Davis, Rowland lead Banvit to big road win

In an outstanding battle that went down to the final minute, Banvit Bandirma grabbed its fifth win in Group E by edging Hapoel Jerusalem 78-82 in the Holy City on Wednesday. Banvit ties with Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius for first place in Group E, each with a 5-1 record. Both teams may qualify to the Last 32 if they win next week. Jerusalem dropped to 1-5. Chuck Davis led the winners with 20 points. E.J. Rowland added 19, Keith Simmons had 16, Vladimir Dragicevic got 12 while Vladimir Veremeenko contributed 10 for Banvit. Bracey Wright led Jerusalem with 21 points. Lior Eliyahu added 15, Donta Smith had 13 and 11 rebounds while Derwin Kitchen got 11 points for the guests. It all came down to an outstanding fourth quarter which saw as many as 7 lead changes. In the last of them, a layup by Rowland gave Banvit a 72-73 edge in the next-to-last minute. Simmons, Rowland and Davis combined for 9-of-10 free throws in crunch time to lead Banvit to a very important road win.

Eliyahu and Wright gave Jerusalem an early 4-1 lead. Kitchen sank back-to-back jumpers to make Banvit call timeout at 8-1. Veremeenko dunked and Davis added a jumper but Eliyahu and Smith restored a 12-5 Jerusalem edge. A 0-7 run that Davis capped with an easy basket tied it at 12-12. Davis stayed unstoppable and free throws by Rowland and Veremeenko gave Banvit a 18-21 edge after 10 minutes. Consecutive baskets by Smith brought Jerusalem within 22-23 early in the second quarter. Free throws by Joseph Jones soon put the hosts back ahead, 26-25. Dragicevic and Rowland stepped up with consecutive layups and Davis added a jumper but a three-pointer by Bar Timor tied it at 31-31. Wright and Yaniv Green shined late in the first half but Dragicevic and Rowland allowed Banvit to tie the game again, 39-39, at halftime. Rowland and Mejia took over after the break and Veremeenko gave Banvit a 41-45 edge. Eliyahu followed a jumper with a dunk but three-pointers by Davis and Rowland boosted the guests' lead to 46-51. Wright had 6 points in an 8-0 run that restored a 54-51 Jerusalem edge. Rowland and Mejia gave Banvit a 55-56 edge but Wright singlehandedly put the hosts back ahead, 60-56, after 30 minutes. Dragicevic and Simmons led an 0-8 run that gave Banvit a 60-64 lead. Several lead changes followed, as Eliyahu gave Jerusalem a 65-64 edge, Dragicevic and Simmons restored a 65-68 lead but Jones put the hosts back ahead, 70-68. Simmons shined with a three-point play and Smith gave Jerusalem its last lead, 72-71. Rowland stepped up with the go-ahead basket and free throws by Davis, Simmons and once again Rowland sealed the outcome, 78-82, with 6 seconds left, allowing Banvit to get much closer to the Last 32.