Top 16 Game 6 - March 19, 2008 CET: 20:15 Local time: 21:15 - PALAIS DES SPORTS

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
1-4 Top 16 2-3
7-7 Regular Season 11-3
8-11 Overall 13-6

Referees

Crew Chief
HIERREZUELO, DANI, Spain
Referee
PEREZ PEREZ, MIGUEL, Spain
Umpire
CHAMBON, DAVID, France

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
74.7 Points 82.1
30.1 Rebounds 33.7
9.7 O. Rebounds 10.3
20.4 D. Rebounds 23.5
10.6 Assists 13.3
8.9 Steals 11.0
2.5 Blocks 1.7
13.2 Turnovers 14.6
49.3 % 2PT 53.9 %
35.9 % 3PT 41.9 %
71.3 % FT 77.6 %
72.8 Index 89.3

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
16.4 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH Points 17.3 / PRICE, HOLLIS
8.3 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH Rebounds 5.5 / Bajramovic
3.3 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH OR 2.8 / PETRAVICIUS, MARIUS
5.0 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH DR 4.2 / Bajramovic
2.2 / KALAITZIS, GEORGIOS Assists 3.9 / PRICE, HOLLIS
1.4 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH Steals 2.1 / Eidson
1.2 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH Blocks 0.4 / PETRAVICIUS, MARIUS
2.1 / TSALDARIS, DIMITRIOS Turnovers 3.2 / PRICE, HOLLIS
62.5 % / Serapinas 2PT 72.1 % / PETRAVICIUS, MARIUS
66.7 % / ILIADIS, SAVVAS 3PT 50.0 % / Eidson
88.9 % / ILIADIS, SAVVAS FT 100.0 % / Gecevicius
20.3 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH Index 14.6 / PRICE, HOLLIS

THE TAKE

Two teams dreaming of advancing to the Quarterfinal Playoffs, but needing help from others meet on Wednesday when Aris TT Bank hosts Lietuvos Rytas at the Alexandrio Melathron in Thessaloniki, Greece. Both Aris and L. Rytas could still climb up to second place in Group E and reach the playoffs, but first need for the undefeated group winner, Tau Ceramica, to defeat Fenerbahce Ulker in Wednesday’s other Group E encounter. If that happens, L. Rytas would finish second if it beats Aris or loses by 5 points or fewer. Aris would need for Fener to lose and to blow out L. Rytas by more than 30 to climb to second place. L. Rytas blasted Aris 27-11 in the opening period en route to an 89-74 win when they met last month in Lithuania. Mindaugas Lukauskis netted a season-high 18 and Chuck Eidson had 18 points and 5 assists to lead L. Rytas in that game. Jeremiah Massey carried Aris with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Massey, the only player in the Top 16 to be ranked among the top five scorers and rebounders, is Aris’s biggest star, though the backcourt of Darius Washington and Bracey Wright are also a high-level duo. L. Rytas has talent at the same positions, with Jackson Vroman and Kenan Bajramovic in the paint and Hollis Price, Lukauskis and Arturas Jomantas at guard. At small forward, Aris’s Dimitris Tsaldaris and sixth man Reyshawn Terry will try to limit Eidson, who can be L. Rytas’s go-to guy on any given night. The biggest impact for L. Rytas could be the return from injury of big man Marijonas Petravicius, who was sidelined for a month with a foot injury. Petravicius will suit up and could see limited action. Both teams have committed many turnovers and are amongst the teams with the most points allowed in the Top 16, however L. Rytas is has proven to be a much better shooting team. Aris will need to dramatically increase its defense – as well as its scoring ability – to have a chance of not only winning, but doing it by enough points to advance. Because of the needed margin, Aris is likely to pull out all the stops, including playing extra aggressive from the start. If L. Rytas can hold its own in the first half, it would likely break Aris’s spirits and win the game, but if Aris can open up a big early margin, the pressure would mount for both teams and anything could happen.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Euroleague.net

Quotes Head Coaches

HERBERT, GORDON
Aris TT Bank
"Despite the loss on the road in our domestic league, our confidence is really high before the game against Lietuvos Rytas. I know how tough my players are and I believe that we will give everything to make the miracle come true. To be honest, it’s very difficult to win Euroleague games with big margins, but still we would like to die for it. I think that we should try to win each of the first three quarters by 5-8 points and explode in the last one to reach our goal. What is necessary is to play very tough defense in order to create easy baskets and gain confidence minute by minute. Nothing is impossible!"
TRIFUNOVIC, ALEKSANDAR
Lietuvos Rytas
"We had an interesting game on Saturday against Zalgiris. We were in different situations: Zalgiris is already out of the Euroleague, as we are still in for a place in the quarterfinals. Of course, not all is in our hands as we're heading to Greece, but we will do everything that is. We rested our key guys in the Zalgiris game so they will be quite fresh against Aris. I hope we can succeed because I think we deserve this place in the playoffs."

Players

MASSEY, JEREMIAH
Aris TT Bank
"It’s almost impossible to qualify for the playoffs, but we will try to do everything to make it happen. Everybody knows that it’s a very difficult game, but we are determined to fight for every ball and see if we get the job done in the end of it. We have to play very tough in defense and make some important shots early in the game, hoping that Lietuvos Rytas won’t be so effective offensively. But still Fenerbahce’s job seems easier than ours, even though I strongly believe that Tau can win and finish unbeaten in our group. However, we have to think only for our game and make our fans be proud of the team’s effort to make the impossible come true."
PRICE, HOLLIS
Lietuvos Rytas
"Aris hasn't changed much since the regular season. They only have the new playmaker Darius Washington. Everything else is quite the same: Great team defense and the amazing Massey in the paint. Last time in Vilnius, we succeeded in limiting Jeremiah in the first half, Mindaugas Lukauskis played great as well. Of course, Massey is still going to get his points. But if we fight as we did in Vilnius, we shouldn't have much problems in Thesalonniki."
Jeremiah Massey - Aris TT VBank Aris TT Bank finished its Euroleague campaign with a morale boost after beating Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 83-74 on Wednesday at the Alexandrio Melathron in Thessaloniki, Greece. Both teams played their last game of the Euroleague season since Fenerbahce Ulker defeated Tau Ceramica to secure second place in Group E. L. Rytas and Aris both finish with 2-4 records, but L. Rytas is third due to a better point-difference in their head-to-head meetings. L. Rytas won 89-74 last month in Lithuania. Jeremiah Massey had another monster game with 28 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks to lead Aris to victory. Darius Washington added a season-high 18 points and 4 assists, Savvas Iliadis 13 points, also a season-high, while Dimitrios Tsaldaris score 11 and Reyshawn Terry 10. Kenan Bajramovic led L. Rytas with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Jackson Vroman scored 13, Chuck Eidson 12 and Marijonas Petravicius returned to action after missing a month with a foot injury and recorded 6 points in 10 minutes.

Aris tried to control the tempo of the game early in the first quarter, but Lietuvos Rytas stole the ball twice to take a 5-8 lead. Giorgos Kalaitzis got early in foul trouble, however his replacement, Washington, pushed Aris to tie the game for the first time 10-10. Still L. Rytas was always a step ahead thanks to Eidson, whose mid-range jumper put his team in charge, 11-16, and forced Aris head coach Gordon Herbert into a timeout call with thee minutes to go. Nothing changed in the remaining minutes of the period as Vroman managed to keep his team ahead with a pair of easy lay ups. However, Massey netted a tip and Washington made free throws to cut the deficit at the end of the quarter to 18-19.

Jackson Vroman - Lietuvos RytasPetravicius came back to action after his injury and dunked the ball, but Massey stood up with a personal 5-point run to give the lead to the hosts for the first time in the game, 24-23. Iliadis added to his team’s difference by isolating Bajramovic twice and leaving no choice to visitors’ bench than asking for a timeout at 28-24, midway through the second quarter. The guests came back with a totally different lineup, but Washington, Iliadis and Washington drove to the basket to extend the margin close to 34-26. Bajramovic decided to wake his team up by firing from beyond the arc and Martynas Gecevicius soon copied him to bring his team closer to the hosts, 40-36, at halftime.

Massey was unstoppable early in the third quarter and extended his team’s margin with back-to-back layups. The guests couldn’t find their way to the basket for the first three minutes and Washington added to the hosts’ advantage with his first triple, 47-38. After a timeout call by L. Rytas head coach Aleksandar Trifunovic, the guests woke up and came back as Hollis Price took the team into his arms, igniting a decisive 7-point run capped by his second triple, 47-45, two minutes before the end of the quarter. However, Aris stayed in charge till the end of the quarter with Terry and Washington throwing down dunks and Tsaldaris beating the buzzer to gibe Aris a 57-48 lead.

Iliadis scored in transition to give his team a double-digit margin early in the third quarter, 59-48. Vroman reacted and cut the damage with some very smooth low post moves and Bajramovic drilled his team’s first triple of the last quarter to force Aris into a timeout call at 61-55. However, Aris showed different character in the next couple of minutes and managed to push the difference again in the double digits, 65-55, as Tsaldaris and Iliadis visited successfully the foul line three minutes before the final whistle. The hosts retained their margin due to Massey’s presence under the basket as Vroman was the only one fighting from L. Rytas. It was obvious that both teams were informed about Fener’s win and the death of their last hopes to make it to the playoffs saw the drama decrease as Aris dedicated the last Euroleague win to the fans.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Euroleague.net
Referees: HIERREZUELO, DANI (ESP), PEREZ PEREZ, MIGUEL (ESP), CHAMBON, DAVID (FRA)
Attendance: 2000
By Quarter1234
Aris TT Bank18221726
Lietuvos Rytas19171226
End of Quarter1234
Aris TT Bank18405783
Lietuvos Rytas19364874
Head coach: HERBERT, GORDON
Aris TT Bank
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
3FG
M-A
FT
M-A
Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
5 TERRY, REYSHAWN 29:45 10 4/8 0/1 2/2 2 4 6   2 3 1   4 5 12
9 KALAITZIS, GEORGIOS 6:41                   1     4   -5
10 ILIADIS, SAVVAS 28:23 13 5/8 0/2 3/4 1 2 3 3 3 2   1 1 5 17
11 BOISA, VLADIMER 20:46 3 0/1 1/2 0/2   1 1           1 1  
12 SKORDILIS, GAIOS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
13 MOTTOLA, HANNO 7:29   0/1       1 1     1       1  
14 MASSEY, JEREMIAH 40:00 28 10/21 1/1 5/5 6 6 12   4 2 2 2 3 6 34
16 TSALDARIS, DIMITRIOS 32:25 11 2/4 1/3 4/4   2 2 3 1 1   1 3 2 10
18 KARADOLAMIS, DIMITRIOS 0:28                              
19 TSAIRELIS, MICHALIS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 WASHINGTON, DARIUS 34:03 18 3/6 1/2 9/10 3 1 4 4 3 7 1   3 7 22
Team           3 3 6               6
Totals 200:00 83 24/49 4/11 23/27 15 20 35 10 13 17 4 4 19 27 96
49% 36.4% 85.2%
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Head coach: TRIFUNOVIC, ALEKSANDAR
Lietuvos Rytas
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
3FG
M-A
FT
M-A
Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
5 SLEZAS, ANDRIUS 7:06     0/2             1     1 1 -3
6 VROMAN, JACKSON 27:31 13 5/8   3/4 4 1 5 1 2 2 1   5 4 15
8 LUKAUSKIS, MINDAUGAS 18:34 4 0/3 0/2 4/5   3 3 1 1         3 6
10 PRICE, HOLLIS 30:32 9 2/3 1/4 2/2 1   1 3 2 4     5 2 4
12 ANISIMOV, MICHAILIS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
13 EIDSON, CHUCK 27:55 12 3/9 1/3 3/5 2 1 3 4 3 4 1 2 4 3 6
15 PETRAVICIUS, MARIUS 10:04 6 3/4     1   1     2   1 4 1  
21 JOMANTAS, ARTURAS 16:37 7 3/4   1/1 2 4 6 2   2   1 4 3 10
25 JORDAN, JARED 11:00     0/2         1   1     2 1 -3
31 GECEVICIUS, MARTYNAS 15:51 9 3/3 1/1     2 2   3 3       1 12
41 BRAZDAUSKIS, LUKAS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
51 BAJRAMOVIC, KENAN 34:50 14 4/9 2/7   3 7 10 2   3 2   2   13
Team           2 2 4               4
Totals 200:00 74 23/43 5/21 13/17 15 20 35 14 11 22 4 4 27 19 64
53.5% 23.8% 76.5%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

HERBERT, GORDON
Aris TT Bank
"To be honest, it was very difficult to qualify to the next round. We tried to play an up-tempo game but we didn't manage to do anything other than just grabbing this win. I am proud of my players as they fight for every ball today and dedicate the win to our fans. If we have played better in the first three games, we could have been in Fener's position in the playoffs."
TRIFUNOVIC, ALEKSANDAR
Lietuvos Rytas
"We didn’t manage to play tough defense. Aris managed to control the tempo of the game and took advantage of our turnovers to win this game. I feel that my players deserve a position among the eight best teams in the Euroleague, but some injuries in a crucial point of the season changed our rotations. I would like to congratulate everyone in my team and promise that we will be in the playoffs next year."

Players

WASHINGTON, DARIUS
Aris TT Bank
"I really enjoyed my first experience in the Euroleague. Itʼs a very tough competition and needs concentration in every game. We didn't manage to win at least one of our three first games and this is the main reason for our elimination. As for today's game, we played very aggressive especially in the second part of it and grabbed an important victory against a very talented opponent like Lietuvos Rytas, even though it was not enough to guarantee us a ticket for the next round."
GECEVICIUS, MARTYNAS
Lietuvos Rytas
"We couldn't stop Massey! He was really explosive under the basket and created big problems in our defense. All of us fought at every part of the game as we didn’t really know what was going on in the other game of our group. I really enjoyed Euroleague games this year and I am looking forward to playing again next year."
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