Aykon TED Ankara Kolejliler edged Khimik Yuzhne 79-81 on Wednesday to return to the fight for a spot in the next stage. Vladimir Golubovic scored twice in a 0-9 fourth-quarter run that gave the visitors the lead for good and Ankara held on late as Khimik tried to rally. The result lifted Ankara to 2-4 in Group F, while Khimik dropped to 4-2. Golubovic starred with 22 points, 17 rebounds and 2 blocks to lead the winners, while Aleksandar Rasic also totaled a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists. Clay Tucker connected on 5 of 8 three-point attempts en route to 18 points and 6 assists and Vanja Plisnic added 12 points for Ankara. Matt Gatens paced Khimik with 14 points, Romeo Travis amassed 13 points and 8 rebounds and Jamal Shuler and Rolands Freimanis scored 12 each in defeat.

Khimik jumped to an early 10-5 lead as Paul Delaney and Travis each scored twice. Plisnic twice tied the game before Muhammed Baygul gave Ankara a 12-14 lead. A Berkay Candan free throw left it at 14-17 through 10 minutes. Davud Kamer extended the lead to 16-21, but Freimanis heated up and with 5 straight points put the hosts back in front. Rasic connected from downtown to even the score at 29-29 and he teamed with Kristaps Valters to put the visitors in front. A Golubovic tip-in made it 37-40 at the break. Travis hit from behind the three-point line to lift Khimik to 43-42, but threes from Tucker and Rasic put Ankara back in front. The lead continued to switch hands; Tucker knocked down two more three-pointers to make it 54-58, but a Gatens triple reversed that. Tucker’s fifth three of the game tied the score at 61-61 through three quarters. A Golubovic tip-in gave Ankara a 67-71 edge, but Khimik closed the gap to 71-73. Plisnic and Gatens traded triples before 4 points from Golubovic made it 74-80. Gatens led the hosts back within 1 with a triple with 33 seconds to play. Tucker split free throws with 20 seconds left, opening the door for Khimik, but Delaney missed on the ensuing possession and wven though Golubovic missed twice with a chance to ice the game for Ankara, Plisnic controlled the rebound and the horn sounded.