Big man Mam Jaiteh led Virtus Segafredo Bologna to a home victory against ratiopharm Ulm, earning the MVP award for the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals! 

7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals MVP: Mam Jaiteh, Virtus

With a season on the line against a fearless opponent, Jaiteh stepped up for Virtus and carried the team into the semifinals with an 83-77 win over Ulm. Jaiteh registered career highs of 27 points of 12 two-pointers made, the latter of which tied for the second-most such makes in EuroCup postseason history. In that victory over Ulm, Jaiteh also pulled down a quarterfinals-best 11 rebounds, including 6 on offense, matching his career best. His performance index rating of 38 was the second-best of Jaiteh's career and the highest in any quarterfinal game since 2015.

Mam Jaiteh | Quarterfinals MVP | 7DAYS EuroCup

Following Jaiteh, Will Cummings of Boulogne Metropolitans 92 recorded a PIR of 37 in his team's 98-85 road loss against Valencia Basket. Cummings had a career-high 31 points on 7-for-8 two-point, 3-for-6 three-point and 8-for-9 free-throw shooting, adding 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 7 fouls drawn. In that game, Bojan Dubljevic of Valencia came off the bench to post a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds for Valencia. He made 5 of 7 two-point shots and 3 of 3 free throws on his way to a PIR of 32, his season high and the third-best mark in his 137-game EuroCup career. Yogi Ferrell of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, with a PIR of 30, and Martin Hermannsson of Valencia, who had a PIR of 23, completed the top performances in the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals MVP: Mam Jaiteh, Virtus

MVP_EC_QUARTERFINALS_MAM-JAITEH_WEBSITEV2

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v ratiopharm Ulm (2022-04-26T19:00:00.000Z)

Check out who had the best numbers in all main statistic categories in the EuroCup Quarterfinals. 


7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals individual highs: Will Cummings, Metropolitans, 31 points

Will Cummings of Boulogne Metropolitans 92 had a personal-best 31 points in his team's road loss against Valencia Basket. Errick McCollum of Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar is the EuroCup top scorer this season at 22.3 points per game. Bojan Dubljevic of Valencia Basket led all rebounders in the quarterfinals with 13 boards. Kerem Kanter of Slask Wroclaw ranks first overall in rebounds at 8.8 per night. Martin Hermannsson of Valencia was the only quarterfinals player to record double-digit assists, dishing 11 against Metropolitans. Milos Teodosic of Virtus Segafredo Bologna – Valencia's semifinals opponent – remains the overall leader in assists with 8.5 per night. 

Mario Nakic had 3 steals, the most across the four quarterfinal games. Andrew Albicy of Gran Canaria tops the steals charts with 1.8 per night. Nine different players had 2 blocks in the quarterfinals: Tornike Shengelia of Virtus, Jaron Blossomgame and Sindarius Thornwell of ratiopharm Ulm, Artem Pustovyi and Khalifa Diop of Gran Canaria, Babatunde Olumuyiwa of MoraBanc Andorra, Mike Tobey of Valencia, Jordan McRae of Metropolitans, and Zach Auguste of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. Turk Telekom Ankara center Octavius Ellis leads all shot-blockers this season with 1.5 blocks per game. Mam Jaiteh of Virtus, Dubljevic and Hermannsson each registered double-doubles in the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals individual highs: Will Cummings, Metropolitans, 31 points

Will Cummings - Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) - EC21-QF

Valencia finished the game with 24 assists and just 11 turnovers. Martin Hermannsson was the difference-maker, finishing the game with 11 assists and no turnovers. That set a new club record and was close to the all-time mark - Nick Calathes of Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar had 14 assists without any turnovers in a game against Trefl Sopot on December 12, 2012. Metropolitans committed just 7 turnovers - its fewest in a game all season, but could only dish 15 assists, which tied for its second-lowest mark in the present campaign. 

Telling numbers: Valencia's efficiency was the key 

Valencia Basket v Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (2022-04-27T18:30:00.000Z)

Martin Hermannsson - Valencia Basket (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) - EC21-QF


In a game that went down to the last milliseconds, Bursaspor was able to escape with a thrilling 83-85 win from Ljubljana that could have gone the other way if the last three-point bucket by Jacob Pullen had been been released on time. Pullen's shot banked in but replays showed it was still on his fingertips with the clock went to zeroes.

Without that shot, Cedevita finished the game having made 6 of its 26 attempts three-point (23.1%), while Bursaspor made the court at Arena Stozice feel like its own, hitting 14 of 33 shots from the arc (42.4%). The difference in long-distance efficiency was more than enough to make up for what was an overall performance index rating difference of 104 to 80 in favor of Cedevita. 

Frutti Extra Bursaspor Top 3 Pts, Deep 3'S vs. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, 04/27/2022

Bursaspor's triples decided the quarterfinal vs Cedevita


While Cedevita's shooters struggled with just 3 of them finding the bottom of the net from deep and three others going 1 for 16 combined, plenty of the visitors had a hand in boosting Bursaspor from long range.

Derek Needham and John Holland hit 4 shots each from downtown. Andrew Andrews and David Dudzinski added 2 apiece. And Metin Turen and Onuralp Bitin added 1 each. That rain of triples helped Bursasport overcome the fact it lost many other stats categories. Cedevita was also better in two-point shooting (58.1% vs. 47.1%), free-throws made (15 vs. 11), steals (6 vs. 3) and turnovers (8 vs. 13). 

But, in the end, none of that counted as much as Bursaspor's three-pointer accuracy – not to mention the milliseconds that denied Pullen his first three-pointer in 5 tries and his team a place in the semifinals.

Despite being much worse than host Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in overall performance index rating, Bursaspor managed to claim a victory in their nail-biting semifinal thanks to much better three-point shooting.

Telling numbers: Bursaspor's long-distance shooting made the difference

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2022-04-27T18:00:00.000Z)

Derek Needham - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Dragana Stjepanovic - Partizan) - EC21-EF

Valencia took another step in its challenge for a fifth EuroCup title and Metropolitans lost its chance to reach the semifinals for the first time. Jasiel Rivero led the winners with 21 points, Bojan Dubljevic posted 16 points and 13 rebounds, Martin Hermannsson had 14 points and 11 assists while Jaime Pradilla and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui each scored 10 for Valencia. Will Cummings led Metropolitans with a career-high 31 points. Jordan McRae added 20 and Miralem Halilovic 12 for the visitors. Neno Dimitrijevic and Dubljevic fueled an 11-0 run that boosted Valencia's margin to 43-28 in the second quarter, it was 56-46 at halftime and the hosts held on the rest of the way.

Hermannsson got Valencia going with a three-pointer and Victor Claver bettered Cummings's floater with a bomb from downtown for a 6-2 lead. Rivero scored down low and Mike Tobey added an alley-oop slam that boosted the hosts' lead to 10-4. Vince Hunter followed a driving basket with a layup, but Tobey took over with back-to-back triples. Halilovic followed a tip-in with a close jumper and got help from McRae and Cummings to bring Metropolitans within 20-19. Rivero hit a jump hook and followed Sam Van Rossom's triple with a bomb from beyond the arc. After Pradilla and Lopez-Arostegui found their first points, Halilovic got his team within 32-26 after 10 minutes. 

 

Bandja Sy scored around the basket early in the second quarter. Dimitrijevic banked in a stop-and-pop jumper and Dubljevic added a three-pointer and a layup in an 11-0 run that gave Valencia a 43-28 lead. Keith Hornsby and McRae stepped up for Metropolitans, bringing the visitors within 43-32. Dubljevic ignited the crowd with a layup-and-one which Pradilla followed with a jump hook that broke the game open, 48-32. Cummings took over with a wild driving layup, a jumper and a three-pointer, giving his team hope at 52-39. McRae followed a jumper with a driving layup and then beat the halftime buzzer with a triple to bring the visitors even closer, 56-46. 

Cummings scored in penetration soon after the break. Hermansson and Lahaou Konate traded three-pointers, then Dubljevic made a jump hook for a 61-51 cushion. Halilovic dunked and Cummings bettered Claver's jumper with a triple that brought Metropolitans within 63-56. Lopez-Arostegui answered from downtown and Pradilla added a reverse layup for a 68-56 Valencia lead. Cummings bettered Hermansson's fastbreak layup with a bomb from downtown. Lopez-Arostegui answered from beyond the arc and Dubjevic downed a jump gook for a 75-61 Valencia margin. McRae and Steeve Ho-You-Fat brought the visitors within 79-68 after 30 minutes. 

 

Louis Labeyrie buried a corner triple soon after the break, as Valencia improved its defense. McRae found answers with a bomb from downtown, Hunter added an alley-oop layup before Cummings's three-point play got Metropolitans within 84-76 with over 6 minutes left. After Labeyrie and Hornsby exchanged three-pointers, Dubljevic restored an 88-79 Valencia lead. Cummings buried a one-handed floater and made free throws to make it 90-83. Rivero scored twice around the basket to seal the outcome, 94-84, already in the final minute. 

Basket advanced to the 7DAYS EuroCup Semifinals for the ninth time in club history by downing Boulogne Metropolitans 92 98-85 at La Fonteta on Wednesday. 

Valencia KOs Metropolitans, 98-85, to advance 

Sam Van Rossom - Valencia Basket (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) - EC21-QF

The visitors were up 36-50 at halftime but saw Cedevita rally back and get within 66-67 early in the fourth quarter. The hosts even had the last possession to win the game, but Jacob Pullen’s three-pointer came after the final buzzer sounded and the visitors were able to celebrate. Derek Needham had 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to pace the winners. John Holland posted 16 and 7 boards, Onuralp Bitim chipped in 14 points and Andrew Andrews followed with 12. Yogi Ferrell was Cedevita’s top scorer with 20 points, while Jacob Pullen, Zach Auguste, Edo Muric and Jaka Blazic netted 15, 13, 12 and 10, respectively, in the losing effort.

A strong fastbreak dunk and a three-pointer by Bitim fueled an early 5-9 advantage for the visitors. Ferrell and Blazic combined to put Cedevita ahead 10-9, but the hosts went no further as they missed 8 three-pointers in the first 5 minutes. Andrews hit from deep and Needham provided 5 points in a row to bring the lead back to Bursaspor, 11-17. Alen Omic took over inside and Pullen did so outside to push Cedevita, which led 21-20, after an alley-oop dunk by Auguste. Holland came to the rescue with a deep three for a 21-23 Bursaspor lead at the end of the first quarter.

 

Three-point shooting kept helping Bursaspor early in the second, as David Dudzinski and Holland provided one three each to allow the visitors to stay ahead, 25-31. Both teams set a wild pace to their offenses, but no one was able to get a good scoring momentum. Pullen and Kevarrius Hayes swapped baskets, but those were the only field goals for almost 4 minutes. Holland showed up again with a three and a corner jumper to make it a double-digit edge, 27-38, which Bursaspor didn’t waste. Holland and Bitim became a dominant force on the perimeter and combined for 12 points that created a 36-50 difference at halftime.

Cedevita came out at full throttle after the intermission and went on a 6-0 run behind points by Ferrell, Blazic and Omic that brought the home crowd to its feet and reduced the margin to 42-50. Andrews stopped the rally from the line, as Metin Turen and Hayes restored a 15-point edge, 42-57, to Bursaspor. The hosts didn’t step back, though, and counterattacked with a 9-0 run from the trio of Blazic, Muric and Auguste that tightened it to 51-57. Turen cooled it down with a corner three and Needham followed with 5 points in a row that seemed to calm Bursaspor, but the hosts kept rolling and made it a one-possession game, 64-67, entering the last stanza.

Pullen got Cedevita within 66-67 early in the fourth quarter as the visitors were unable to score for the first 3 minutes. Blazic missed a three that could have completed the rally and then turned the ball over, which Bursaspor exploited to recover its poise. Bitim, Needham and Andrews took over to end the scoring drought and help the visitors to a 68-74 edge. Needham kept rocking from the perimeter and provided a nice jumper and a three that solidified Bursaspor's lead at 72-80, with less than 3 minutes remaining. Needham added two more triples, but Ferrell accepted the challenge and led his team’s offense with 11 points in a row that helped the home team get within 83-85 with 27 seconds to go. Andrews was called for a charge on the next possession, but Pullen’s buzzer-beating three came after the final buzzer and Bursapor was able to celebrate another magical night on the road.

Frutti Extra Bursaspor lived another magic night on the road when it defeated Cedevita Olimpija Ljubjlana 83-85 at Arena Stozice on Wednesday night to claim a ticket to the 7Days EuroCup Semifinals, where it will meet Morabanc Andorra. 

Bursaspor outlasts Cedevita, 83-85, to reach semis

Kevarrius Hayes - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Ales Ferves - Cedevita) - EC21-QF

This is what the protagonists had to say after the quarterfinals showdown between Valencia Basket and Boulogne Metropolitans 92.

Post-game quotes: Valencia vs. Metropolitans

### Valencia Basket head coach Joan Peñarroya:

"We are very happy for the victory and for qualifying to the semifinals of this thrilling EuroCup season, with so many surprises under the new format. We knew it was going to be a tough game. Offensively, I think we carried the game really well, playing with a lot of balance, finding good situations. Maybe we slowed down a bit in the fourth quarter and at the end of the third quarter due to their zone defense, but even with that, I think we did well. But we had up-and-downs on our defense. We could have done better and the team knows that it has to be better in some one-on-one situations, making better use of the fouls. They punished us a lot, going to the foul line often. But it is obvious that Cummings and McRae are talented slashers in this situation. We played a good game in general terms, and are happy to stay in the competition, looking forward to keep doing well."

### Boulogne Metropolitans 92 head coach Vincent Collet:

"We started too late and they had many options. We slowed them down a little bit and came back to -7, but we couldn't make the last 2-3 stops that could have given us a better chance. They were better, and deserved it. I think we played good, finished third in our group and played very well in the eighthfinals, but today, it was a step that was too high for us.

"Congratulations to Valencia for their good win, and good luck to them for the semifinals against Virtus. I think we didn't start with a good manner. We were quite good on offense in the first quarter but couldn't let them have this confidence from the beginning. I think they scored 14 points in the first 2-3 minutes. We wanted to try to slow them down and were not able to do it except in the last quarter. I think it was the only time they missed a couple of shots in a row and we made some stops that gave us a chance to come back, -7, but it was a little bit late. Again, they made the key baskets to get the win."

### Valencia Basket center Bojan Dubljevic: 

"I think we did a great job. I am really proud of my team. We fought until the last moment. We played against a great, great team but we had great fans. La Fonteta today was amazing, so we continue. We have two more. We are playing maybe the best team in the list \[Virtus\] by the names. It is going to be really hard but I think if we have fans like tonight, we can fight against them, too." 

Joan Penarroya - Valencia Basket (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) - EC21-QF

[Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 83-85 Frutti Extra Bursaspor](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana-frutti-extra-bursaspor/U2021/192/)

Bursaspor lived another magic night on the road when it defeated Cedevita 83-85 at Arena Stozice on Wednesday night for a ticket to the 7Days EuroCup Semifinals, where it will meet Morabanc Andorra. The visitors led 36-50 at halftime but saw Cedevita rally back to within 66-67 early in the fourth quarter. The hosts had the last possession to win the game, but Jacob Pullen’s three-pointer was after the clock and the visitors were able to celebrate. Derek Needham and John Holland led the winners with 20 and 16 points, respectively. Yogi Ferrel scored 20 in defeat. 

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/BsBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BsBasketbol</a> fairytale continues 🐊<br><br>HUGE away win to advance to the semifinals!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1519403374264963074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Valencia Basket 98-85 Boulogne Metropolitans 92](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2021-22/valencia-basket-boulogne-metropolitans-92/U2021/190/)

Valencia is in the EuroCup Semifinals for the ninth time in club history after downing Metropolitans 98-85 at La Fonteta on Wednesday. Valencia took another step forwards to challenge for its fifth EuroCup title, and Metropolitans lost its chance to reach the semifinals for the first time. Jasiel Rivero led the winners with 21 points and Bojan Dubljevic posted 16 points and 13 rebounds. Will Cummings scored 31 in defeat.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bullet pass by Neno Dimitrijevic to find Jaime Pradilla for an easy two!<a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@valenciabasket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/JFLDCQmG3o">pic.twitter.com/JFLDCQmG3o</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1519394108925566979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Frutti Extra Bursaspor and Valencia Basket won on Wednesday night to join MoraBanc Andorra and Virtus Segafredo Bologna in the 7DAYS EuroCup Semifinals. 

Game Night: Bursaspor stuns Cedevita; Valencia completes the semifinals lineup

Valencia Basket celebrates (photo Miguel Angel Polo - Valencia) - EC21-QF

This is what the protagonists had to say after the quarterfinals showdown between Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and Frutti Extra Bursaspor.

Post-game quotes: Cedevita vs. Bursaspor

### Jurica Golemac, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana head coach:

“Congratulations to Bursaspor on the win. We weren’t good in the first half, we started very soft, very soft mentally. It was what we were talking about, that we needed to be much tougher. In the second half, we tried to catch them but we didn't have enough power to do it. Thanks to the fans. It was great cheering, they really supported us today."

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

“What can I say. This was a great game. I think we deserved it, we controlled almost the whole game, for almost 40 minutes. Honestly, I’m out of my mind right now, I will tell you one thing: I think this is one of the best dreams in European basketball right now and we are still dreaming. We want to go step by step, for sure. We have a game in the Turkish competition and then we will think of Andorra.

“I want to congratulate my colleague and friend Jurica Golemac, who is doing a great job with this team, not only in the EuroCup but also in the Adriatic League. With these changes he made, they started to play one of the best basketball games in Europe. How difficult it was to prepare for them, I and my players only know, and I’m really proud of how we respected all the small and big details in the game plan. It was all about the small details, but the main thing was to stop their open-court game, to stop their early offense. They are a team who knows how to make baskets and create in the first 6-to-10 seconds, and if you are not concentrated, if you fall asleep for just 1 second you will have a problem. We had them tonight, but it was at a reasonable level, a level we can live with. So the key was defense in this game.”

Andrew Andrews - Frutti Extra Bursaspor (photo Martin Imatge - Andorra) - EC21-SF