Newley into Eurocup semifinals, Broekhoff the Top 8 in Euroleague
Ryan Broekhoff ‘s excellent play helped Lokomotiv Kuban qualify for the top 8 in the Euroleague, while in the Eurocup Brad Newley and Herbalife Gran Canaria advanced to the semi-finals with the win over Stelmet Zielona Gora.
Kicking-off round 12 of the Euroleague Top 16, Lokomotiv Kuban took on Crvena Zvezda Belgrade. Coming out of the gates, Lokomotiv looked like the aggressor taking the lead early and going up 19-15. Yet Crvena Zvezda would fight back with a strong showing in the second quarter; however they wouldn’t stop Lokomotiv from scoring, as the Russian side continued piling on the points, going into halftime up 45-35.
In the second half Lokomotiv started to pull away from their adversary. Crvena Zvezda had no answer to stopping Lokomotivs’ high power offense and in turn that came back to hurt them as Lokomotiv earned an 86-62 win. With the victory, Lokomotiv qualified for the Top 8 Euroleague playoffs.
Ryan Broekhoff did an excellent job creating contact (5/6 from the free-throw line) and moving the ball; his court vision was on display all game as he continued to find his teammates time and time again. He finished the night making two shots from behind the arc to go with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 assists. His play allowed Lokomotiv to outscore their opponents by 13 points in his 32 minutes of playing time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWvjnGQapA0
BC Zalgiris Kaunas looked to secure just their third win in the competition over Khimki Moscow. To start the game, Khimki would come out and take the lead, as they went up 20-17. However Zalgiris fought back, outscoring Khimki 20-15 in the second quarter and going into halftime up 37-35.
With the start of the second half the Russian side started to dominate thanks to a huge rebounding disparity. Zalgiris got out hustled on the boards 39 rebounds to 20, and in turn that came back to hurt them as Khimki came away with the win 76-71.
Brock Motum was one of the lone bright spots for Zalgiris Kaunas as he did a good job spreading the defense out thanks to his perimeter shooting for a big man. When he was out on the court, it allowed Zalgiris perimeter players to drive the lane continuously because Khimki had to pick their poison; allow an easy layup or let Motum shoot the three. He finished the game making a pair of three-pointers to go with 10 points on 4/8 shooting from the field.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKUBf0HB6Ok
Game 2 of the Eurocup quarterfinals came to a start as Herbalife Gran Canaria faced Stelmet Zielona Gora. From the tip-off, Gran Canaria gained the early ascendancy with a 24-18 lead. They would maintain the momentum in the second quarter as they continued scoring at will going into the main break up 45-39.
In the second half, Gran Canaria continued holding on to the lead, as they went into the final quarter up 70-58. However they started giving up too many easy points to their opponents, allowing Zielona Gora to take the lead thanks to an excellent showing in the final frame. They outscored Gran Canaria 28-13, which in turn allowed them to come out with the win 86-83.
Brad Newley was his usual pesky self on the defensive end of the floor, as he did a good job hounding the opposition all game. He finished the night making one shot from behind the arc to go with 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 assist in 20 minutes of action. Gran Canaria advanced to the semi-finals after beating Zielona Gora in their series on aggregate. Now the Spaniards take on Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul in a series to see who will make it to the finals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmuUrt5LLO8