2007-08Regular SeasonRound 10
January 03, 2008 CET: 18:15
Local time: 18:15 BASKETBALL CENTER DRAZEN PETROVIC

Aris TT Bank took a crucial step forwards to reach the Top 16 by edging Cibona 76-83

Aris TT Bank took a critical step torwards to reach the Top 16 in regular season Group B by downing Cibona 76-83 in Zagreb, Croatia on Thursday night. Aris improved to 6-4 in the Group B standings and will be tied for the fourth place at the end of this round. Meanwhile, Cibona dropped its fourth straight game and is now sixth at 3-7. The Croatian champs may need to settle for fighting to become the best sixth-ranked team in the competition if they hope to advance to the next stage. Jeremiah Massey led the winners with 20 points on 8-for-12 two-point shooting and Dimitris Tsaldaris was the key factor for Aris with a Euroleague carrer-high 18 points on 4-for-4 three-pointers, Bracey Wright added 13 and Reyshawn Terry had 11 for Aris. Chris Warren led Cibona with 29 points on 6-for-9 two-point and 5-for-8 three-point shooting, while Larry Ayuso added 23 for the hosts. Tsaldaris and Giorgios Kalaitzis helped Aris to get a 41-48 edge at halftime. Ayuso and Warren allowed Cibona stayed in the game and an 8-0 run got the hosts within 70-73 midway through the fourth quarter. However a 0-7 run that Tsaldaris capped with a triple helped Aris to seal a big road win.

Warren opened the scoring with a wild dunk off a steal that Massey matched with a close jumper at the other end. Ayuso tried to get the crowd involved with a three-pointer, good for a 5-2 Cibona lead. Hanno Mottola shined with a basket in the low post, but Ayuso answered from downtown to give Cibona an 8-4 edge. Massey made free throws, but a close basket by Luka Zoric and a put-back layup by Luksa Andric allowed Cibona to take a 12-6 lead. Tsaldaris nailed a jumper that Tre Kelley erased with free throws. Tsaldaris finished a third-chance Aris offense with a three-pointer and a fast break layup by Terrell Castle got Aris within 14-13. Ayuso kept pacing Cibona with a layup in transition, but a wild layup-plus-foul by Massey tied the game at 16-16. Hoskin hit a foul shot, but Tsaldaris gave Aris its first lead, 17-18. The guests switched to a 2-3 zone defense that allowed Kalaitzis to get a fast break layup, causing Cibona to call timeout at 17-20. Sam Hoskin and Mottola traded baskets before Kelley got Cibona within 20-22. An uncontested layup by Kalaitzis fixed the score at 20-24 after 10 minutes.

Andric shined with a huge dunk at the start of the second quarter, but Wright beat the hosts' zone defense with a six-meter jumper. Warren scored in the paint, but Terry answered from downtown to keep Aris ahead, 24-29. Wright scored in penetration, as the hosts could not manage to adjust their defense. Andric shined with a sweet move in the low post and Ayuso added a baseline jumper to get Cibona as close as 28-31. Kalaitzis made foul shots off an Aris timeout, but Ayuso matched those with a driving layup. Wright scored again in penetration, as Massey rested on the bench. Lazaros Agadakos grabbed a loose ball and put it in, which caused Cibona to call timeout at 30-36 to find a way to beat the guests' alternative defenses. Kalaitzis stepped up with a coast-to-coast layup, while Tsaldaris buried a corner triple that made it an 11-point game, 30-41, after a 0-9 run. Ayuso followed free throws with his third triple and even when Terry silenced the crowd with an outstanding dunk, a fast break layup by Warren got Cibona within 37-44. Hoskin scored in the paint only to see Massey follow a mid-range jumper with a fast break dunk for a 41-48 Aris edge at halftime.

Zoric buried a baseline jumper immediately after the break and Warren buried a triple from the corner to get Cibona back in the game, 46-48. Massey silenced the crowd with a driving basket before Tsaldaris fired one in from downtown to give Aris some fresh air at 46-53. Cibona did not keep its momentum going as a red-hot Tsaldaris made free throws to cap a 0-7 run. Ayuso stepped up again with a driving basket, but he didn't find much help around, as Aris kept dominating the game with outstanding defense. Wright collected a steal and turned in a three-point play to restore a double-digit Aris margin, 48-58. Filip Kruslin came off the bench and hit free throws, Hoskin soon added a jumper and Warren shined with a put-back layup to cause Aris to call timeout at 54-58. Ayuso made more foul shots while Warren caped a 10-0 Cibona run with a fast break layup to get the hosts back in the game, 58-58. Terry took over with a big triple from the left wing, which Massey followed with a fast break drunk to restore a 58-63 Aris edge. Warren shined with a driving layup, but Terry sank a corner triple. Free throws by Warren and Wright fixed the score at 62-68 after 30 minutes.

Massey stepped up with a big three-point play early in the fourth quarter, as Cibona struggled to score when it mattered. Massey paced Aris with a power move in the low post that helped Aris restore a double-digit lead, 62-73, as Cibona called a much-needed timeout. The hosts tried to speed up their offense and a red-hot Warren buried a three-pointer, as Cibona finally managed to improve its defense. Terry recorded a huge block on Barisa Krasic, but once again Warren struck from downtown to give Cibona some hope. Ayuso capped an 8-0 run with a floating jumper that saw Aris call timeout at 70-73. Wright picked up a loose ball and turned it into a critical jumper for a 70-75 Aris lead with three minutes to go. Aris kept powering the boards for second-chance options, as a big offensive rebound by Massey helped Mottola to get a game-deciding layup. A big triple by Tsaldaris sealed the outcome, 70-80, with less than two minutes to go, as Aris returned to Thessaloniki with a very valuable road win.

Thursday, January 3, 2008
Euroleague.net
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Referees: GARCIA, JOSE RAMON; ANKARALI, RECEP; ROCHA, FERNANDO
Attendance: 3000
By Quarter1234
Cibona20212114
Aris TT Bank24242015
End of Quarter1234
Cibona20416276
Aris TT Bank24486883
Cibona
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
4 WARREN, CHRIS 37:32 29 6/9 5/8 2/3   6 6 1 2 3     3 2 27
5 KELLEY, TRE 24:29 5 0/2 0/3 5/6   3 3           3 6 5
6 KRUSLIN, FILIP 14:12 2 0/1 0/1 2/2         1 2   1 2 2 -2
7 KRASIC, BARISA 20:29   0/1 0/1     1 1 1   1   2 3 3 -3
8 ZORIC, LUKA 8:06 4 2/3                     2   1
11 VUKUSIC, VEDRAN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
12 ANDRIC, LUKSA 28:43 6 3/4 0/1   4 4 8 3 2 4 1   3   11
13 AYUSO, LARRY 36:56 23 5/7 3/10 4/4 1 6 7 2   3     4 6 22
14 KASTROPIL, FRANKO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
15 HOSKIN, SAM 21:37 7 3/6   1/2   6 6     2   1 1 1 6
19 PRINC, VEDRAN 3:22                   1     1   -2
20 ROZIC, MARIN 4:34                              
Team           1 1 2               2
Totals 200:00 76 19/33 8/24 14/17 6 27 33 7 5 16 1 4 22 20 67
        57.6% 33.3% 82.4%
Head coach: SUNARA, IVAN
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Aris TT Bank
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
4 CASTLE, TERREL 12:16 3 1/1 0/1 1/2                 4   -3
5 TERRY, REYSHAWN 22:28 11 1/2 3/7   1 2 3   2 1 2   4   8
7 SERAPINAS, SIMONAS 4:02                         2   -2
8 WRIGHT, BRACEY 35:04 13 5/8 0/5 3/3 2 2 4 3 2 3       4 15
9 KALAITZIS, GEORGIOS 27:05 9 3/4 0/1 3/4   3 3 4 1       3 6 17
13 MOTTOLA, HANNO 21:09 6 3/8 0/1 0/1   5 5 1   2   1 1 4 5
14 MASSEY, JEREMIAH 32:31 20 8/12 0/2 4/4 2 5 7   4 1 2   1 4 29
15 AGADAKOS, LAZAROS 7:46 3 1/4   1/2 1   1             1 1
16 TSALDARIS, DIMITRIOS 35:41 18 1/3 4/4 4/4   4 4 1 1 2     4 3 19
18 KARADOLAMIS, DIMITRIOS 1:58                         1   -1
19 TSAIRELIS, MICHALIS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Team             2 2   2           4
Totals 200:00 83 23/42 7/21 16/20 6 23 29 9 12 9 4 1 20 22 92
        54.8% 33.3% 80%
Head coach: HERBERT, GORDON

Head Coaches

SUNARA, IVAN
Cibona
"It was hard to play with so many players injured and not being able to rotate as much. We opened the game well and played well in the second half and that should be our guidance in the future, but the end of the first quarter and pretty much the entire second quarter is how we cannot play. This team can play well and when it plays team defense, and had patience on offense. We have problems, but until we start practicing with a full team it is hard to talk about any player changes. Do we still have a chance to go through to the Top 16? We will see."
HERBERT, GORDON
Aris TT Bank
"It was important to get a lead in the first quarter and stay in the lead later on. We did a good job controlling the tempo and taking the crowd out of the game early. The biggest thing, I liked the way we played as a team. The hugest key was taking care of the basketball on the offensive end because Cibona runs the flow well, and attacks well on a fast break."

Players

WARREN, CHRIS
Cibona
"We just got to get used to our new coach. He is putting in a different style. We did not have much time to work. But give him credit, because we are still not doing the basic things to get a win. We are not rebounding and we are not defending. That costs us the game. Aris outplayed us and played together. For me this is past frustration, this is the worst streak I had in the two and a half years I have been here, and I’m ready for us to turn it around."
MASSEY, JEREMIAH
Aris TT Bank
"It is still not over, we still need one more game to be in the Top 16 for sure. We are getting better every day, and we are starting to click together. Cibona is a great team, and we know they play great at home. They made some though shots, but we expected them to do that. We did not expect them to let us win, and we are happy we got the win."
TERRY, REYSHAWN
Aris TT Bank
"It was a hard-fought game throughout. They made some shots, and had a few defensive stops that turned it into a few possessions game. We expected a little more problems in Zagreb, but I feel it is pretty difficult for a team to go through the coaching change and all the distractions and have their focus as important as they need to. Those guys were playing well but fortunately we were able to get a win. We are on a run lately, and we are trying to keep up the momentum."
TSALDARIS, DIMITRIOS
Aris TT Bank
"It is a big victory for us. Cibona is our main opponent for the fifth place. We wanted to win the game, start the New year with the win, and we did it. We had control of the game in every moment, we stayed focused and we did it."
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