 Banca Tercas Teramo downed the visiting BC Azovmash 85-77 thanks to some tenacious team play, above all in second half when the hosts had to regain the lead. With the win, Teramo improves to 2-1 and claims second place in Group A as its reward. Azovmash, on the other hand, falls to 0-3 and faces a true uphill battle if it hopes to make the next round. Virgil Stanescu led Teramo with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Bobby Jones matched the center with 16 points of his own, and Valerio Amoroso scored 15. Drake Diener added 13 points for the winners, while Giuseppe Poeta tallied 9 points and 6 assists. Erik Daniels did all he could for Azovmash with a game-high 23 points to go with 10 rebounds. Husan Rizvic also had a big night with 22 points, and Rolandas Jarutis added 12 points and 4 assists in the losing effort. After falling behind by 12 in second quarter, Azovmash outscored the hosts 12-27 to grab a 46-48 lead near the midway mark in the third quarter. The Ukrainian champs would go on to extend their lead to 8, but Teramo responded in time to pull back ahead for good on a 12-5 run bridging the end of third and the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Jones got the scoreboard moving with a three-pointer. Stanescu followed with an old-fashioned three-point play on a layup-plus-free throw to put Teramo ahead 6-0. Oleksandr Skutyelnik hit back with a triple, Ejike Ugboaja scored inside, and Skutyelnik connected again from long range to give Azovmash an early 1-point advantage. Diener got in close for a bucket and Goran Jurak nailed a three for Teramo. Rizvic made a field goal, but Jurak and Diener combined for 4 more points to put Teramo ahead 18-12. Ugboaja muscled in for another 2 points but Poeta hit a free throw and Jones added 2 more. Ugboaja and Amoroso traded baskets, and Jones gave Teramo a brief 11-point lead on a pair of foul shots before Daniels scored to end the quarter 27-18. Amoroso opened the second period with a layup. Azovmashs Jarutis made a pair of free throws, and Daniels scored in close. Stanescu hit a jumper and Ryan Hoover drained a three to push the lead out to 34-22. Rizvic made a bucket and Daniels scored 6 straight on a three and a 2-plus-1 to bring Azovmash roaring back. Diener put Teramo ahead 43-37 on a triple, but Daniels hit a jumper and Fred House converted a steal into a layup to cut the deficit to just 43-41 at the half.
Rizvic tied the game with a jumper on the opening play of the second half. Diener hit a three, but Rizvic made a layup and Jarutis nailed a triple to claim the 46-48 lead for Azovmash. Amoroso quickly snatched it back for Teramo on a three-point bomb of his own, but Daniels scored inside as the lead seesawed back and forth. Rizvic added a 2-plus-1 to put his team up by 4 points. Teramo stayed cold from the field and Rizvic extended the lead with a free throw. Jarutis drained a three-pointer to put Azovmash ahead by 8 before Stanescu scored 5 straight and Amoroso added a layup to pull Teramo to within 56-57. Azovmash to call for time, but it did not stop Amoroso from reclaiming the lead for Teramo with a jumper. Rizvic then scored inside and House struck from deep to push the visitors back ahead 58-62 at the end of 30 minutes. Jones started the final period with a three-pointer. Rizvic made a jumper, but Hoover hit another three for Teramo to knot the score at 64-64. Jones nailed a three and Stanescu scored inside to open a 5-point advantage, which held steady till Rizvic cut it to 2 on a jumper. Hoover then stepped up and made a big three-pointer, 76-71. Amoroso and Daniels traded shots from downtown, but Jones hit another triple to push the lead out to 9 to seal the victory for Teramo with less than 2 minutes to play.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
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