June 19, 2013
Top 16 Game 2 - February 21, 2007 CET: 20:45 Local time: 20:45 - PALACIO DE LOS DEPORTES J.M. MARTIN CARPENA
Unicaja 76 - 74 Aris TT Bank

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
0-0 Regular Season 0-0
8-7 Overall 6-9

Referees

Crew Chief
BRAZAUSKAS, ROMUALDAS, Lithuania
Referee
BITTON, MOSHE, Israel
Umpire
VOJINOVIC, MILIJA, Serbia

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
71.7 Points 69.7
32.3 Rebounds 34.3
8.7 O. Rebounds 10.1
23.7 D. Rebounds 24.3
12.8 Assists 10.0
9.9 Steals 13.7
2.9 Blocks 2.1
17.8 Turnovers 12.9
51.7 % 2PT 45.7 %
33.6 % 3PT 31.4 %
69.4 % FT 72.0 %
75.7 Index 73.4
Team Stats - Unicaja
Team Stats - Aris TT Bank

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
11.7 / RODRIGUEZ, BERNI Points 14.4 / SCALES, A.
4.9 / JIMENEZ, CARLOS Rebounds 8.5 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
1.5 / Pietrus OR 2.7 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
3.9 / JIMENEZ, CARLOS DR 5.7 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
3.1 / RODRIGUEZ, BERNI Assists 2.3 / CASTLE, T.
1.5 / Welsch Steals 2.1 / WILKINSON, MIKE
0.9 / Pietrus Blocks 0.9 / WILKINSON, MIKE
2.8 / Welsch Turnovers 3.2 / CASTLE, T.
64.3 % / Pietrus 2PT 58.3 % / TSALDARIS, DIMITRIOS
41.4 % / Welsch 3PT 38.5 % / ILIADIS, SAVVAS
80.0 % / RODRIGUEZ, BERNI FT 100.0 % / PANTELIADIS, S.
14.1 / SANTIAGO, DANIEL Index 20.2 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
Team Roster - Unicaja
Team Roster - Aris TT Bank

THE TAKE

While one team tries to solidify a strong Group G start, the other aims for its first-ever Top 16 game when Unicaja hosts Aris TT Bank in Malaga, Spain on Wednesday. Unicaja, 1-0 after beating Benetton last week, will play three of its last four Top 16 games on the road, and therefore wants to take advantage of its homecourt again while trying to the first Quarterfinal Playoffs berth in club history. Meanwhile, Aris lost at home to Dynamo Moscow in the Top 16 opener, and needs at least one road win to keep its playoff chances alive. Aris runs its offense through Jeremiah Massey (13.3 ppg., 8.5 rpg.) and Mike Wilkinson (12.9 ppg., 6.4 rpg.), one of the most interesting frontcourt duos in the competition. Massey provides intensity, rebounds and strength, while Wilkinson has a nice set of post moves to match his deep shooting range, giving everyone trouble guarding him one-on-one. Former Unicaja center Giannis Giannoulis (2.6 rpg.) and Kevin Fletcher are ready to help Aris off the bench. Massey will have a tough matchup against Florent Pietrus (3.6 rpg., 0.9 rpg.), a top defender and shot-blocking ace. Meanwhile, Wilkinson will have to battle hard to beat Daniel Santiago (11.7 ppg., 57.8% 2FG), one of the most dominant centers in the competition because of his size and power. Marko Tusek (6 ppg., 55.6% 3FG) and Carlos Jimenez (7.3 ppg., 4.9 rpg.) add deep range and rebounding power for Unicaja, while Ignacio De Miguel (2.4 ppg.) rounds out a deep frontcourt with his know-how. The point guard battle will also be interesting, as Unicaja has its own dynamic duo in passing ace Pepe Sanchez (7 ppg., 3.1 rpg.) and slasher Carlos Cabezas (9.2 ppg.). Sanchez has been sensational lately, while Cabezas has the aggressiveness needed to try to stop Terrell Castle (9.6 ppg., 1.8 spg.) of Aris. Marcus Faison, Berni Rodriguez (11.7 ppg.), Kostas Vasileiadis (6.3 ppg.) and Jiri Welsch (10.1 ppg, 41.4% 3FG) are ready to help Unicaja at both wings. Faison and Vasileiadis are set to test their shooting skills against Alex Scales (14.4 ppg.) and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (5 ppg.), while Rodriguez and Welsch will have an intense battle against Giorgos Sigalas (2.4 ppg.) and Dimitris Tsaldaris (3 ppg.). Expect an intense defensive-minded game in Malaga, with the team that breaks loose on offense likely to prevail.
Euroleague.net - Christos Lazarou, Thessaloniki

Quotes Head Coaches

SCARIOLO, SERGIO
Unicaja
"We have started the Top 16 well, but now we have the categorical imperative to continue with another good game, knowing that it will not be easy at all given that we are facing one of the best rebounding teams of the entire competition. They're a good defensive team, very aggressive. And offensively, from a tactical point of view, they are complicated for our defense and very atypical due to their versatile players. So, of course, we are going to have to give our all, but it will be very important to get this second victory to be able to face the rest of the competition having maintained our homecourt advantage in this first leg of the Top 16."
MAZZON, ANDREA
Aris TT Bank
"It's very positive for our team to play against teams like Unicaja in the Top 16. Our opponent passed easily over Benetton Treviso last week and Real Madrid in the Spanish League because of their tough defense. Even though we had some ups and downs during the last week, we have tried a lot to stabilize our performance at a high level. No team is perfect. Every game looks like a final for us both in the Greek League and the Euroleague. However, the Top 16 is a bit strange because some teams have qualified for the playoffs in the past despite the fact that they had no success in the first three games. Of course, we will put our heart on the court in order not only to compete with players like Santiago or Rodriguez, but also to beat them."

Players

DE MIGUEL, IGNACIO
Unicaja
"From the experience I had as a player in Greece, I can say that Aris is a team with great tradition, used to being on top and very competitive. A few years ago they had it tough, but now once again they are at the maximum level, with a great team and trying to reach the Final Four. About Aris what I remember most is their rounded court, with the fans almost on top of you, always cheering and making that team very competition, which makes it difficult to win at that arena. Therefore to win this game at home in Malaga will be an important step for us, because to begin with two victories in the standings will open wide the road ahead for us. The draw gave us the luck to begin with two home games, so with our confidence in mind, it's important to have the opportunity to win them both."
ILIADIS, SAVVAS
Aris TT Bank
"Generally speaking, every game in the Top 16 is of great importance. But to be honest, this game against Unicaja on the road is special for us because of the home loss to Dynamo last week. Even though some things have gone wrong these last days, we are determined to not look back at the previous couple of games. It's time to stand up and show our team's personality. Aris has proven its potential during the regular season and all my teammates have confidence in each other. What is important is to stay focused and fight for 40 minutes in order to overcome Unicaja and gain confidence for the future."
Kostas Vasileadis - Unicaja Unicaja grabbed the Group G lead and took a step closer to reaching the Quarterfinal Playoffs for the first time in club history by edging Aris TT Bank 76-74 in Malaga, Spain, on Wednesday night. Unicaja is the only unbeaten team in Group G with a 2-0 record, but will play 3 of its 4 remaining games on the road. Meanwhile, Aris dropped to 0-2 and is already in a do-or-die situation. Kostas Vasileadis led the winners with Euroleague career-highs of 16 points and 7 rebounds. Berni Rodriguez added 15 points, while Carlos Cabezas dished 7 assists, tying his Euroleague personal record, for Unicaja. Alex Scales, Mike Wilkinson and Jeremiah Massey each had 15 points for Aris while Dimitrios Tsaldaris had 11. The first half saw 13 lead changes, but a jumper by Jiri Welsch gave Unicaja a 34-33 edge. Unicaja improved its defense after the break and took a 64-52 lead with 7 minutes to go. Massey and an outstanding Scales brought Aris within 71-67 with 30.7 seconds to go, but Rodriguez hit 4 free throws to seal the win for Unicaja, as a final triple by Tsaldaris came too late.

Terrel Castle opened the scoring with a three-pointer before Cabezas got Unicaja going with a put-back basket. Aris shined on defense in the opening minutes, not allowing any easy shots. Meanwhile, Tsaldaris buried a corner triple for a 2-6 Aris lead. Carlos Jimenez dunked in penetration, but Wilkinson answered with a four-meter jumper. Vasileadis hit consecutive triples, one from each corner, to tie it at 10-10. Unicaja could not find Daniel Santiago near the basket, while Tsaldaris nailed another bomb from downtown for a 10-13 Aris edge. Santiago hit free throws and Rodriguez added a driving layup, which Massey matched with a put-back basket to keep the guests ahead, 14-15. Vasileadis followed free throws with his third three-pointer and Rodriguez scored in transition for a 21-17 Unicaja lead after 10 minutes.

Dimitrios Tsaldaris - Aris TT BankScales buried a three-pointer right at the start of the second quarter, as Unicaja lost control in the opening 2 minutes of this period. Tsaldaris scored in transition to give Aris a 21-22 edge. Welsch stepped up with a triple, but Giannis Giannoulis's free throws tied it at 24-24. Unicaja had already improved its defense, but problems now came at the other end. Marcus Faison struck with a fast-break layup, but Castle answered from downtown, forcing Unicaja to call timeout at 26-27. Iñaki de Miguel and Wilkinson traded free throws before Faison provided another lead change, 30-29. Castle hit more foul shots, which Faison erased with a driving layup. Wilkinson scored in the low post, but Welsch banked in a short jumper for a 34-33 Unicaja lead at the end of a first half that saw 13 lead changes.

Unicaja came back after the break with much more intensity, especially on defense. Meanwhile, Santiago scored around the basket and Cabezas buried a triple for a 39-33 Unicaja lead. Aris went scoreless for nearly 3 minutes until Wilkinson fired in a five-meter jumper. Cabezas shined with another bomb from downtown and then fed Santiago for an easy basket, making Aris call timeout at 44-35. Wilkinson rescued Aris with a layup-plus-foul, but free throws by Rodriguez and Vasileadis kept Unicaja ahead, 47-38. Wilkinson scored again and Savvas Iliadis added a fast-break layup to give Aris some hope at 47-42. Santiago made foul shots, igniting an 8-0 Unicaja run in which Rodriguez and Vasileadis stroke from downtown for 55-42 Unicaja margin. Massey took over with a dunk and consecutive layups-plus-fouls, single-handedly bringing Aris back to life at 55-50 after 30 minutes.

Carlos Cabezas - UnicajaMarko Tusek stepped up with a driving basket early in the fourth quarter only to see a red-hot Massey erase it at the other end. Florent Pietrus shined with a put-back layup and Pepe Sanchez spectacularly fed Welsch for an easy basket, good for a 61-52 Unicaja lead. Sanchez capped a 7-0 run with a big triple that made it a 12-point game with less than 7 minutes to go. Wilkinson came back with a tip-in and Iliadis added one from downtown to get Aris within 65-57. Rodriguez scored on a put-back, but Scales brought Aris within 67-61 with less than 3 minutes remaining. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Santiago traded free throws before Massey got Aris even closer, 68-64. Rodriguez stepped up with a critical three-pointer, but a foul shot by Massey and a fast break dunk by Scales made it 71-67 with 30.7 seconds to go. After Cabezas hit a free throw, Scales scored again for a 72-69 score with 11.1 seconds remaining. But Rodriguez sealed the win for the hosts with free throws down the stretch.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Euroleague.net
Referees: BRAZAUSKAS, ROMUALDAS (LTU), BITTON, MOSHE (ISR), VOJINOVIC, MILIJA (SRB)
Attendance: 9700
By Quarter1234
Unicaja21132121
Aris TT Bank17161724
End of Quarter1234
Unicaja21345576
Aris TT Bank17335074
Head coach: SCARIOLO, SERGIO
Unicaja
# 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
4 SANCHEZ, PEPE 19:00 3   1/1     3 3 1 2 3     1 2 7
5 RODRIGUEZ, BERNI 27:00 15 2/4 2/3 5/6 1 1 2 2   2   1 3 3 12
7 VASILEIADIS, KOSTAS 20:00 16 0/1 4/8 4/4   7 7   1       2 3 20
9 WELSCH, JIRI 18:45 8 2/4 1/1 1/2 1 4 5     1 1   2 1 9
10 CABEZAS, CARLOS 25:00 9 1/1 2/4 1/2 1   1 7 1 1     1 2 15
11 PIETRUS, FLORENT 9:15 4 2/3     2 1 3           1   5
15 DE MIGUEL, IGNACIO 7:45 2     2/2   1 1 1   3     2 2 1
17 TUSEK, MARKO 17:00 2 1/2 0/2   1 1 2 3   1     1 2 4
20 JIMENEZ, CARLOS 23:00 2 1/2 0/1 0/2 1 3 4 3 1 3   1 3 1  
22 SANCHEZ, ALFONSO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
24 FAISON, MARCUS 10:15 6 2/3 0/1 2/4         1       2 3 4
25 SANTIAGO, DANIEL 23:00 9 2/3   5/8   4 4 3   4     4 4 8
Team             1 1   2 1         2
Totals 200:00 76 13/23 10/21 20/30 7 26 33 20 8 19 1 2 22 23 87
56.5% 47.6% 66.7%
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: MAZZON, ANDREA
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
4 CASTLE, TERREL 37:45 8 0/1 2/5 2/2   2 2 5 2 2     1 6 16
5 SIGALAS, GIORGOS 4:45     0/1         1   1         -1
7 SERAPINAS, SIMONAS 4:00                         1   -1
8 SCALES, ALEX 37:00 15 4/8 2/9 1/2   4 4 4 2 1     4 6 14
9 KALAITZIS, GEORGIOS 3:00                   1     3   -4
10 ILIADIS, SAVVAS 14:30 7 2/4 1/1         3 1     1 1   7
11 WILKINSON, MIKE 32:15 15 6/9 0/2 3/5 2 3 5   3 2     4 4 14
12 FLETCHER, KEVIN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
14 MASSEY, JEREMIAH 36:45 15 5/11   5/6 5 3 8 1 4 2 2   1 5 25
15 GIANNOULIS, YANNIS 5:45 2     2/2   1 1 1         4 1 1
16 TSALDARIS, DIMITRIOS 22:00 11 1/3 3/4     2 2 2 1 2     4   7
20 ABDUL-RAUF, MAHMOUD 2:15 1     1/2                      
Team             2 2   1           3
Totals 200:00 74 18/36 8/22 14/19 7 17 24 17 14 11 2 1 23 22 81
50% 36.4% 73.7%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

SCARIOLO, SERGIO
Unicaja
“It was a good game, with high percentages and many assists, even though we committed too many turnovers. Aris has confirmed why it is the second-ranked team in the Greek League right now. It is a well-structured team and difficult to play defense against, which gives everyone trouble due to the athleticism of its big men. It is a very positive win for us, I think the game was always under control. We tried to have [Daniel] Santiago on court as much as possible and in the end, what could have been an advantage in offense turned into a disadvantage in defense. We cannot be euphoric yet, we still have four games to play and we cannot think we took a decisive step forwards.”
MAZZON, ANDREA
Aris TT Bank
“Like in other games, we were really close to winning and we lacked experience to do it in the decisive moments. In my team, most of our players did not take part in the Euroleague before and we have to improve in many aspects of the game, especially in defense. There were two key moments in this game, when Berni [Rodriguez] hit a corner triple and when [Florent] Pietrus grabbed an offensive rebound. You win games in the final 4 minutes, but everything is possible yet. We have to try to win our two home games and steal a road win, since this group is really open.”

Players

DE MIGUEL, IGNACIO
Unicaja
"These were two crucial wins since we are facing very complicated games from now on, especially the one in Moscow next week. Of course, playing in Thessaloniki will also be tough. I already played there and I know it will be a difficult game, but so far we got two wins that are very important for us."
CABEZAS, CARLOS
Unicaja
"It is a very interesting win for us, since it is the second in this group and now it is time to win on the road. We've done our job well so far, we rebounded really well tonight and that allowed us to run the floor in the second half, controlling the game rhythm. We will have a difficult week, but we go to Moscow without having too much pressure. If we get a win there, we will be really close to making it to the playoffs."
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