A yellow storm in the last quarter in the shape of a 26-5 run in 7 minutes allowed Aris BSA 2003 take the first home win of the Last 16 in front of Budivelnik by 85-69 in a Group J game. Budivelnik had managed to stay in the game throughout 30 minutes and in the start of the last period the team even managed to make it a one-point game at 59-58, but after that, it was Aris all the way to the final buzzer. Bobby Brown was the best man for the winners with his 23 points, followed by Christos Tapoutos and Kostas Sloukas with 15 each and Dejan Borovnjak with 11. For Budivelnik, who suffered from a 3 of 19 from the arc, Zach Morley and Lamayne Wilson had 14 points each, Michailis Anisimov added 12 and Billy Keys had 10.
Lamayne Wilson opened the game with his three for Budivelnik but Aris reacted fast through Christos Tapoutos and P.J. Tucker to jump ahead 4-3. Budivelnik
stood close throughout the first period thanks to the points of Billy Keys, but Aris, led by Tapoutos and Bobby Brown kept the hosts ahead until the end of
the first 10 minutes, 22-15. The second quarter started with stronger defenses and Budivelnik being able to pull within 24-20 with Michailis Anisimov's
layup. A 4-0 ignited Aris back into the game and, little by little, the hosts climbed to a double-digit lead led by the same two protagonists of the first
period to make it 36-24 in minute 17. The big lead persisted until the end of the first half as Budivelnik's 1 of 13 from the arc was becoming a big burden,
41-30 at the break.
Things turned around after resumption. Budivelnik was back on the court with the right attitude and, despite the persisting three-point problems, the guests
managed to build an 11-19 run in six minutes to rally to 52-49 led by Wilson. Aris was counting on Brown, almost exclusively, but it was not enough to stop
the charge of the guests that made it 52-51 in the next play. The hosts however, managed to resist thanks to a last Tapoutos basket to make it 59-53 after 30
minutes. Very few people could have predicted what would happen in the last period. A starting 0-5 for Budivelnik meda it a one-point game after Andy Betts' basket, but after that, came a 26-5 avalanche in the following 8 minutes that nobody in the guests could stop. Dejan Borovnjak appeared to lead his team in the quarter along with the usual suspects, Tapoutos and Brown to make it 85-63 in minute 38. Zach Morley's basket for the guests arrived already too late for his team as Aris started the Last 16 with the right foot.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Eurocupbasketball.com