Joventut Badalona cruised to a 97-79 home victory against Slask Wroclaw to finish the regular season with a competition-best 12-4 record thanks to the stellar play of its big men.

Joventut's frontcourt made the difference 

It was a close game for 14 minutes as Slask managed to hang around as was trailing 31-29. Joventut needed answers and found them through its frontcourt. Vladimir Brodziansky made his trademark jump hook, Ante Tomic scored in the low post and Derek Willis did a little bit of everything, banking in a close shot and adding a put-back layup and a jumper. 

That trio helped Joventut build a double-digit margin, 48-35, at halftime. All of Joventut's frontcourt players had important moments in the game - Tomic scored a lot early, Willis extended his team's gap before halftime, then Simon Birgander and Brodziansky dominated in the second half. 

Ante Tomic, Simon Birgander and 2 others Highlights vs. Slask Wroclaw, 03/29/2022

Joventut relies on its big men against Slask

Their importance was shown in the stats at the end of the game. Birgander, Brodziansky, Willis and Tomic combined for 49 points - and all of them scored in double digits. Together they shot 18 for 22 on two-point shots, a fantastic 81.8% inside the arc. They found a perfect complement in Albert Ventura, who had an on-fire moment early in the fourth quarter to finish the game with 16 points in as many minutes. He made all 3 of his shots inside the arc and 3 of 5 from downtown. 

Now Joventut can look ahead knowing it can rely on its frontcourt's expert combination of experience, power and effectiveness in the knock-out rounds.

Simon Birgander - Joventut Badalona - (photo David Grau - Joventut) EC21-RS17

Joventut Badalona v Slask Wroclaw (2022-03-29T19:00:00.000Z)

Lahaou Konate is not known as an offensive force, but he stepped out of character and guided Boulogne Metropolitans 92 to a 74-83 victory over MoraBanc Andorra with a career-high 19 points.

Konate stepped up offensively in Andorra 

The 30-year-old French forward has made a name for himself in Europe at the defensive end. But on Tuesday, he drained 5 three-pointers in scoring 19 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal for a performance index rating of 25. In addition to his personal best in points and triples made, the PIR was also a new career-high for Konate, who had previously had 14 points and an index rating of 19 against Hamburg Towers in Round 14 a couple of weeks ago.

Konate was feeling it early against Andorra with back-to-back three-pointers midway through the first quarter. He added another triple early in the second quarter after Andorra had trimmed a double-digit deficit to just one point as part of a 5-15 run.

Lahaou Konate scored a career-high 19 points against Andorra 

In the fourth quarter, Konate knocked down a jumper and three-pointer early once again after Andorra had pulled within 1. And he ended up being the game-winner when he made a driving layup for a 70-78 lead and then knocked down a dagger three-pointer at the end of the shot clock for a 72-81 cushion with just 68 seconds left.

Konate’s only two double-digit scoring games in the EuroCup this season have come this month. With the knock-out rounds just around the corner, maybe it's the perfect time for Konate to take on a bigger scoring role for his team.

Lahaou Konate - Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (photo Dragana Stjepanovic - Partizan) - EC21-RS21

MoraBanc Andorra v Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (2022-03-29T18:00:00.000Z)

### Umana Reyer Venice head coach Walter De Raffaele:

"We do have great respect for Promitheas organization. I think they have got a good team that is not reflected on the group standings. We must have respect for this team, it's going to be important to stop their attitude to run the floor especially with big players. We need to fight on boards."

### Umana Reyer Venice player Jeff Brooks:

"We have to play together with energy, come out with the will to win, that's all that matters. We need to show our character, prove ourselves we have the right mentality to get into the floor in every game. Standings don't matter, Patras is a good team but we need to stick together for the whole game."

Pre-game quotes: Venice vs. Patras

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

Walter De Raffaele - Umana Reyer Venice (photo Alessandro Scarpa - Reyer) - EC21

Joventut Badalona locked up first place in Group A and finished the regular season as the highest-ranked team in the competition by downing Slask Wroclaw 97-79 at home. 

Telling numbers: Joventut dominated all over 

Joventut was better in most aspects of the game, not giving Slask any chance to win it. It outrebounded the visitors 37-30. Simon Birgander played a big role with 10 rebounds in less than 16 minutes. Joventut had 14 offensive rebounds, which were 3 more than Slask. 

 

The hosts also shot the ball really well inside the arc, making 25 of 37 attempts. Its two-point shooting percentage (67.6% 2FG) was a new season-high and its highest in EuroCup action since making 70% of its shots against Guildford Heat on December 18, 2007. 

Slask buried 10 of 23 three-pointers for an excellent conversion rate (43.5%) but struggled to score inside the arc. The visitors made 20 of 41 two-point attempts (48.8%).

 

In another key to this game, Joventut took much better care of the ball, finishing the game with 19 points and just 10 turnovers. Its assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.90, was much better than Slask's, 0.92. The visiting team combined 12 assists with 13 turnovers. All of that allowed Joventut to finish the game with a team PIR of 113 while limiting Slask to 75.

Ante Tomic - Joventut Badalona - (photo David Grau - Joventut) EC21-RS17

Frutti Extra Bursaspor defeated ratiopharm Ulm 72-86 to qualify for the eighthfinals. Blocked shots and good ball circulation were the biggest keys to this historic victory. 

Telling numbers: Bursaspor relied on assists, blocks 

Bursaspor finished the game with 7 blocks and Ulm did not get any. Center Kevarrius Hayes blocked 6 shots, a new EuroCup season-high; no other player had finished a game with more than 4. That allowed the visitors to finish the game with better shooting percentages. 

 

Bursaspor made 67.6% of its two-pointers, its second-best mark this season; it made 77.4% of its shots inside the arc in Round 16 against Valencia Basket. It also buried 47.4% of its three-point shots and Ulm shot the ball with worse percentages (60% 2FG, 25% 3FG). 

Bursaspor finished the game with 19 assists and committed 12 turnovers. Andrew Andrews dished a EuroCup career-high 10 assists and added 11 points for his first double-double in the competition. Ulm only turned the ball over nine times, but also only dished 11 assists. There were other two big keys to this game. First, Ulm was erratic from the foul line, making just 12 of 21 free throws (57.1%). And second, Bursaspor only allowed 7 offensive rebounds, which helped get its transition game going.

ratiopharm Ulm v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2022-03-29T17:30:00.000Z)

Kevarrius Hayes - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Larry Langer - Ulm) - EC21-RS17

Boulogne Metropolitans 92 knew it would need a strong defensive performance to defeat MoraBanc Andorra and the visitors worked to create turnovers in getting a 74-83 victory on the road.

Telling numbers: Metropolitans put Andorra in turnover trouble

Andorra came into the game averaging just 13.4 turnovers per game, but Metropolitans forced the hosts into 23 turnovers. Andorra point guard Codi Miller-McIntyre committed a season-high 6 turnovers and five other players had multiple turnovers in the game.

Will Cummings, Vince Hunter and Jordan McRae on the other side all grabbed 3 steals and helped Metropolitans to 20 points off turnovers compared to 13 points for Andorra off 14 miscues by Metropolitans.

Bandja Sy, Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra) - EC21-RS17

Virtus Segafredo Bolonia managed to stop Gran Canaria’s offensive rebounding after halftime to win 70-68 against the Group B leader.

Telling numbers: Virtus secured the boards

Gran Canaria confirmed its reputation as a great offensive rebounding team when it finished the first quarter with 8 offensive boards and got to halftime with 10. That was just 1 shy of the team’s average for the season, as the team came to Bologna signing off on 11.3 per game. Even though Virtus had not allowed too many second-chance points, it was clear that closing the door on the opponent’s big men would be key.

The hosts improved drastically after halftime, limiting Gran Canaria to just 3 offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes and only 1 in the last and decisive quarter. Looking at how Gran Canaria shot in the game (43.3% in two-pointers, and 32.3% in threes), few would doubt that fixing the rebounding issue was one of the main reasons Virtus managed to pull out the win.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Gran Canaria (2022-03-29T18:30:00.000Z)

Isaia Cordinier - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-RS17

Virtus Segafredo Bolonia held on for a valuable 70-68 home win over Group B leader Gran Canaria on Tuesday night to keep its chances of winning home-court advantage in the eighthfinals alive.

Virtus edges Gran Canaria 70-68

The win lifted Virtus's record to 10-7. Gran Canaria had its three-game winning streak snapped as it slipped to 12-5. Daniel Hackett and Toko Shengelia combined for 8 points in crunch time to seal the outcome for Virtus. Hackett paced the winners with 14 points and a PIR of 19, followed by Shengelia, who posted 11 points and 9 boards. Kyle Weems added 10 points and Mam Jaiteh contributed 10 points and 9 rebounds for Virtus. Dylan Ennis led all scorers with 19 points, while Aleksander Balcerowski provided 12 points and 5 rebounds and John Shurna chipped in 10, all of them in the last quarter, in the losing effort.

The hosts had a strong start in which they led 6-0 behind baskets by Shengelia, Hackett and Weems, as Gran Canaria needed more than 2 minutes to score. Hackett nailed a three to launch another 7-0 spark for the hosts that made it a double-digit lead, 13-2, after 5 minutes. Balcerowski had a three and Slaughter joined in with a couple of steals that turned into 5 more points to keep his team within striking distance, 15-10. The visitors could not continue rallying, as they missed several times from the line and from behind the arc, allowing Virtus to maintain a 21-14 margin at the end of the first quarter.

 

Jakarr Sampson and Isaia Cordinier contributed on offense to keep Gran Canaria at a safe distance, 25-18, early in the second. Ennis showed up from behind the arc to energize the hosts and kept on rocking with another bucket and a three-point play soon after to even things at 28-28. Balcerorowski scored inside with a smooth move and Javi Lopez drilled a three to complete the comeback, 31-33, and even though Jaiteh and Hackett counterattacked using the same tools to restore a 36-33 lead, the visitors managed to reach halftime trailing 36-35.

Balcerowski went to the line to put Gran Canaria ahead again right after the intermission and followed with a triple and a big block on Jaiteh to set a 37-40 advantage for the visitors. Hackett took the reins and restored Virtus's momentum in offense, first feeding Weems for a corner three, then assisting Jaiteh to make it 43-42 midway through the third quarter. Jaiteh extended it to 47-42 from inside, forcing a Gran Canaria timeout that turned into a 0-5 run that tied the score once again, 47-47. Virtus found Kevin Hervey, who added 4 points in the final minute to give Virtus the lead enter the last stanza, 51-47.

 

Both squads struggled on offense when the game resumed, as only Sampson and Shurna managed to score for each side in the first 3 minutes of the fourth quarter. Ennis took over to break the trend for the visitors and provided 5 points in the blink of an eye to push his team back in charge, 53-54. Shurna extended it to 55-57 from downtown, but Virtus reacted in style with a 7-0 spurt in which Alessandro Pajola and Shengelia contributed from the line, as did Weems from behind the arc to make it 62-57 with 3 minutes remaining. Shurna trimmed the difference from deep, but Hackett scored a short jumper and added a free throw, and Shengelia drilled a key three-pointer that secured the win for the home team with 32 seconds to play.

Jakarr Sampson - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Matteo Marchi - Virtus) - EC21-RS17

Joventut Badalona clinched the top spot in Group A by downing Slask Wroclaw 97-79 at home on Tuesday. 

Joventut trounces Slask, 97-79, to clinch first place

Joventut finished the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season with a 12-4 record and locked up first place. Coach Duran's team will have the home-court advantage in all of its knock-out round games, too. Albert Ventura and Simon Birgander led the winners with 16 points apiece. Vladimir Brodziansky added 12, Ante Tomic 11 and Pep Busquets and Joel Parra each had 10 for Joventut. D'Mitrik Trice shined for Slask with 22 points, Kerem Kanter added 15 and Kodi Justice and Aleksander Dziewa each scored 11 for the visitors. Justice and Trice helped Slask to a 20-22 lead after 10 minutes, but Derek Willis, Birgander and Brodziansky stepped up for Joventut, which pulled away to lead 48-35 at halftime and never looked back.

Justice got Slask going with a jumper that Busquets bettered with a triple for a 3-2 Joventut lead. Jakub Karolak and Trice each struck from downtown for a 5-8 Slask edge. Tomic twice scored down low. He didn't find much help, however, while Trice and Dziewa kept the visitors in charge, 9-12. Justice insisted from beyond the arc, Tomic answered with a layup and Birgander found his first points for a 13-15 Joventut deficit. Trice buried a floater and Kanter added a jump hook, but Brodziansky struck twice from beyond the arc to tie it at 19-19. Karolak also made a three-pointer to give Slask a 20-22 lead after 10 minutes.

 

Lukasz Kolenda scored in penetration early in the second quarter. Ventura answered with a fastbreak layup off a steal that Birgander followed with a put-back basket for a 25-24 Joventut lead. Kanter buried a triple, but Birgander and Pau Ribas fueled a 6-0 run that gave the hosts a 31-27 edge. Kanter kept pacing Slask with a driving basket that Brodziansky matched with a jump hook. Andres Feliz and Willis fueled a 9-0 run highlighted by Parra's running hook. Trice and Michal Gabinski each nailed a triple to give Slask hope at 42-35. Willis followed a put-back layup with a jumper to restore a double-digit Joventut lead, 48-35, at halftime.

Dziewa followed a tip-in with a put-back dunk soon after the break. Birgander dunked and Ribas sank a mid-range jumper and fed Willis for a huge alley-oop slam that caused Slask to call timeout at 56-39. Justice and Dziewa tried to change things for the visitors, who kept missing open shots from downtown. Feliz sank a corner three-pointer to break the game open, 61-42. Karolak took over with a backdoor layup which Martins Meieres followed with a put-back basket for a 61-46 score. Kanter bettered Ventura's layup with a three-point play and Trice buried a triple to bring Slask within 67-52. Ventura answered with a three-point play and Tomic hit a jump hook for a 72-54 Joventut margin after 30 minutes.

 

Ventura struck twice from beyond the arc early in the fourth quarter and Parra joined the three-point shootout for an 81-57 Joventut advantage. Kanter kept pacing Slask against his former team and Trice buried a floater that brought the visitors within 81-61. Brodziansky ignited the crowd with a big three-point play, Trice, Ventura and Busquets each struck from downtown before Jan Wojcik dunked to make it 92-66. Slask kept fighting until the final buzzer, but Joventut managed to seal the outcome long before the final buzzer and earned the right to get the home-court advantage in all of its remaining games.

Aleksander Dziewa - Slask Wroclaw - (photo David Grau - Joventut) EC21-RS17