Tomic made the difference in Ankara

Veteran center Ante Tomic came up big once more when Joventut Badalona needed him in Ankara.

Joventut was already qualified for the 7DAYS EuroCup knock-out rounds when it arrived in the Turkish capital to face Turk Telekom Ankara in Round 13, but it was a strong test for Coach Carles Duran's team. Turk Telekom entered the game undefeated at home and deep in the fight to stay alive in the competition. Joventut was without star power forward Vladimir Brodziansky, who is sidelined due to a sprained ankle. The rest of its frontcourt players had to step up and they did, leading Joventut to a 69-78 road victory and an 11-2 record in Group A.

Tomic, the most experienced player in Joventut's frontcourt, made the difference with 19 points on 9-of-11 two-point shooting. He added 5 rebounds and 6 assists for a PIR of 30, matching his season-high. Tomic had 5 points in an 0-8 run that sealed the outcome in crunch time. Derek Willis and Simon Birgander also had solid performances. Willis totalled 8 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists for a PIR of 17. Birgander posted 10 points on 5-of-7 two-point shooting, 4 rebounds and 3 blocked shots for a PIR of 12. All of them helped Joventut limit JaJuan Johnson to just 4 points, in another key to this win.