CEZ Nymburk held on to take a 79-71 overtime victory over Gran Canaria 2014 on Tuesday, shaking up the Group L standings which only hours before had two teams on the verge of clinching Quarterfinals berths. After a wild fourth quarter that featured five ties and three lead changes, the Czech champs put things away in the fourth quarter to win and improve to 2-2, the same record as Gran Canaria, though head coach Pedro Martinez’s men enjoy the tiebreak advantage after winning their previous meeting by 15. The two teams trail group leader Crvena Zvezda (3-1), which hosts Nymburk next week, while Turk Telekom (1-3) hosts Gran Canaria as it tries to climb back into Quarterfinal contention. It was a true thriller that saw Gran Canaria make the first serious run to take a 17-14 lead after 10 minutes. Mike Lenzly and Ladislav Sokolovsky scored all the points n a 17-0 second quarter charge as Nymburk took control at halftime. 44-34. Granca battled back Jaycee Carroll for 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, setting up an exciting finish. Arthur Lee led Nymburk with 19 points, Sokolovsky added 17, Petr Benda and Lenzly had 13 each and Ron Lewis netted 10 for the winners. Carroll paced Gran Canaria with 21 points, Sitapha Savane added 15 points and 8 rebounds and Tomas Bellas scored 10 and dished 5 assists.

Petr Benda scored inside and Lee penetrated to set up a promising start for the hosts before Jim Moran struck from downtown. Granca’s James Augustine soon converted a basket-plus-foul to knot the game at 6, but Lee hit a triple and Benda’s steal set up a Lewis jam and an 11-6 lead. Carroll’s first three again tied the game and his second gave the visitors their first lead, 15-16. Benda put Nymburk back ahead, but it was to be brief as Bellas sank 2 free throws and Moran and Josh Fisher hit back-to-back triples to give Gran Canaria a 17-24 lead after 10 minutes. Benda scored on the offensive glass to open the second quarter. A Bellas triple kept the Gran Canaria bench smiling, but Lenzly also connected from behind the arc and Sokolovsky heated up with a basket-plus-foul followed by a three-pointer to put the hosts up 28-27. His next three brought the crowd to its feet. Lenzly soon added a pair of free throws and then sank another big three-pointer that put Nymburk up 9 as the duo wrapped up a 17-0 charge in which they scored all the points. Will McDonald finally ended the Granca drought with a free throw and Marcus Norris fed Savane as the visitors clawed back to 36-31. Phil Ricci corrected his own miss and Lewis made a layup to put Nymburk ahead by double figures. McDonald’s tip in ended the first half with his team within 41-34.

Savane made it to the line twice and sank 3 free throws early in the third quarter, but a Lee triple and some Lewis free throws kept Nymburk in control, 46-37. But when Carroll struck from downtown, Granca started to regain confidence. Lewis would tack on 2 more free throws as the lead grew to 52-42, however Bellas countered with a three-point play and a red-hot Carroll drilled a pair of threes as he scored 8 straight points to put his etam ahead. Savane made it 52-55, capping a 0-13 Gran Canaria burst before Sokolovsky knotted the game with a three at the end of the quarter. Lenzly put Granca ahead to start the fourth only to see Savane tie it on the next possession. The pace dropped as the tension rose and points became harder to come by. Bellas put Granca up by 4 before a Lee three made it 60-61 midway through the fourth quarter. After Carroll scored, James Augustine’s slam and foul gave the visitors a promising 60-66 lead. However Sokolovsky from downtown and Benda’s basket-and-foul knotted the score once more. Lenzly also scored and drew a foul to put the home team up 69-68. Savane’s block on Lee got the ball back for Gran Canaria and Moran tied the game with a free throw. But Benda missed twice for the hosts and Carroll missed from downtown for the visitors before the buzzer sounded, signaling an extra session with the score tied 69-69.

Benda scored from the line to start the overtime period, but soon found himself on the bench with 5 fouls. In the meantime, Carroll tied the game and Sokolovsky put the hosts back on top. McDonald’s woes from the free-throw line continued and Phil Ricci capitalized with an offensive rebound and score before his steal led to a Lee basket and a 77-71 Nymburk cushion. Carroll and Norris both missed threes and Lee sank 2 free throws to ice the win and keep Nymburl alive and kicking in the fight to reach the Quarterfinals.