Oldenburg downs Spirou, keeps chances alive

EWE Baskets Oldenburg earned the right to keep fighting for a Eurocup Last 32 berth until the final round by downing Proximus Spirou Charleroi 62-75 on the road on Wednesday. Both teams are now tied for fifth place in Group C, each with a 3-6 record, one win behind CEZ Basketball Nymburk, which ranks fourth at 4-5. Oldenburg needs to win and already-qualified Baloncesto Seville to beat Nymburk in order to advance. Spirou needs to win and both Oldenburg and Nymburk to lose in order to reach the Last 32. Rickey Paulding paced the winners with 12 points. Casper Ware added 11 while Adam Chubb, Julius Jenkins and Philipp Neumann each had 10 for Oldenburg. Andre Collins led Spirou with 17 points. Torin Francis added 15 and 11 rebounds for the hosts. Oldenburg led 15-20 after 10 minutes, extending its margin to 26-38 at halftime and then again to 40-60 after 30 minutes, enough to seal the outcome long before the final buzzer.

Paulding and Chubb gave Oldenburg an early 2-5 lead. A 7-0 run which Francis capped with a put-back layup allowed Spirou to get a 9-5 edge. Paulding hit a jumper and followed Chubb's layup with a triple, good for a 9-12 Oldenburg lead. Zab Dowdell and Dylan Page tried to change things for Spirou but three-pointers by Paulding and Jenkins allowed Oldenburg to get a 15-20 margin after 10 minutes. Jenkins scored again early in the second quarter but Collins and Francis brought Spirou a bit closer, 19-22. Oldenburg didn't panic, as a triple by Ware and a layup-plus-foul by Maurice Stuckey boosted the guests' margin to 21-30. Wen Mukubu answered from downtown and Collins added a jumper but Oldenburg kept finding open shots and Nemanja Aleksandrov made it a double-digit game, 26-36. A layup by Chubb fixed the halftime score at 26-38. Page tried to ignite the hosts' comeback with a jumper right after the break but a 0-6 run which Paulding capped with a layup broke the game open, 28-44. Spirou went on a 6-0 run led by Page and Loic Schwartz bit Ware and Robin Smeulders kept Oldenburg way ahead, 34-49. Neumann shined with consecutive dunks, igniting a 0-9 run which Phillip Zwiener capped with free throws for a 36-60 Oldenburg margin, which Spirou cut to 40-60 after 30 minutes. Page and Francis tried to bring Spirou back to life but the hosts only managed to trade baskets. Free throws by Ware sealed the outcome, 51-69, with over 4 minutes left, allowing Oldenburg to stay alive in the competition.