Valencia Basket will be hoping it doesn’t have to come up against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana veteran Jaka Blazic anytime soon.

Blazic starred against Valencia again

Back in December, Blazic produced a superb all-around performance to lead his team to an impressive 85-97 road win at La Fonteta; he scored 24 points and added 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals for a PIR of 31.

When the rematch between the teams got underway in the Slovenian capital on Wednesday, guess who showed up to open the scoring with a three-point strike on Cedevita’s first possession? Yes, it was that man Blazic again and, although his performance was nothing as spectacular as in Round 8, he continued to deliver at important moments throughout the game.

After Valencia raced into an 8-point lead in the second quarter, Blazic was there to strengthen Cedevita’s recovery and tie the game at 33-33. And in crunch time, when the game was tied at 71-71, Blazic was on hand to draw fouls and keep his nerve from the free-throw line, making 6 foul shots without a miss in the latter stages to seal another Cedevita win.

Blazic finished the game with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 32:45 minutes, which were second-most in the game.

Jaka Blazic 2- Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21-RS16

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Valencia Basket (2022-03-30T18:00:00.000Z)

Gianfranco Salamida beat everyone else in Round 17 with his team Tigre nera. He had a Fantasy Challenge score of 201.85.

Gianfranco had the following lineup: team captain Will Cummings of Boulogne Metropolitans 92, Joel Parra of Joventut Badalona, Jordan Theodore of Umana Reyer Venice, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis of Lietkabelis Panevezys and Kevarrius Hayes of Frutti Extra Bursaspor as starters, Mitchell Watt of Venice as sixth man and Nikos Rogkavopoulos of Promitheas Patras, Rasheed Sulaimon of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, Dovydas Giedraitis of Lietkabelis and Tomer Ginat of Metropolitans 92 as bench players, as well as Walter de Raffaelle of Venice as head coach. As his prize for finishing first in Round 17, Dragisa wins a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2022-23 season!

The leader of the [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/es/home) overall standings stands strong, as Daniel Gomes stays at the top with his team Lisboa Tugas which has 3062.73 points.

Trades are now open for Round 18, the last of the regular season. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

The first game in Round 18, Frutti Extra Bursaspor vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, is scheduled to tip off on Tuesday, April 5 at 19:45 CEST, and thus mark next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become our next round winner!

7DAYS EuroCup fans, we have a new winner in the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge!


EuroCup Fantasy Challenge Round 17 winner

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana produced a magnificent second quarter to set up a big home win over Valencia Basket on Wednesday night.

Telling numbers: Second-quarter blitz led Cedevita to key win

Trailing by 8 points, 23-31, after scoring just 5 points in 7 minutes to bridge the first and second quarters, a three-pointer from Edo Muric was the signal for the home team to unleash a blitz of offense for the remainder of the quarter. Jacob Pullen scored a couple of three-pointers and Melvin Ejim added another before a flurry of inside baskets was followed by another deep strike, this time from Zoran Dragic, to complete a run of 27 points in less than 8 minutes going into the locker rooms.

Telling numbers: Reyer protected its paint

Reyer dominated in the paint at both ends of the court and that made the difference in the game. It finished the game with 22-of-34 two-point shooting and its percentage inside the arc, 64.7%, was its third-best this season. 

 

On the other hand, Reyer protected the paint really well, as Promitheas only hit a third of its 30 two-point shots. It was the lowest two-point shooting percentage (33.3%) in club history and also the fewest number of shots made inside the arc (10) since it entered the competition. 

The hosts also took much better care of the ball, finishing the game with 19 points and just 9 turnovers. Nine different Reyer players had at least 1 assist. Jordan Theodore led everyone with 5 assists in addition to 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals for a fine all-around performance. 

 

Promitheas had 13 assists, 14 turnovers and also struggled from the foul line. The visitors missed 12 of their 28 free-throw attempts (57.1%). 

Umana Reyer Venice v Promitheas Patras (2022-03-30T18:00:00.000Z)

Jeff Brooks - Umana Reyer Venice (photo Alessandro Scarpa - Reyer) - EC21-RS17

Turk Telekom Ankara was heavily outrebounded by Lietkabelis Panevezys in Round 17, but small details made the difference for the visitors. 

Telling numbers: Turk Telekom shot better 

Lietkabelis outrebounded Turk Telekom 45-28, pulling down 22 offensive boards. The hosts matched their best all-time mark in rebounds; they grabbed 45 earlier this season, in Round 12 against Dolomiti Energia Trento. Its 22 offensive boards are a club record and tied for the best mark in the EuroCup this season: Hamburg Towers did it twice before.

Turk Telekom, however, took much better care of the ball, finishing the game with 20 assists and 11 turnovers. Alex Perez dished 8 assists and also buried the go-ahead jumper, paving his team's way to a 75-77 victory.

Turk Telekom shot the ball better from all angles and that made the difference in the game. The visitors buried 17 of 33 two-point shots (51.5% 2FG), 10 of 22 from downtown (45.5% 3FG) and 13 of 16 free throws (81.3% FT). Lietkabelis had lower percentages inside (44.4% 2FG) and outside the arc (32.4% 3FG), as well as from the foul line (76.9% FT). It also finished the game with 18 assists and 13 turnovers. Lietkabelis had a higher team PIR (88) than its opponent (86), but Turk Telekom walked away with a good-as-gold road victory.

Lietkabelis Panevezys v Turk Telekom Ankara (2022-03-30T16:00:00.000Z)

Alex Perez - Turk Telekom Ankara (photo Karolio Kavolelio - Lietkabelis) EC21-RS17

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse escaped Montenegro with a thrilling win despite trailing by 11 points in the third quarter.

Telling numbers: Big run fueled Bourg in Podgorica

Even though it had a great start to the game, grabbing a 4-12 edge after 5 minutes, Bourg seemed to be close to collapse when Buducnost VOLI Podgorica ignited an 11-2 run right after the intermission to build a 50-39 margin. A timeout by Bourg head coach Laurent Legname shifted the momentum, though, as his team reacted in style and completed a 3-25 run bridging the third and the fourth quarters that turned the game upside down, 55-66, with 7 minutes remaining.

Buducnost refused to surrender and got back the lead with 3 minutes to go, 69-68, but the visitors had already gained the confidence needed to hold on and punish their opponent with a three-pointer by Rasheed Sulaimon, a short jumper by Pierre Pelos and a couple of free throws by Hugo Benitez that sealed the outcome and snapped a three-game losing streak.

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2022-03-30T17:00:00.000Z)

Pierre Pelos - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Luka Novakovic - Buducnost) - EC21-RS17

Hamburg Towers stuck to its game plan and won the way it plays, beating Dolomiti Energia Trento 90-69 thanks to assists, three-pointers and steals.

Telling numbers: Hamburg won the Towers way with dishing, steals and triples

The German side dished out 27 assists while making 13 of 32 three-pointers and collecting 9 steals in racing away from Trento. Those numbers were all right on par with Hamburg and its style of play.

Coach Pedro Calles’s team came into the game ranked fourth in assists (19.5 apg.) while leading the EuroCup in three-pointers made per game (11.6) and attempted per game (32.6) and tops in steals (9.6).

 

Seth Hinrichs led the team with a career-high 7 assists while Jaylon Brown drained 5 three-pointers and Justus Hollatz swiped 3 steals.

Hamburg Towers v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2022-03-30T17:30:00.000Z)

Justus Hollatz - Hamburg Towers (Photo Marvin Contessi) - EC21-RS17

Umana Reyer Venice punched its ticket to the eighthfinals by downing Promitheas Patras 81-57 at Palasport Talaiercio on Wednesday. 

Reyer routs Promitheas, 81-57, to advance 

Reyer improved to 8-9 in the standings while Promitheas, which was already eliminated in the race for the playoffs, dropped to 4-13. Stefano Tonut paced the winners with 16 points, Victor Sanders added 12 and Mitchell Watt had 11 for Reyer. Dimitris Agravanis led Promitheas with 22 points. Watt and Tonut fueled a 15-2 run which gave Reyer a double-digit margin, 25-11, at the end of the first quarter. The hosts found new go-to guys in Sanders and Julyan Stone to grab a 49-28 margin at halftime and little changed after the break.

Trevis Simpson got Promitheas going with a three-pointer and Dario Hunt soon gave the visitors a 2-5 lead. Watt and Tonut each made a jumper in an 8-0 Reyer run highlighted by Jordan Theodore's put-back layup. Theodore bettered Dimitris Agravanis's jumper with a triple, which Watt followed with a layup-and-one for a 16-7 Reyer lead. Agravanis and Watt traded layups, then Tonut followed a three-pointer with a fast break layup to break the game open, 23-9. Martynas Echodas drained a jump hook to cap a 9-0 run. Simpson answered with a high-flying alley-oop slam that brought Promitheas within 25-11 after 10 minutes.

 

Sanders scored down low early in the second quarter. Austin Daye buried a fadeaway jumper and Stone added a layup that caused Promitheas to call timeout at 31-11. Agravanis swished a three-pointer and bettered Echodas's dunk with a layup-and-one to get within 35-18. Stone answered from beyond the arc and fed Jordan Morgan for a layup in transition for a 40-18 margin. Sanders took over with consecutive layups and erased Simpson's triple with his own shot from downtown. Promitheas kept running its offense through Agravanis, who followed a driving layup with a buzzer-beating triple to make it 49-28 at the break.

Tonut buried back-to-back three-pointers to boost Reyer's lead to 55-28 right after the break. Mike Bramos also struck twice from downtown to extend the difference to 61-29. Tonut insisted from beyond the arc and Watt dunked for a 66-30 score. Agravanis kept pacing Promitheas and Georgios Tanoulis buried a three-pointer in a 0-8 run to bring the guests closer, 66-38. Mihajlo Andric downed a three-pointer, causing Reyer to call timeout at 67-42. Angelos Lagios and Tunde Fasasi scored their first-ever EuroCup points, then Abdul Gaddy got the visitors even closer, 67-47, after 30 minutes.

 

Daye scored around the basket early in the fourth quarter, as Reyer stopped allowing easy baskets with Andrea De Nicolao and Bruno Cerella at guard. Morgan buried a jumper in the lane for a 71-48 lead. Sanders took over with a driving layup which Tanoulis matched at the other end. Promitheas kept fighting until the final buzzer, giving its young talents plenty of playing time, but Reyer did not find much trouble to cruise to a no-doubt-about-it win that came with the chance to keep fighting for the EuroCup title.

Stefano Tonut - Umana Reyer Venice (photo Alessandro Scarpa - Reyer) - EC21-RS17

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse surprised Buducnost VOLI Podgorica with a 73-75 win at Moraca on Wednesday night. 

Bourg stuns Buducnost 73-75

The visitors were down by 11 early in the second half, but a 3-25 run bridging the third and the fourth quarter allowed them to get back in the game. Jalen Jones had career-high 19 points to lead the winners, who improved to 6-11 despite having already lost all chances to qualify for the next stage. JaCorey Williams posted 12 points and 7 rebounds, Axel Julian added 12 points and 5 dimes and Rasheed Sulaimon scored 11 points for the winners. Justin Cobbs tallied 14 points and 7 assists, Edin Atic had 13 and 8 boards and Kendrick Perry and Vladimir Micov scored 12 and 10 points respectively for Buducnost, which lost its sixth game of the last eight to slip to 9-8.

The hosts needed 3 minutes to score their first basket, which Bourg exploited to build an early 0-6 lead behind Jones, Alexandre Chassang and C.J. Harris. Marko Jagodic-Kuridza was the only one on offense for Buducnost and it proved insufficient as Jones and Chassang drilled consecutive three-pointers to extend the gap to 4-12 after 5 minutes. Perry and Danilo Nikolic came to the rescue and combined for all the Buducnost points in a 10-0 run that pushed the home team ahead, 14-12. Another 6-0 spurt allowed the hosts to increase the margin to 20-17 at the end of the first quarter despite Sulaimon’s efforts to hold Bourg.

 

The teams swapped baskets right after the game resumed, so Buducnost kept a slim 24-21 advantage. Jones made it a one-point game and soon connected from downtown to even things at 26-26 midway through the second quarter, but he was quickly responded to by Cobbs, who provided a three-point play and an assist to Micov to restore a Buducnost lead. Perry followed with a triple to make it 34-26, but the visitors resisted thanks to Julian and Williams, who combined for 11 points in the last 2 minutes to trim the difference to 39-37 at halftime. 

Back-to-back threes by Perry and Atic got Buducnost going right after intermission for a 45-37 edge. Five more points from Cobbs widened the gap to double-figures, 50-39, forcing an urgent timeout by Bourg. Chassang changed things with a put-back. Jones and Sulaimon chained together a pair of three-point plays, Julian contributed 5 more points, and Jones added an inside basket to cap a 4-15 run that tied it at 54-54. Buducnost stopped the game with a timeout, but Williams and Julian completed the rally soon after to make it 54-58. Even though Filip Barovic ended the drought from the line, Williams scored off the offensive rebound to grant Bourg a 55-60 edge entering the last quarter.

 

Things got even worse for the home team, as Pierre Pelos sank a jumper, Williams scored inside, and Maxime Roos finished a fastbreak with a big slam to extend the margin to 55-66 with 7 minutes remaining. Popovic went to the line after a timeout to revitalize Buducnost and enable a 7-0 spark that brought the hosts within 62-66. A three by Atic, free throws by Cobbs and a fastbreak layup by Micov turned the tables, 69-68, with 3 minutes left. Bourg didn’t tremble, though, and found a three-pointer by Sulaimon and a short jumper by Pelos for a 69-73 lead entering crunch time. A couple of free throws by Hugo Benitez set it at 71-75 entering the last minute. Perry and Atic missed twice from behind the arc, which allowed Bourg to celebrate.

Jalen Jones - Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (photo Luka Novakovic - Buducnost) - EC21-RS17