ALBA edges Brindisi, advances to Last 32

ALBA Berlin reached the Eurocup Last 32 in regular season Group B by edging Enel Basket Brindisi 80-79 in the German capital on Wednesday. ALBA finished the regular season in fourth place with a 5-5 record and had also qualified with a loss, as MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg downed Le Mans Sarthe Basket 90-49 earlier on today. Brindisi was sixth in Group B with a 1-9 record. Jordan Taylor led the winners with 18 points. Dragan Milosavljevic added 14 while Kreso Loncar had 13 and became the game hero for ALBA with a put-back basket with 0.3 seconds to go. Adrian Banks led Brindisi with 27 points. Scott Reynolds added 21 while Kenneth Kadji had 13 for the guests, that led 18-28 after 10 minutes. ALBA improved its defense, as Taylor, Milosavljevic and Ismet Akpinar allowed the hosts to get the lead, 42-41, at halftime. Banks and Reynolds took over after the break to make Brindisi regain a 63-64 edge after 30 minutes. It all came down to the final minute, as Loncar gave ALBA a 78-77 lead with 25.4 seconds left. Kadji scored around the basket and Milosavljevic missed a shot but Loncar stepped up with the game-winning put-back layup with 0.3 seconds remaining.

Alex Harris got Brindisi going with free throws and Kadji added an alleyoop layup for a 0-4 lead. Will Cherry followed a three-point play with free throws to give the hosts a 5-4 edge. Banks dunked off a steal and added a layup-plus-foul to give Brindisi a 5-9 edge. Banks kept pacing Brindisi with a high-flying alleyoop dunk but Akpinar and Eldemir Kikanovic kept the hosts within 10-13. Kadji hit foul shots and Reynolds buried a triple but Jordan Taylor kept ALBA within 14-18. Reynolds insisted from downtown, Kikanovic scored in the paint and free throws by Banks restored a 16-23 Brindisi lead. Durand Scott nailed a triple and Banks added a jumper but Kresimir Loncar kept ALBA within 18-28 after 10 minutes. Akeem Vargas split free throws early in the second quarter and Milosavljevic cut ALBA's deficit to 22-28. Reynolds hit foul shots but ALBA found a go-to guy in Taylor, who had 7 points in a 9-0 run which he capped with a layup to complete ALBA's comeback, 31-30. Nemanja Milosevic hit a jump hook, Loncar split foul shots and Akpinar hit both attempts for a 34-32 ALBA lead. David Cournooh shined with a three-point play and Reynolds scored in penetration but Mitchell Watt kept ALBA ahead, 38-37. Loncar, Banks and Kikanovic hit free throws and a floater by Reynolds kept Brindisi within 42-41 at halftime.

ALBA found a new go-to guy in Milosavljevic, who singelhandedly gave the hosts a 47-41 margin. Brindisi went scoreless for more than 2 minutes while free throws by Kikanovic made it an eight-point game, 49-41. Kadji scored around the basket and Banks took over with back-to-back three-pointer to tie it at 49-49. A red hot Banks insisted from downtown to cap an 0-11 run. Taylor joined the three-point shootout, Kadji buried a six-meter jumper and a layup by Loncar tied it at 54-54. Banks got help from Bagic to make Brindisi regain the lead, 54-59. Akpinar sank a triple and got help from Taylor and Milosavljevic to tie the game, 61-61. Free throws by Banks and Kadji allowed Brindisi to regain a 63-64 edge after 30 minutes. Cherry and Cournooh exchanged baskets early in the fourth quarter and a fast break basket by Reynolds gave the guests a 65-68 edge. Milosavljevic drew a couple of fouls and hit all 4 free throws to put ALBA back ahead, 69-68, with 6 minutes left. Milosevic downed a triple from the top of the key, Watt hit an off-balance shot and Taylor restored a 63-61 ALBA edge. Reynolds scored around the basket, Watt dunked and Cherry gave ALBA a 76-73 edge with over 2 minutes left. Reynolds sank a triple and split free throws but Loncar put ALBA back in charge, 78-77, with 25.4 seconds to go. Kadji scored down low off a Brindisi timeout and Milosavljevic missed a four-meter shot but Loncar grabbed the offensive board and scored to give ALBA the win in the final second.