Mega Vizura advanced to the semifinal following a tough 76-71 victory over Alba Berlin. The result lifted Mega Vizura to 2-0 and dropped Berlin to 0-2. Mega Vizura will play Crvena Zvezda on Saturday morning for first place, but win or lose will be in the semis on Saturday night. Milos Jankovic paced the winners with 25 points and 7 rebounds, Aleksa Avramovic added 21 points and 4 assists and Dusan Stankovic netted 12 points for the winners. Cameron Neubauer collected 15 points and 8 rebounds for Berlin, while Ismet Akpinar and Robin Jorch each finished with 11 points.
The game was close throughout. Mega Vizura jumped to an 18-12 lead on a Nikola Tijanic three-pointer and held a 24-20 lead after 10 minutes. Milos Jankovic upped the lead to 7 early in the second quarter, but Berlin responded through Robyn Missa to close the gap and managed to tie the game at 33-33 on Niklas Key free throws and then at 36-36 on a Jorch triple before halftime. Akpinar gave Berlin its first lead early in the third quarter, but Mega Vizura turned the tables and regained control with a 13-2 charge for a 49-40 lead. Berlin rallied once more to tie the score at 56-56 and eventually to take the lead again before Jankovic made it 58-58 through three quarters. A Missa dunk put Berlin on top to start the fourth quarter and after Mega Vizura tied the score twice more, Neubauer answered to keep Berlin ahead. However Avramovic scored 7 straight points to make it 69-64. Neubauer was able to make it a 3-point game twice more, but Avramovic helped secure the win with a pair of free throws with 37 seconds left and Key missed on Berlin’s last chance.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Euroleague.net
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