EuroView: Newley gaining momentum
Just four Aussie men were in action in the best leagues of Europe this week, with both David Andersen and Nathan Jawai missing through injury.
Over in Spain, Brad Newley was arguably the best of the Aussies in Europe this week. The Herbalife Gran Canaria guard scored 13 points in a somewhat disappointing 71-68 loss to Iberostar Tenerife. Newley contributed 4 rebounds and 1 assist while scoring his 13 points on 6/10 shooting from the field, but found it difficult to get open looks from deep (1/4 3PT). Aleks Maric provided very good support, collecting 5 points with 8 rebounds and 2 assists and 1 steal in 20 minutes of action.
The match was an even contest throughout and it came down to the final term. In the end Tenerife overcame a five point deficit to run over the top of their higher ranked opponents in a thrilling final quarter. Both teams failed to convert their opportunities from behind the arc, however Tenerife took the game to Gran Canaria with skilled aggression, earning 32 trips to the foul line (22/32 FT).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYVa8JK65uc
Newley followed up with an even bigger performance in Gran Canaria's second match of the week, delivering 16 points in a 75-83 victory over Sevilla. Newley's performance was very similar to his last match in that he scored well from inside the arc (5/8 FG) but struggled from down town (0/3 3PT). Though Newley was a bit careless at times with the rock (4 TO), he was able to pull down 6 rebounds. Maric saw little time in the contest, playing 5 minutes for 2 rebounds and 1 steal.
Gran Canaria as a team handled the ball well and played tenacious defense, forcing 18 turnovers as Sevilla at times tried to do too much with the ball. While Gran Canaria were slow to start, they came home strong in the second half (32-45). The visitors played isolation ball for much of the night and couldn't find a rhythm as a collective unit. The win was valuable as it ensured they held steady in 8th position on the league table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFcbdVRxuMI
Chris Goulding was a non-factor in CAI Zaragoza’s crucial 82-77 victory over La Bruixa d’Or Manresa. Goulding was cold, going 0/5 from the field for zero points and finished with 2 rebounds as his main contribution in 20 minutes. But as a team it was a big result for Zaragoza as they now sit in a three team tie for 7th following their closer than expected contest with Manresa, having now leapfrogged Newley's Gran Canaria.
Whilst Zaragoza was ice-cold from deep (4/20 3PT), they won the game on the back of an incredibly dominant performance on the boards. Zaragoza grabbed 34 rebounds compared to just 17 for the visitors and in a tight encounter this clearly was the difference. The performance leaves a lot of room to improve moving on and minor adjustments should see them challenge the stronger teams in the coming weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viAQ02wtup4
Besiktas Integral Forex Istanbul's season is over following a big 74-94 loss to league-leading Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul. Despite three teams finishing with a 15-15 record, Besiktas were the lower ranked based on the tie breakers and therefore were the first team to miss the playoffs, finishing in 9th position.
In the final game of the season, Ryan Broekhoff had a rare quiet night in which he collected just 4 points (0/4 3PT), 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Broekhoff was representative as the team as a whole, with Besiktas failing to convert their opportunities in being outclassed by a stronger Fernebahce Ulker line-up which led from the start with a 21 point lead after the first quarter. Besiktas couldn’t get their shot going, whilst the visitors were sublime with their offensive masterclass (24 assists). It was an appropriate end to an equally tumultuous for Besiktas, following a new coach as well as big winning and big losing streaks.
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The 2015 Euroleague quarterfinals have been completed and the Final Four has been set - here are the teams:
Real Madrid (ESP) vs Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul (TUR)
CSKA Moscow (RUS) vs Olympiacos Piraeus (GRC)
The Final Four commences on 16 May 2015 Australian time and scheduled to be broadcast as follows:
Saturday, 16 May 2015
5:00am LIVE: Real Madrid (ESP) vs Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul (TUR)
Sunday, 17 May 2015
1:45am DELAYED: CSKA Moscow (RUS) vs Olympiacos Piraeus (GRC)
Monday, 18 May 2015
4:00am LIVE: The Final!
* Times are subject to change. Times and Dates are AEST. See http://tv.au.eurosport.com/ for details.
The 2015 Eurocup Finals were won by Khimki Moscow over Australian Brad Newley's Herbalife Gran Canaria 2-0.