In the one-and-done BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals, Marko Simonovic led Bahcesehir College Istanbul in a come-from-behind 85-81 win over visiting Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.

Quarterfinals MVP: Marko Simonovic, Bahcesehir College Istanbul

In the one-and-done BKT EuroCup Quarterfinals, Marko Simonovic led Bahcesehir College Istanbul in a come-from-behind 85-81 win over visiting Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. The big man scored a career-high 20 points, making 4 of 6 two-pointers and his only three-point attempt, and sinking 9 of 10 free throws. Simonovic also pulled down 4 rebounds, including 3 on offense, had a career-high 3 steals and 1 assist. Simonovic accumulated a PIR of 27, which was the best of his career and the most of any player on a winning team in the quarterfinals.

Jerad Harper of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem had a PIR of 29, the highest of all players in the quarterfinals, albeit in an 89-92 loss against Dreamland Gran Canaria. Harper had 24 points, 5 assists and 11 drawn fouls. Two players had PIRs of 23: Gran Canaria’s Caleb Homesley and Zach Hankins of U-BT Cluj-Napoca. Homesley tallied 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 8 fouls drawn in a win over Jerusalem, while Hankins posted 12 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals in a 98-74 loss to Valencia Basket. Rounding out the list of the quarterfinals' top performers was Olivier Hanlan of Turk Telekom Ankara who had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists for a PIR of 22 in a 67-61 loss against Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv.

### Individual highs: Zach Hankins, Cluj, 13 rebounds

 

Harper led all players in the quarterfinals with 24 points and finishes his season as the EuroCup’s leading scorer with 23.2 points per game.

 

Hankins grabbed 13 rebounds, more than any other player in the four quarterfinal games. Kyle Alexander of Turk Telekom is the top rebounder with 7.1 per game.

 

Cluj’s Zavier Simpson dished 10 assists, the most in the quarterfinals. Simpson's maiden EuroCup campaign comes to an end with him leading the competition with 8.0 assists 8.0 per game.

 

Jerusalem’s Justin Smith led all players in the quarterfinals with 4 steals. Andrew Albicy leads the season-long steals charts with 2.1 per contest.

 

Kyle Alexander had a quarterfinal-high 4 blocks and finished the season as the EuroCup's top shot blocker, averaging 2.1 blocks.

 

There were two double-doubles in the quarterfinals, both by Cluj players: Hankins (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Simpson (12 points, 10 assists).

A career night in the most important game of the season earned Simonovic his first MVP of the Round award

Congratulations to Mantas Saviciunas, our 20th winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Mantas's team, 'Molinukai', posted a score of 178.75

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 20 winner

Congratulations to Mantas Saviciunas, our 20th winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Mantas's team, 'Molinukai', posted a score of 178.75

 

Mantas had the following starting lineup: Jared Harper of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem as team captain, then Yam Madar of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, Khadeen Carrington also of Jerusalem, Braian Angola of Turk Telekom Ankara and Marko Simonovic of Bahcesehir College Istanbul. Turk Telekom center Kyle Alexander was the sixth man.

 

The head coach of Mantas's team was Pedro Martinez of Valencia Basket, while the four bench players were Jerusalem's Justin Smith, Brynton Lemar of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana,, Tyler Cavanaugh of Bahcesehir and Oz Blayzer of Hapoel.

 

The prize for finishing first in the 20th round of the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Mantas!

 

The leader in the overall standings remains Milos Mihajlovic and his squad, 'BallIsLife', which has a total of 3,421.2 points after the first 20 rounds. Trades are now open for the 21st round, which is Game 1 of the EuroCup semifinals, and the number of trades is unlimited.

 

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

Valencia Basket’s 98-74 victory over UB-T Cluj-Napoca felt like the Spanish team was not only advancing to the next stage but also sending a message for the rest of the teams remaining in the BKT EuroCup, with a ruthless and focused performance that saw Coach Pedro Martinez’s men lead by double digits for nearly 33 minutes.

Chris Jones was staying focused after leading Valencia to victory

[Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/valencia-basket/roster/pam/?season=2024-25)’s [98-74 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/valencia-cruises-past-cluj-98-74-and-into-last-four/) over [UB-T Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/roster/clu/?season=2024-25) felt like the Spanish team was not only advancing to the next stage but also sending a message for the rest of the teams remaining in the BKT EuroCup, with a ruthless and focused performance that saw Coach Pedro Martinez’s men lead by double digits for nearly 33 minutes.

Although this was truly a team effort, the best performer statistically was [Chris Jones](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/chris-jones/010568/) with a game-high 14 points along with 9 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots for a PIR of 18.

Chris Jones stood out for Valencia in the quarterfinals

And the point guard readily agreed with the notion that this performance was a clear statement of intent for the title-chasing *Taronjas*, with Jones saying, "Definitely we wanted to show something in our first game in the playoffs in the EuroCup.

“We went out, we played hard, we got after it defensively, and I think that sparked the game for us, getting out on transition and stuff like that. We executed, not the best that could have, but we got the win, so I’m happy with that.”

Game Videos

The impression that Valencia knows its job is nowhere near done was further strengthened by the lack of celebratory atmosphere at the final buzzer. The Spanish team has already won the EuroCup on three occasions since 2010 and is clearly in the mood to add another trophy, with Jones keeping his game face on as he assessed the upcoming challenge presented by Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv in the last four.

“It’s a journey,” he said. “We’ve got this one, we’ll enjoy it tonight, and then we’ll get back to the drawing board, focus on what we need to do and prepare ourselves.”

Judging by Wednesday’s performance, Valencia will not be lacking preparation or focus when the matchup with Hapoel rolls around.

Game News

The Spanish team is not celebrating yet despite a huge win over Cluj

Valencia Basket v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2025-03-12T19:30:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket held its home court in emphatic fashion for a 98-74 victory over UB-T Cluj Napoca, sending the Spanish team into a semifinal meeting with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv.

Valencia cruises past Cluj, 98-74, and into last four

Valencia Basket held its home court in emphatic fashion for a 98-74 victory over UB-T Cluj Napoca, sending the Spanish team into a semifinal meeting with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv.

Valencia quickly found its offensive rhythm to take a double-digit first-quarter lead, and raced into a 53-36 advantage by halftime. Cluj fought but never got within single digits, as the host cruised to a victory that was safe long before the final buzzer.

Chris Jones orchestrated Valencia with 14 points and 9 assists, while Semi Ojeleye added 13 and Jean Montero netted 12, with Matt Costello and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui both scoring 10. Zavier Simpson led Cluj with 12 points and 10 assists, while Zach Hankins also had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, Adam Mokoka netted 12, and Gediminas Orelik and Karel Guzman both scored 11.

Simpson’s layup was bettered by Brancou Badio’s triple in the opening possessions. Guzman also struck from deep before Jaime Pradilla and Badio kept the three-point party going. Hankins and Jones traded inside buckets for a 15-7 Valencia lead, and Lopez-Arostegui kept the host moving with a corner three. Montero’s jumper made it a double-digit game, before Costello’s three and Josep Puerto’s putback gave Valencia a 30-15 lead at the end of the first.

Ojeleye’s triple started the second quarter, and an inside score by Hankins was bettered by another Ojeleye triple to make it 38-17. DJ Seeley lifted Cluj with a pair of deep strikes, but Lopez-Arostegui and Nate Sestina protected a comfortable lead. Orelik and Sasu Salin added threeballs as Cluj rallied to 47-31, only for Sestina to hit another Valencia triple followed by a layup-and-one from Jones. Guzman’s close-range finish and Mokoka’s three-pointer made it closer at the half, 53-36.

Cluj further narrowed the gap early in the third, with Guzman, Hankins and Mokoka all scoring from close range to make it 55-42. But Valencia responded with a dunk from Nate Reuvers and a three from Jones, as Cluj went three minutes without scoring. Simpson’s smooth hook shot was bettered by Montero’s three-pointer, and further triples from Mokoka and Montero made it 70-52 with 10 minutes left.

Orelik’s triple to open the fourth quarter gave Cluj hope, but Ojeleye’s inside score settled the host. Another Mokoka triple was followed by Pradilla’s dunk, making it 74-58. Simpson’s driving layup was followed by Ojeleye’s three-pointer, and the long bombs continued from Costello, Seeley and Orelik, pulling Cluj back to 80-68. Costello’s layup and Jones’s long two made sure Cluj didn’t get closer, and a Costello putback was followed by Montero’s three-point play to ensure a big winning margin.

The Spanish side underlined its title credentials with another dominant display

In three years since joining BKT EuroCup, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv never won a game in which it scored fewer than 76 points, but it managed to do it Wednesday when it mattered most. Hapoel downed Turk Telekom Ankara 67-61 in a hard-fought one-and-done quarterfinals clash that has seen Hapoel reach the semifinals of the competition for the first time.

Defense, boards, belief and unity have Hapoel keep on going

In three years since joining BKT EuroCup, [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-tel-aviv/hta/) had never won a game in which it scored fewer than 76 points, but managed to so on Wednesday when it mattered most. Hapoel fought hard for [a 67-61 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/hapoel-fights-off-turk-telekom-moves-into-semifinals/) over [Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/turk-telekom-ankara/roster/ttk/?season=2024-25) in a one-and-done quarterfinal clash that saw Hapoel reach the semifinals of the competition for the first time.

“This is what playoff basketball is about,” said Marcus Foster, Hapoel’s leader in the game with 21 points and 8 rebounds. “Sometimes it’s not got to be pretty, so you just have to find your way to win.”

Hapoel came into the quarterfinals as the third-best scoring team, having averaged [88.8 points per game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/key-stats-teams/?size=1000&misc=&seasonCode=U2024&category=Score&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame&phase=RS) during the regular season. But on Wednesday night the offense struggled.

In the first half, Hapoel scored just 28 points, which was its lowest-scoring half in any EuroCup game. But the team still led by 2. 

By the end of the night, Hapoel only had 67 points on its tally, its second-worst scoring performance in three EuroCup season. But the team still managed to pull out a win.

"Defense is what won the game,” said [Oz Blayzer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/oz-blayzer/009877/), who played 17 minutes, which is 10 more than his season average, due to team captain [Tomer Ginat](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tomer-ginat/010550/) not being able to go in the second half.

“We came committed to our game plan. We kept them to a low score but we also didn’t score much. In the end, we made the correct plays,” Blazer said.

The way Hapoel had done the job was the dominance on the offensive glass. Hapoel pulled down 18 offensive board to just 3 by Turk Telekom.

What’s more, all 3 of those offensive board Turk Telekom grabbed in the first quarter.

That’s not all the damage that Hapoel’s defense has done. The Coach Dimitris Itoudis team has allowed only 3 field goals in each the second and third quarter. So, even though the offense was not clicking, the defense was there to step up.

“\[Key\] was the belief,” Itoudis said. “Trust to the unity, the locker room is healthy. Players are together. They are ready to accept criticism, and they are ready to fight.”

And fought they did. For a place in the semifinals, for the first time in club history.

Hapoel had to get a little bit out of character to pull out a hard-fought win and move into the semifinals

Defense, boards, belief and unity fueled Hapoel

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Turk Telekom Ankara (2025-03-12T17:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel fights off Turk Telekom, moves into semifinals

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv has reached the BKT EuroCup Semifinals for the first time after a hard-fought 67-61 win over Turk Telekom Ankara at Samokov Arena in Bulgaria on Wednesday. After getting stopped at the quarterfinal stage in each of the last two seasons, Hapoel is final through to the best-of-three semis where it will play Valencia Basket in two weeks.

Hapoel led for most of the night and took the lead for good midway through the third quarter. The margin reached 12 points in the fourth, before Hapoel held off Turk Telekom’s rally. Marcus Foster led Hapoel with 21 points plus 8 rebounds and Yam Madar contributed 12 points and 4 assists. For Turk Telekom, Olivier Hanlan had 17 points and 6 rebounds, Braian Angola scored 15, and Kyle Alexander 10 points in the season-ending defeat.

The game got going with Angola and Ish Wainright trading three-pointers. Foster also nailed a three for Hapoel before a pair of baskets from Motley opened a 10-5 lead. But Alexander had a dunk before Anthony Brown and Hanlan each hit a triple to give Turk Telekom a 12-15 edge. Hapoel answered behind Johnathan Motley and Foster, restoring its lead by scoring the last 8 points of the quarter for a 20-15 advantage at the end of the opening 10 minutes.

Hapoel’s run continued into the second quarter, with Marcus Bingham scoring twice to make it 24-15. Hanlan’s fastbreak layup ended Turk Telekom’s drought of more than 6 minutes without a basket. Yoan Makoundou added a dunk, then Alexander and Makoundou made three defensive stops with blocked shots that led to 5 points by Turk Telekom, including a triple from Angola as the visitors closed within 26-24. Hapoel held on 28-26 at the break.

Turk Telekom had a superb start to the third quarter, with Speedy Smith knocking down a pair of triples in a 0-8 run that put the visitors up 30-34. But Foster answered with 2 threes of his own and then made his third in a span of less than 2 and a half minutes as Hapoel went up 43-37. Joe Ragland made tough runners on three consecutive possessions that extended the margin to 8 points going into the final minute of the third quarter, and Hapoel led 52-45 after three quarters. 

Javon Bess nailed a triple for his only points of the night to cut it the margin to 53-48, but Foster made a tough basket in the paint and then Madar made 6 free throws for Hapoel’s first double-digit lead of the night, 61-49, with 4:43 to go. Hanlan’s triple revived Turk Telekom and driving layups by Angola and Hanlan made it 61-58 with 1:33 to go. But Foster scored at the rim and Hapoel closed the game out from the free-throw line.

Hapoel reaches semis for first time after a dramatic low-scoring affair

Hapoel fights off Turk Telekom, 67-61, to move into semifinals

CB Gran Canaria booked its place in the EuroCup Semifinals after beating Hapoel Jerusalem, but it had to hold on in the final minutes of the contest.

Gran Canaria prevailed in quarterfinals despite fourth-quarter lapses 

[Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/can/) ground out a thrilling [89-92 quarterfinal win at Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/gran-canaria-beats-hapoel-89-92-to-advance-to-semifinals/) in the BKT EuroCup Playoffs to earn a semifinal series against [Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/bah/) after nearly spilling a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Spanish side was up 58-70 ahead of the final 10 minutes and then allowed the home team back into the game with a flurry of turnovers, which enabled Hapoel to cut the deficit to just one point, 89-90, with 16 seconds remaining.

Fortunately for Gran Canaria, player of the game [Caleb Homesley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/caleb-homesley/011251/) kept his nerve from the foul line to seal his team’s win as [Khadeen Carrington](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/khadeen-carrington/008912/) missed with a wild three-pointer from half court at the final buzzer.

Gran Canaria prevailed thanks to 11 offensive boards and 23 assists, cancelling out 15 turnovers and a mere 3 steals, with Hapoel managing 8 steal and shooting an impressive 11 of 21 from deep while Granca sank 12 of 30. However, Hapoel was contained to just 14 of 30 from inside as the Spanish side’s big man [Mike Tobey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mike-tobey/008966/) played a key role.

The 30-year old Tobey drew on his wealth of experience acquired in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with the likes of Valencia Basket, FC Barcelona and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade to rack up 14 points and 8 rebounds against a physical Hapoel side as Gran Canaria won the battle of the boards 33-21.

Coach [Jaka Lakovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/can/lakovic-jaka/) was pleased with the outcome, having praised his team’s composure when the chips were down.

“Congratulations to my team for advancing to the semifinals. I thought the game was very physical with a lot of quality, there were lots of players with a lot of talent out there,” Lakovic told the postgame press conference. “We started well and did a good job in the third quarter, then in the fourth quarter we turned the ball over seven times which helped Hapoel’s fightback.

“In the end, we were focused enough to make some important shots, especially the free throws, while were smart enough on the last defense to avoid committing a foul.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🔥 Cinco semifinales europeas en diez años.<br><br>✅ 2015 vs Unics Kazan<br>✅ 2016 vs Galatasaray<br>✅ 2021 vs Mónaco<br>✅ 2023 vs Joventut<br>✅ 2025 vs Bahcesehir<br><br>🇮🇨 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VamosGranca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VamosGranca</a> <a href="https://t.co/5ui1i7Dek1">pic.twitter.com/5ui1i7Dek1</a></p>&mdash; Dreamland Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1899574538813198673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Gran Canaria now faces a formidable task of eliminating Bahcesehir in a best-of-three semifinal series, with the Turkish side enjoying home-court advantage after finishing top of Group A with a 14-4 record in the regular season. 

In their two regular-season meetings, the rivals shared the spoils in a pair of rugged contests as Gran Canaria prevailed 66-63 on its home court before Bahcesehir won 73-65 in the reverse fixture.

The upcoming contest promises to be every bit as exciting, with Gran Canaria aiming to contain Bahcesehir big man [Marko Simonovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marko-simonovic/012711/), who poured a game-high 20 points in [a comeback 85-81 quarterfinal win over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/bahcesehir-rallies-past-cedevita-85-81/), when the Turkish side rallied from a 17-point first quarter deficit.

Gran Canaria is again likely to lean on Homesley, who averages 12.5 points per game, as well as Tobey, who totals 9.2 points and 5.8 rebounds, with [Nico Brussino](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/nicolas-brussino/008121/), [Joe Thomasson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/joe-thomasson/012095/) and [Andrew Albicy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/andrew-albicy/003425/) expected to lead the supporting cast.  

The Spanish team came out on top against Hapoel although the home side launched a spirited late fightback 

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2025-03-11T19:00:00.000Z)

After a horrendous start to the game for Bahcesehir College Istanbul, Marko Simonovic helped his team get back on track to help them defeat KK Cedevita Olimpija and lock up a place in the EuroCup Semifinals.

Marko Simonovic instrumental as Bahcesehir reached semifinals

Things were not looking too good for [Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/bah/) 10 minutes into its quarterfinal bout [against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/bahcesehir-rallies-past-cedevita-85-81/) in the BKT EuroCup Playoffs, with Dejan Radonjic's side trailing 7-24 on their home floor, but [Marko Simonovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marko-simonovic/012711/) made sure it turned out to be a happy night at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.

Bahcesehir ended up securing an 85-81 win to book its place in the EuroCup Semifinals in just its second season in the competition, but that first quarter was nothing short of horrendous. After [CJ Massinburg](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/cj-massinburg/011821/) drained a three-pointer with Bahcesehir's first shot of the game, the next 16 offenses until the end of the first quarter saw the hosts miss 10 shots, pick up 4 turnovers and draw a couple of shooting fouls, hitting all 4 free throws to trail 7-24.

When Aleksej Nikolic and DJ Stewart each struck from downtown, Bahcesehir was forced to call a timeout at 11-30. Simonovic had come off the bench late in the first quarter in what was a special game for him. 

Born in Montenegro, Simonovic joined Olimpija Ljubljana before the start of the 2018-19 season. He took the opportunity to play against his former team to rescue Bahcesehir when his team was on the verge of elimination.

Simonovic found his rhythm by drawing a couple of shooting fouls, hitting all 4 free-throw attempts. He soon added a three-pointer from the top of the key and scored twice in the paint to single-handedly bring Bahcesehir within single digits, 26-35. In those four minutes, he outscored Cedevita 11-5.

He remained a solid force in the paint, balancing his team's offense on an off night for fellow big man [Tai Odiase](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tai-odiase/011823/). Simonovic also hit a pair of key free throws with 21.9 seconds remaining which allowed Bahcesehir to seal the outcome, 83-77. He finished the game with a personal-best 20 points on 4 of 6 two-pointers, also hitting his only three-point attempts and 9 of his 10 foul shots. Simonovic also had 4 rebounds, 1 assists, 3 steals and 6 fouls drawn for a career-high PIR of 27.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">🗓️ 11.03.2025 Ataköy Hatırası<br><br>BİZ BÜYÜK BİR AİLEYİZ 🙌<br><br>❤️💙 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlyHighTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlyHighTogether</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HayalDe%C4%9FilHedef?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HayalDeğilHedef</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/wSOqTMXVBh">pic.twitter.com/wSOqTMXVBh</a></p>&mdash; Bahçeşehir Koleji Spor Kulübü (@BKBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BKBasketbol/status/1899569620547457254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

After the game, Simonovic highlighted his team's effort, as a unit, to rally past Cedevita and reach the next round.

"We were supposed to change the game. We didn't start the right way. We changed the game, especially in the fourth quarter," Simonovic said. "We played well in the third quarter but again, they played better than us. But our fourth quarter was crucial. I'm really happy and proud of this team, of these guys, of those people who are working in this club. 

"So now \[we go to the\] semifinals, we have to prepare all the games and go forward as much as we can. I just want to say this. This is a team win. We play good like a team: one game it's me, another game it's some other player. From the beginning, we show everyone that we are playing like a team."

This is Simonovic's second EuroCup semifinal in as many seasons in the competition. Last season, he joined Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul late in the regular season, helping his team qualify to the playoffs and eliminate both Dreamland Gran Canaria and Hapoel Tel Aviv before losing in the best-of-three semifinals against Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse. 

Simonovic now hopes to take Bahcesehir even higher at the end of the 2024-25 EuroCup season.

The Montenegrin big man came up big for the Turkish team

Bahcesehir College Istanbul v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2025-03-11T17:00:00.000Z)

Dreamland Gran Canaria ground out a gritty 89-92 win over Hapoel Yahav Bank Jerusalem on the back of its muscle in the paint, having won the battle of the boards 33-21 and crucially collecting 11 offensive rebounds to Hapoel’s 4. 

Dominating the boards helped Gran Canaria squeeze past Hapoel 

[Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/roster/can/?season=2024-25) kept alive its dream of winning the BKT EuroCup for the second time by advancing to the best-of-three semifinal series thanks to [a gritty 89-92 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/gran-canaria-beats-hapoel-89-92-to-advance-to-semifinals/) over [Hapoel Yahav Bank Jerusalem](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-jerusalem/roster/jer/?season=2024-25).

Gran Canaria ground out the win on the back of its muscle in the paint, having won the battle of the boards 33-21 and crucially collecting 11 offensive rebounds to Hapoel’s 4.

Big man [Mike Tobey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mike-tobey/008966/) had a field day in the second half as he racked up 14 points and 8 boards, complementing [Caleb Homesley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/caleb-homesley/011251/) who led the Gran Canaria charge with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Homesley was only 1 of 7 from downtown but what a vital three-pointer it turned out to be, as it came in a nail-biting finish to stretch Gran Canaria’s lead to 79-84 when Hapoel was on the verge of turning the game on its head, having trailed by 12 points.

It was a second successive tight postseason win for Gran Canaria after the Spanish side edged out [Umana Reyer Venice](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/umana-reyer-venice/roster/vnc/?season=2024-25) [84-80 in the eighthfinals ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/gran-canaria-outlasts-reyer-84-80/)and next up is a mouth-watering clash with [Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/roster/bah/?season=2024-25), which rallied from a massive deficit to beat [Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana/roster/lju/?season=2024-25) [85-81 in Tuesday’s other quarterfinal](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/bahcesehir-rallies-past-cedevita-85-81/).

Homesley made it clear that it took a monumental effort for Gran Canaria to overcome battling Hapoel, which shot a superb 11 of 22 from deep but the Israeli side was undone in the paint, conceding a flurry of second-chance points.  

“We really wanted this win and we really put everything we had on the line,” Homesley said in his postgame comments. “We talked about it, we knew this was the only game and we did a good job executing our game plan.

“We came together at halftime and talked about the adjustments we needed to make. Bahcesehir are a good team, they beat us once and we beat them once so it’s going to be tough because we’re on the road first. If we put in the effort and the energy, it’ll be good.”

Coach Jaka Lakovic, who was in charge in 2023 when Gran Canaria ripped through the regular season with a 15-3 record and went on to beat Turk Telkom Ankara 71-67 in [a fiercely competitive championship game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/ec2223-final-report-grancanaria-turktelekom/), acknowledged that getting past Bahcesehir would be a stern test of his team’s credentials.

Lakovic also praised Hapoel’s valiant late effort to overturn a 12-point deficit which fell just short as Gran Canaria was ice cold from the foul line in the dying minutes.

“We broke the game open late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, but Hapoel fought back like they always do,” the Slovenian tactician said.  “We were focused enough to make some huge three-pointers in the end and got some important stops on defense.

“Bahcesehir is a very strong team, talented and experienced. They invested a lot of money to play this season with big expectations but we’ll be ready for the semifinal series.”

The Spanish side made the most of superior rebounding as it held on in a frantic finale 