 Power Electronics Valencia moved closer to reach the Eurocup Quarterfinals in Last 16 Group J by edging Galatasaray Cafe Crown 98-95 in overtime in Valencia, Spain on Tuesday. Power VLC improved to 3-1 and shares first place in Group J with Hapoel Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Galatasaray dropped to 0-4 and has mathematicaly ran out of chances to make it to the next round. Rafa Martinez paced the winners with 24 points on 12-of-12 free throws. Victor Claver added 21 and 5 steals, Nando De Colo had 19 points while Serhiy Lishchuk got 15 for Power VLC. Darius Washington led Galatasaray with 26 points on 4-of-6 three-pointers. Rado Rancik added 19 and 11 rebounds, Simas Jasaitis had 18 points while Mike Wilkinson and Evren Buker each got 14 for the guests. Lishchuk and Martinez fueled a 13-1 run that gave Power VLC a 26-20 lead after 10 minutes. Galatasaray dominated the game from that moment and managed to get a 12-point lead, 54-66, on a three-pointer by Fikret Can Akin. A 12-0 run brought Power VLC back to life but a turnaround jumper by Wilkinson and a big triple by Washington seemed to seal the outcome, 79-83, already in the final seconds. De Colo scored in transition and Martinez added free throws to force overtime, 83-83. Power VLC soon got a 92-84 lead early in the extra period and managed to stay away from trouble until the final buzzer. A key offensive rebound by Matt Nielsen and a free throw by Marko Marinovic sealed the outcome in the final seconds.
Martinez got Power VLC going with a jumper that Washington erased witha driving layup. Claver struck from downtown and Kosta Perovic added a reverse layup but Wilkinson and Jasaitis sank long jumper and a jump hook by Rancik gave Galatasaray its first lead, 7-9. Jasaitis kept pacing the guests with a baseline
jumper but De Colo answered from downtown and fed Claver for a dunk-and-foul, good for a 13-11 Power VLC lead. Rancik sank a jumper and Buker added a
seven-meter bomb to put the guests back ahead, 13-16. Rancik kept pacing Galatasaray with a three-point play, as De Colo kept trying to change things for
Power VLC. The hosts improved their defense with Lishchuk and Kelati on court. Lishchuk had free throws and a three-pointer in an 13-1 run that Martinez
capped with foul shots to give Power VLC a 26-20 lead after 10 minutes. Washington struck from downtown early in the second quarter but Lishchuk and an
alleyoop layup by Thomas Kelati made the guests call timeout at 29-23. Washington stayed on fire with a three-point play, igniting a 0-9 run in which Rancik scored twice in the paint to give Galatasaray a 29-32 edge. Martinez rescued Power VLC with free throws and De Colo added a five-meter jumper but Washington
followed a jumper with another three-point play to make the guests regain the lead, 33-37. Rancik sank free throws that Claver beat with an unbelievable
three-point play. Wilkinson silenced the crowd with a second-chance layup and Rancik added free throws to make it a seven-point game, 36-43. Washington and
Jasaitis struck from downtown but a buzzer-beating, 11-meter three-pointer by De Colo brought Power VLC within 43-49 at halftime.
Claver dunked it immediately after the break but a jumper by Wilkinson gave Galatasaray a 45-51 edge. The guests struggled to score early in the third quarter, as Power VLC had improved their defense with Florent Pietrus and Lishchuk on court. Washington stepped up with a big three-pointer that Lishchuk erased with a layup-plus-foul. Jasaitis sank a three-pointer and Rancik added an uncontested fast break dunk to make Power VLC call timeout at 50-59. De Colo and Rancik traded baskets and a fast break layup by Jasaitis gave Galatasaray its first double-digit lead, 52-63. Claver tried to ignite the hosts' comeback with an off-balance shot and a big dunk in traffic. Martinez added free throws and a corner triple by Jose Simeon got the crowd involved at 61-66. Foul shots by Nielsen and Perovic brought Power VLC as close as 64-66 after 30 minutes. Nielsen scored down low to cap a 12-0 run that tied it at 66-66 early in the fourth quarter. Washington scored in penetration and Wilkinson rescued Galatasaray with back-to-back layups but a big triple by Martinez and a jump hook by Perovic kept Power VLC within 71-72. Buker and Claver traded three-pointers and even when Washington downed a long jumper, De Colo quickly answered in the other end for a 76-77 score with 3 minutes left. Wilkinson sank a turnaround jumper and Buker added a free throw for a 76-80 Galatasaray edge with 55 seconds to go. Martinez banked in a close jumper, Rancik missed free throws and De Colo made 1-of-2 for a 79-80 Power VLC deficit. Washington sank a critical stop-and-pop triple but De Colo scored in penetration and Buker missed free throws at 81-83. Martinez drew a foul and hit free throws with 9.4 seconds to go. Galatasaray committed a turnover but Martinez missed a driving layup at the buzzer.
Martinez nailed one from downtown and soon scored off a midcourt steal for a 88-83 Power VLC lead early in the extra period. Lishchuk sank free throws and a fast break layup by De Colo made it an eight-point game, 92-84, with 3 minutes left. Jasaitis sank a fallaway jumper and free throws by Wilkinson brought the guests back to life, 92-88. Claver set the crowd on fire with an off-balance jumper but Buker followed a layup with free throws for a 95-93 scored with 1:06 left. Lishchuk took over with a big dunk and a huge block on Wilkinson. Jasaitis sank free throws for a 97-95 score with 31 seconds left. Martinez missed from downtown but Nielsen tapped the ball to De Colo, who drew a foul but had to leave the game with an injury. Marko Marinovic came off the bench and split free throws but Jasaitis missed a midcourt shot at the buzzer, allowing Power VLC to seal an incredible home win.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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