Euroleague Top 16 Reaches Halfway Mark Of Round 7

With 8 of the teams in the Euroleague Top 16 having played their Round 7 match, we are pretty much at the halfway stage of the event. The games on Friday the 13^th of February will see the remaining teams hit the halfway stage, which will provide us with a chance to take stock of how the two groups are shaping up, and who is likely to be making further progress in the tournament.

As for the action on Thursday the 12^th of February, most of the big teams picked p convincing wins but there was one big shock on the night.

Group E

Zalgiris Kaunas 71 – Real Madrid 88

Real Madrid are still at the top of Group E after this away day win in Lithuania. The Madrid side now hold a 6-1 record in the Top 16 while Kaunas have now dropped down to a 2-5 record. At half-time the score was level although the home side had squandered a 6 point lead going into the break. It was in the second half that Real stepped up the gas, only allowing the home side to grab 24 points (a points tally that Kaunas grabbed in the second quarter alone), which set the platform for the away win.

Rudy Fenrandez was a star man, offering up 17 points while Felipe Reyes provided 16 points for the away team. Andres Nocioni also helped out, providing 15 points for the victors. Kaunas were supported by Robertas Javtokas offering 12 points and Arturas Milaknis providing 11 points but on the whole it was a night to forget for the home team.

• Q1: 23-24
• Q2: 47-47
• Q3: 60-72
• Q4: 71-88

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 59 – Alba Berlin 65

This was a stunning result in Group E with the reigning champions having their 5 game winning streak blown apart by the team from Berlin. This moves Alba on to a 3-4 record while Maccabi drop to a 5-2 record, which sees them now slipping into second place. The home side got into their stride during the second quarter but just before half-time, Alba started to turn things in their direction.

Jamel McLean provided 18 points and 6 rebounds while Marko Banic provided 11 points and 5 rebounds. Reggie Redding was also in strong form, offering up 9 points and 6 rebounds, while Cliff Hammonds provided 8 points. For Maccabi, Devin Smith was the key man, offering 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists while Nate Linhart also offered up 15 points. With Sofoklis Schortsanitis offering 12 points, there were plenty of big players for Maccabi but it wasn’t enough in the end.

• Q1: 16-15
• Q2: 36-35
• Q3: 44-50
• Q4: 59-66

FC Barcelona 82 – Galatasaray 70

This turned out to be a straightforward home win for the Catalan club, who now move on to a 4-3 record in the Top 16 at the same their opponents drop to a 2-5 record. Barca were well clear by half-time and there were never really in any danger throughout the game.

Tomas Satoransky provided 17 points; Bostjan Nachbar provided 15 points while both Ante Tomic and Justin Doellman offered up 12 points. Juan Carlos Navarro also made his mark for the home team, providing 11 points. Zoran Erceg excelled for Galatasaray with 18 points while Patric Young served up a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

• Q1: 22-20
• Q2: 52-39
• Q3: 66-56
• Q4: 82-70

Group F

Nizhny Novgorod 82 – Olympiacos Piraeus 91

This was an excellent away win for the Greek side, moving them on to a 6-1 record in the Top 16 while the home side now hold a 2-5 record in the tournament. Georgios Printezis was in top form with 20 points and you know that Vassilis Spanpulis is never too far away from the points when Olympiacos are involved, he managed to grab 13 points while he offered 6 assists. Brent Petway managed to provide 12 points while Othello Hunter and Tremmell Draden both grabbed 10 points for the winners.

The home team grabbed a great number of points and Art Parakhouski had an outstanding game with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Other big scorers for Nizhny included Taylor Rochestie, who grabbed 18 points, Semen Antonov who offered 13 points and Tarence Kinsey who served up 11 points for the home team.

• Q1: 24-24
• Q2: 42-41
• Q3: 66-63
• Q4: 82-91