Real Madrid, Valencia, Panathinaikos and Partizan were all victorious; Virtus was the only EuroLeague team to suffer defeat on Thursday
Domestic cups: Four EuroLeague clubs make the semifinals
![Domestic cups: Four EuroLeague clubs make the semifinals](https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/54dcbb75-2af0-4baa-9b05-95dfbd1423e4.jpg?crop=993%3A559%3Anowe%3A41%3A134)
Panathinaikos reaches the last four
Dinos Mitoglou and Mathias Lessort were the two stars as Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens defeated AEK B.C. 79-72 in the quarterfinals of the Greek League on Thursday evening. Mitoglou posted a game-high 22 points, in addition to collecting 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals and 1 block, while Lessort finished with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. The Frenchman also had 1 steal and 2 blocks. Jerian Grant contributed 13 points, Kendrick Nunn added 12 and Marius Grigonis finished with 11. Panathinaikos led after each of the four quarters (20-15, 39-30, 59-48, 79-72) and outscored AEK in the first three (20-15, 19-15, 20-18) before the losing team came out on top in the final period, 20-24.
Real Madrid holds off Murcia to reach semifinals
Real Madrid is into the last four of the Spanish Cup after beating UCAM Murcia 84-79 on Thursday evening. It was a game of two halves from Real's perspective, as Los Blancos won the first two quarters (25-17, 19-17) as it took a 44-34 lead into the break. However, Murcia responded in the second half and managed to outscore the reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion in both the third and fourth quarters (19-22, 21-23), but it wasn't enough to overturn its first-half deficit as Real won 84-79. Facu Campazzo led the way for Real with a team-high 16 points, with Gaby Deck netting 15, Mario Hezonja adding 14 and Sergio Llull contributing 13. Real will face Valencia in the semifinals.
Partizan reaches Serbian Cup semis
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade improved as the game went on during its 92-67 triumph over KK Hercegovac in the last eight of the Serbian Cup. Zeljko Obradovic’s side increased their scoring tally in each quarter while also winning each of the four periods (14-13, 23-16, 27-19, 28-19). Tristan Vukcevic paced the winners with a game-high 15 points, and a further five Partizan players reached double figures in points: Balsa Koprivica (13), Zach LeDay (12), Aleksa Avramovic (11), Frank Kaminsky (11) and Uros Trifunovic (10). Partizan will take on KK Vojvodina in the semifinals.
Valencia downs Gran Canaria in OT
Valencia Basket has booked its place in the semifinals of the Spanish Cup after beating Dreamland Gran Canaria 81-89. The game had to go to overtime following a buzzer-beating triple by Gran Canaria's Nico Brussino, but a 4-12 extra period saw Valencia secure the victory. Brandon Davies paced Valencia with 17 points, while three players — Chris Jones, Stefan Jovic and Semi Ojeleye — had 13 points apiece. Justin Anderson netted 11 points, too. Damien Inglis posted impressive numbers as well: 6 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Valencia will face Real in the semifinals.
Virtus stunned by Reggiana
Virtus Segafredo Bologna has been eliminated from the Italian Cup at the quarterfinal stage, having lost 72-81 to Pallacanestro Reggiana. Despite Virtus leading by double digits, 37-26, with 2:20 to go in the first half, a 0-8 run allowed Reggiana to go into the break trailing by just 3 points, 37-34. The third quarter was then edged by Reggiana, 17-19, meaning it was 54-53 heading into the final period. There were just 2 points between the teams with 1:01 remaining in the game, with Reggiana 69-71 ahead, but a 3-10 run in the final minute meant that Reggiana could celebrate a famous win. Toko Shengelia had a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double for Virtus, with Marco Belinelli notching 14 and Jordan Mickey 10.