This is what the protagonists had to say after the Round 16 showdown between Gran Canaria and Buducnost VOLI Podgorica.

Post-game quotes: Gran Canaria vs. Buducnost

### Gran Canaria head coach Porfi Fisac:

"We started the game without energy, without physicality. We had a lot of problems to chase the ball and in the second half, we switched our mentality on defense. We stopped their great players really well, like Cobbs, Perry and Seeley. On offense, we shared the ball and when this team shares the ball, we are going to play really great basketball. I believe that I wouldn't help these young players if I praise them a lot, because they would probably make mistakes. It happened to us with Khalifa \[Diop\] and Olek \[Balcerowski\] several times last season. They haven't achieved anything in the basketball world until now, other than being in a club and getting the chance to play for them. They have a long way to go - if any of them believes he is playing well, he will not play a lot of minutes in the next game. Why? This is all about competitiveness, and I have six players on the bench able to get their frontcourt spot. Right now, the team is very solid and showing character as a group. There are times in which we don't hit a lot of shots, but it's true we didn't expect to be in the situation that we are. We will fight to win every game, we will see how the bracket is, but it is very satisfactory that we locked a top two finish in this group."

### Buducnost VOLI Podgorica head coach Aleksandar Dzikic:

"Congratulations to Gran Canaria. They played way better in the second half, especially in the third quarter, and it was partially our fault. We were hesitant and sometimes our decisions were not like they were supposed to be. They used it and their offense was a little bit easier: fastbreaks, some open threes. They punished us and in the end, it is what it is. We were creating open shots, sometimes we were missing, and then too many times we were hesitant. We tried to play too many isos and that gave them the chance to focus on the ball - and they are very long, very athletic, and hard to score \[against\]."

Post-game quotes: Metropolitans vs. Joventut

Boulogne Metropolitans 92 v Joventut Badalona (2022-03-23T19:30:00.000Z)

Vincent Collet - Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (photo Olivier dAlmeida - Metropolitans) - EC21-RS16

[Frutti Extra Bursaspor 92-89 Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/frutti-extra-bursaspor-valencia-basket/U2021/156/)

Bursaspor took a big step towards reaching the playoffs by knocking off Valencia 92-89 at home in Group B. Andrew Andrews led the way with 23 points including 16 in the final 7 minutes as the hosts won their third straight game to improve to 7-9. Valencia saw its three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 11-5 despite 17 points from Xavi Lopez-Arostegui.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Make way for Onuralp Bitim!😳<a href="https://twitter.com/BsBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BsBasketbol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/KtHnuXOZ2s">pic.twitter.com/KtHnuXOZ2s</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1506698660230287364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Promitheas Patras 61-83 Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/promitheas-patras-virtus-segafredo-bologna/U2021/159/)

Virtus went on the road to run past Promitheas 61-83. Virtus improved to 9-7 for a share of the third-best record in Group B, while Promitheas dropped to 4-12 record and was mathematically eliminated from the playoff race. Virtus took control in the first quarter, opened its first double-digit lead in the second, before breaking the game wide open with a huge third quarter behind Isaia Cordinier who had 22 points and 6 assists. Nikolaos Rogkavpoulos scored 20 in a losing effort.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/izaycordinier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@izaycordinier</a> shatters the rim!!😱<a href="https://twitter.com/Virtusbo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Virtusbo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/Jp9Ld0r0cg">pic.twitter.com/Jp9Ld0r0cg</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1506702628905906178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 105-90 Umana Reyer Venice](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana-umana-reyer-venice/U2021/160/)

Cedevita stormed into the post-season from Group B by blowing out Reyer 105-90 to the delight of its home fans in the Slovenian capital. Cedevita, which led by as many as 32 points in the second half, raised its record to 9-7 and Reyer fell to 7-9. Zach Auguste led six Cedevita double-figure scorers with 20 points. Yogi Ferrell followed with 17. Reyer's Victor Sanders hit 7 three-pointers on the way to a game-high 24 points.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/ZachEliAuguste?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZachEliAuguste</a> cleaning up aisle 4 🧹<a href="https://twitter.com/KKCedOL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKCedOL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/HE9dyKwc2n">pic.twitter.com/HE9dyKwc2n</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1506720783355183104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Boulogne Metropolitans 92 86-78 Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/boulogne-metropolitans-92-joventut-badalona/U2021/154/)

Metropolitans grabbed an important victory in its fight for home-court advantage in the first knock-out stage by beating Joventut 86-78 at home in Group A. Metropolitans won its fifth game in the last six to improve to 9-5 - including a 7-1 record at home - as Jordan McRae paced the winners with 24 points. Joventut dropped its second straight road game to fall to 11-4. Simon Birgander scored 16 in defeat.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Who says big men can&#39;t pass 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/Metropolitans92?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Metropolitans92</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/F54cC8zx8e">pic.twitter.com/F54cC8zx8e</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1506733961199771650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Gran Canaria 84-64 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/gran-canaria-buducnost-voli-podgorica/U2021/158/)

Gran Canaria took a major step forward in the fight for first place in Group B by downing Buducnost 84-64 at home. Gran Canaria improved to 12-4 in the standings and needs one more win - or Valencia Basket to lose once - to seal first place. Buducnost dropped to 9-7. With the win, Gran Canaria locked up at least a second-place finish in Group B and home-court advantage in the eighthfinals. Olek Balcerowski led the winners with 15 points. D.J. Seeley paced Buducnost with 19.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Artem Pustovyi feeds Nico Brussino for a dunk off the baseline!<a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GranCanariaCB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/4leOGJushN">pic.twitter.com/4leOGJushN</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1506748491774656516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The regular season is nearing its completion and Wednesday of Round 16 saw Cedevita win to clinch a playoff berth and Ulm, which triumphed on Tuesday, also advanced thanks to Wednesday's results. 

Round 16, Wednesday: Cedevita, Ulm advance. Big wins for Bursaspor, Granca, Metropolitans

Aleksander Balcerowski - Gran Canaria (photo Gran Canaria) - EC21-RS16

#### Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana head coach Jurica Golemac

"Congratulations to the guys. They really came motivated and focused. We played a very good game, I would say, defensively and offensively. In the end, we deserved to win. Thank you to the fans who support us. They always help us with their energy. We need to look to the future. There is no yesterday. There is only today and tomorrow in the sporting life. So stay calm and keep working."

#### Umana Reyer Venice head coach Walter De Reffaele

"First of all, congratulations to Olimpija. They absolutely deserved this game. They dominated this game. Honestly, we didn't show our level of basketball on either side of the court, offensively or defensively. The jumped on us immediately. It can't be an excuse that we played four games on the road in a row. So we need to look in the mirror and everybody needs to take their responsibilities, starting from me, too. But nothing else to say, no stats or anything. They really punished us in all the situations on both sides. We need to regroup and, as I said, take our individual responsibility and look in the mirror." 

#### Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana center Zach Auguste

"It's a great team win. Everyone who came in contributed and played hard. And it was a great atmosphere: we thank the fans. We have to continue to do this. We're really hot, but we don't want to get caught up in that. We want to stay focused and do what we have to do to get these wins."

This is what the protagonists had to say after the Round 16 showdown between Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and Umana Reyer Venice.

Post-game quotes: Cedevita vs. Reyer

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Umana Reyer Venice (2022-03-23T19:00:00.000Z)

Jurica Golemac - Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21-RS16

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana stormed into the post-season from Group B on Wednesday by blowing out Umana Reyer Venice 105-90 for its sixth consecutive victory, to the delight of its home fans in the Slovenian capital. 

Cedevita clinches playoffs in 105-90 blowout of Reyer

Cedevita, which led by as many as 32 points in the second half, raised its record to 9-7 and is now part of three-way tie with Buducnost VOLI Podgorica and Virtus Segafredo Bologna. Reyer is also part of a three-way tie with ratiopharm Ulm and Frutti Extra Bursaspor, all with 7-9 records.

The home team tied its 7DAYS EuroCup club-best point total as Zach Auguste led six Cedevita double-figure scorers with 20 points. Yogi Ferrell followed with 17, Jaka Blazic with 15, Edo Muric with 12, Zoran Dragic with 11 and Alen Omic with 10 and 10 rebounds. Victor Sanders hit 7 three-pointers on 12 tries to lead Reyer with 24 points. Stefano Tonut added 14 points, Andrea DeNicolao 13 and Mitchell Watt 10 for Reyer. 

Triples by Ferrell and Blazic set the tone after tipoff and free throws by Dragic made it 8-0. Jeff Brooks scored inside and out for Reyer, but Blazic and Muric got their points just as easily. When Blazic pulled up for a transition triple at 15-4, Reyer needed a timeout. Austin Daye fed Watt for the visitors but Dragic did so to Omic, too. Reyer managed 4 free throws while Auguste dunked and drove strong around an up-and-under basket by Dragic for a 25-10 Cedevita advantage. Melvin Ejim appeared with a three-pointer as the hosts pulled up with a 28-10 lead after 10 minutes. 

Ejim and Ferrell pushed the difference to 20 points already, 32-12, before Sanders hit Reyer's first triple early in the second quarter. Jacob Pullen responded with an acrobatic basket-and-one, Ferrell hit from the lane and Omic scored his second basket in a minute to make it 41-16. Watt stopped the bleeding for Reyer and Tonut joined the scoring column but the visitors couldn't stop Ferrell or Muric as the lead hit 45-30. Tonut, Sanders and Michael Bramos got 7 quick points back for Reyer, but Muric sent the hosts over 50 points with a three-point play and Cedevita made it to halftime in full control, 56-33.

Omic scored twice for a new high lead, 60-33, right after the break. Ferrell soon took it to 30 points, 66-36, with a step-back swish from the corner. The hosts were content to exchange baskets as they were certainly getting their share, while DeNicolao came alive with 2 three-pointers and a layup for Reyer at 75-48. Nothing changed as Cedevita kept charging to an 86-59 advantage after 30 minutes. 

Sanders started pumping in more triples for Reyer to start the final quarter by helping the visitors cut the difference, but Ejim scored, stole and fed Marko Radovanovic to make it 95-67. The outcome was more than clear even with 8 minutes left, but the Stozice Arena fans enjoyed watching to see if their team would break 100 points. That happened on Pullen's transition triple with 3:30 to place, and the team scoring record in the EuroCup was tied on Auguste's alley-oop dunk a bit later. 

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

Virtus Segafredo Bologna sports one of the best offenses in the 7DAYS EuroCup, but on the road against Promitheas Patras it was the team's defense that set the tone.

Telling numbers: Virtus wins behind a pair of club records

Virtus allowed 61 points, tied for the fewest it ever allowed in EuroCup play. It came behind control of the defensive glass, where Virtus allowed only 4 offensive boards on 26 missed field goals and 12 missed free throws.

Also, Virtus had 11 steals, with Daniel Hackett and Kyle Weems picking up 3 apiece after forcing Promitheas into 16 turnovers. Meanwhile, Virtus committed only 5 turnovers the entire night, another club record. Virtus never had fewer than 8 turnovers in a EuroCup game and did not have a game with single-digit turnovers this season.

Promitheas Patras v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2022-03-23T17:15:00.000Z)

Daniel Hackett - Virtus Segafredo Bologna (photo Kostas Petsas - Patras) - EC21-RS16

Frutti Extra Bursaspor showed it can win games in different ways as the Turkish side went inside to surprise Valencia Basket 92-89 for a big victory.

Telling numbers: Bursaspor goes against style, wins inside

Bursaspor came into the contest as the top three-point shooting team in the competition at 39.1%. But Valencia’s defense was allowing just 32.7% from long-range - third stingiest in the league.

Bursaspor struggled from the outside in the game, making just 8 of 32 (25.0%), though David Dudzinski converted 3 of 4 three-pointers. But Coach Dusan Alimpijevic’s team instead did its thing inside the arc, converting 24 of 31 shots for a white-hot 77.4% on two-pointers. Dudzinski made all 7 of his two-point attempts and Andrew Andrews downed 6 of 8 in scoring 23 points, just like Dudzinski.

Frutti Extra Bursaspor v Valencia Basket (2022-03-23T17:00:00.000Z)

David Dudzinski - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Bursaspor) - EC21-RS16

This is what the protagonists had to say after the Round 16 showdown between Frutti Extra Bursaspor and Valencia Basket.

Post-game quotes: Bursaspor vs. Valencia

### Dusan Alimpijevic, Frutti Extra Bursaspor head coach: 

“It was amazing. An amazing atmosphere with our fans. This is an amazing win for our fans. Congrats to my players. Now we need to stay calm because nothing is over. In our group, everything is open from sixth to ninth position. So everything is open. We have to be calm and prepare for the other games. We said from the beginning we just want to reach the playoffs. It’s a big thing for our club. It’s a big thing for us. We are now very close, but we have to be calm. We have to be cautious because we still have two more rounds. One more time, congrats to our fans. It was an amazing atmosphere, and it’s good for EuroCup to see what kind of organization and atmosphere we have in our gym.”

### Joan Penarroya, Valencia Basket head coach: 

“In the last two minutes, Bursaspor played better than us. Congratulations to Bursaspor. I think our defense was soft in the paint on one-on-one situations - a lot of drives to the rim. We need to improve our defense.”

### Andrew Andrews, Frutti Extra Bursaspor guard: 

“We’re just coming together as a team. We had a goal at the beginning of the year to fight for the playoffs and just give it our all. It’s March, that’s when it’s time for this. We just gotta step up and keep it going and keep this momentum rolling.”

Dusan Alimpijevic - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Bursaspor) - EC21-RS16

Frutti Extra Bursaspor took a big step towards reaching the playoffs by knocking off Valencia Basket 92-89 at home in Group B.

Andrews sparks Bursaspor over Valencia, 92-89

Andrew Andrews led the way with 23 points, including 16 in the final 7 minutes as the home team won its third straight game to improve to 7-9. David Dudzinski also collected 23 points and Derek Needham added 16 points for Bursaspor, which has now won five consecutive home games. Valencia saw its three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 11-5, missing a chance to clinch home-court advantage in the first knockout round. Xabi Lopez-Arostegui paced the visitors with 17 points while Klemen Prepelic and Mike Tobey scored 14 points each and Jasiel Rivero 13 in the defeat.

Kevarrius Hayes and Onuralp Bitim gave the hosts an early 4-point lead before Rivero scored Valencia’s first points. Dudzinski’s triple pushed the lead to 7-2. Mike Tobey answered with 7 points and Guillem Ferrando drained a three-pointer that knotted the game at 14-14. Victor Claver added 4 points and Valencia took its first lead 16-18. But Andrews had the final 5 points and Bursaspor led 21-18 after 10 minutes.

Bojan Dubljevic opened the scoring in the second quarter with Needham countering with 2 triples and Dudzinski draining a second three-pointer and making two more scores as the cushion grew to 34-25. Valencia came up with some defensive stops, Dubljevic hit from deep and Rivero converted a three-point play and made foul shots before Tobey’s dunk completed a 0-10 run for a 34-35 advantage. Andrews snapped the 3-minute scoring drought, leading to four straight lead changes with Lopez-Arostegui’s three-pointer making it 38-40. John Holland’s three-point play, however, had the hosts up 43-40 at the break.

Needham scored 4 points early in the second half to push Bursaspor ahead 49-42. Valencia stepped up its defense again with Claver and Tobey making triples in a 0-12 run to surge ahead 49-54. Dudzinski ended the scoring drought of more than 3 minutes and really worked to keep Bursaspor close with another triple to make it 58-59. Prepelic had 3 free throws and a three-pointer at the other end and Dubljevic added 4 points as Valencia led 64-66 after 30 minutes.

 

Holland started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer as the hosts nosed back ahead. Valencia’s 20-year-old guard Ferrando stepped up with a free throw, driving layup and assist on Lopez-Arostegui’s three-pointer for a 67-72 cushion. Andrews said it was his time with a monster dunk and three-pointer late in the shotclock among 9 straight points in helping Bursaspor push back in front 78-74. Prepelic punched back with a three-pointer but Andrews came up with a three-point play and tough shot in the lane to make it 85-79. Valencia was not done yet with Lopez-Arostegui coming up with free throws and a three-pointer with 52 seconds left to pull within 87-86. After Prepelic missed a quick three-pointer with 27 seconds left, Andrews converted free throws with 20 seconds remaining to put the hosts up 89-86. Rivero missed at the other end before Hayes iced the game with a free throw with 13 seconds to play.

Jaime Pradilla - Valencia Basket (photo Bursaspor) - EC21-RS16