Hosley wins a thriller for Zielona Gora

Already eliminated Stelmet Zielona Gora picked up a thrilling 71-69 win over the previously qualified Pinar Karsiyaka on Wednesday. Quinton Hosley scored a last-second game-basket to get Zielona Gora to 2-7 record, while Karsiyaka dropped to 6-3 in Group F. Aaron Cel led the way with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and Hosley had 13 points, 5 boards and 5 assists. Lukasz Koszarek had 11 points, 8 assists and 4 steals, including the one that led to the game-winning baskets, while Chevon Troutman chipped in with 10 points and 7 rebounds in victory. D.J Strawberry netted 27 on 4-for-5 three-point shooting for Karsiyaka. Juan Palacios collected 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Bobby Dixon also scored 11, along with 7 assists and 5 rebounds, in defeat.

Karsiyaka opened the game with a 2-10 lead behind its balanced offense, but Zielona Gora answered with a 10-0 run as Aaron Cel hit a triple to spark it and a layup to cap it. After D.J. Strawberry and Przemyslaw Zamojski traded three-pointers, the hosts led 18-15 after the first quarter. Quinton Hosley and Daniel Johnson knocked down threes for 26-18 in the second quarter, and Maciej Kucharek’s shot from downtown helped make it 35-25 late in the second. Strawberry hit another one from downtown, but Cel fed Chevon Troutman for a fastbreak basket just before the buzzer and 37-28 at halftime. Cel’s triple and Troutman’s layup extended it to 46-32 in the third, but Strawberry had a three-pointer and a layup, before Bobby Dixon, Juan Palacios and Jon Diebler followed in a 2-18 run that gave Karsiyaka 48-50 lead after 30 minutes. Kucharek and Koszarek hit triples for Zielona Gora, but Dixon kept the visitors in front with his shots from downtown, and a pair of baskets from Strawberry made it 56-61. However, Cel drilled back-to-back threes, and Zamojski added one of his own for 67-61. Dixon answered from long range for the visitors, before Strawberry again hit from long range and close range to tie it at 69-69 in the final minute. The visitors had a chance to win it, but Koszarek made a steal and Hosely scored a basket in time for Zielona Gora to win a thriller.