Benetton Bwin got closer to reach the Eurocup Quarterfinals in Group L by topping Panellinios 82-72 in Treviso, Italy on Tuesday. Benetton improved to 3-1 and will reach the next round along with already qualified Cajasol Sevilla (4-0) if it beats Alba (1-3) in Berlin next week. Panellinios dropped to 0-4 and ran out of chances to make it to the Quarterfinals. Devin Smith paced the winners with 24 points against his former team. Alessandro Gentile added 12 while Donatas Motiejunas and Stefan Markovic each had 11 for Benetton. Maurice Bailey led Benetton with 16 points. Vangelis Sklavos and Djuro Ostojic each added 13 while Steven Smith had 10 for the guests, that trailed 40-34 at halftime but used an 0-8 run to get a 58-60 edge late in the fourth quarter. Free throws by Bailey gave Panellinios its last lead, 66-67, as Smith, Motiejunas and Gentile shined in crunch time to make Benetton seal a very important home win.

Smith got Benetton going with a jumper and soon added a three-pointer in an 11-0 opening run that Gentile capped with an easy basket off a Panellinios timeout. Manolis Papamakarios tried to change things with a triple and Torin Francis added a jumper but Smith and Ryan Toolson made Benetton restore a 15-5 lead. Papamakarios insisted from downtown and Sklavos split free throws but a put-back layup by Brian Skinner gave the hosts a 17-9 edge after 10 minutes. Sklavos struck twice from downtown in an 0-8 run that allowed Panellinios to tie the game, 17-17, early in the second quarter. Skinner stepped up with a dunk that Bailey bettered with a triple to complete the guests' comeback, 19-20. Smith hit free throws and a three-point play bt Markovic restored a 24-22 Benetton edge. Dimitrios Kompodietas nailed a three-pointer and Sklavos bettered Smith's put-back layup with free throws for a 26-28 score. Gentile and Brunner tried to change things with free throws but back-to-back jumpers by Bailey and Ostojic kept Panellinios ahead, 29-32. Gentile kept pacing Benetton with a layup and Toolson struck from downtown but a jumper by Bailey tied it at 34-34. A layup-plus-foul by Brunner and a triple by Markovic fixed the halftime score at 40-34.

Smith found his first points right after the break and Francis matched Motiejunas' free throws with a layup that made it a four-point game, 42-38. Bailey sank another jumper while Smith followed a layup with a dunk to tie the game again, 44-44. Benetton improved its defense while Toolson and Markovic soon gave their team a 49-46 edge. A red hot Smith scored again and even when Markovic struck from downtown, free throws by Bailey kept Panellinios within 52-50. Motiejunas stepped up with a three-point play and Toolson added a triple but Smith and Bailey brought the guests as close as 58-54 after 30 minutes. Free throws by Kompodietas and Ostojic added back-to-back baskets for a 58-60 Panellinios edge, after an 0-8 run. Smith nailed a jumper and matched Sklavos' triple with his own shot from downtown to tie the game again, 63-63, midway through the fourth quarter. Ostojic and Bailey made foul shots but another three-pointer by Smith and a layup by Brunner restored a 68-67 Benetton edge. Smith scored again and a dunk by Gentile gave the hosts some fresh air, 72-67. Ostojic rescued Panellinios with a three-point play but back-to-back baskets by Smith and Motiejunas gave Benetton a 76-71 edge with over a minute left. Motiejunas and Gentile allowed Benetton to seal the outcome down the stretch.