to edge out Gussing Knights 89-88 on the road on 27 January to keep chances for the FIBA Europe Cup playoff, BelTA informs.
The second-to-last game in Group V turned to be unpredictable. The Minsk Dragons controlled the game in the first ten minutes, then they lost the initiative allowing the hosts to take over the lead 74-64.
With Gussing leading 88-81 and 1:50 left on the clock, Garrett Stutz triggered a swift 8-0 run for Minsk as Justin Gray and Anthony Hilliard provided one triple each to bring the visitors ahead, 89-88 (18-23, 32-21, 24-20, 14-25).
In the other Group V match Italy's Varese beat Petrolina AEK Larnaca 74-72 (17-14, 20-19, 16-17, 21-22) to secure a place in the FIBA Europe Cup Round of 16. The other playoff berth can be grabbed by the Belarusian champions. All they need is to beat the Cypriots by six points or more on 3 February. In their first encounter in Larnaca AEK beat Minsk Dragons 73-68.
The Group V standings are as follows: Varese – 9 points, AEK – 8, Tsmoki Minsk – 7, Gussing – 6.
Two best teams from each of eight groups will advance into the playoffs.
