Panionios Athens advanced to the Last 32 by downing already-qualified Besiktas Integral Forex Istanbul 77-67 on Wednesday. Now the two teams share first place with 6-3 records, but Besiktas kept the head-to-head tiebreaker on its side. Erick McCollum led the winners with 17 points and 4 assists, Marc Carter tallied 16 points plus 6 rebounds, Landon Milbourne added 15 points and Uros Duvnjak 11. Besiktas Integral Forex got 13 points apiece from Chirs Lofton and Colton Iverson who also added 8 rebounds, and 10 points plus 7 rebounds by Tomislav Ruzic.

Landon Milbourne hit from long distance to give a 10-5 margin to the home team before a dunk off a steal followined by a three from McCollum extended the difference to 22-12 late in the first quarter. Free throws from Ruzic and Kevin Langford made it 23-14 after 10 minutes. Panions started the second quarter on fire with high percentages from both mid-range and downtown for a 35-20 advantage when Round 8 MVP Carter hit a three. A 3-12 run by the visitors with 5 points drilled by Bradley Buckman and capped by a Sundiata Gaines layup made it 38-32 at halftime. Iverson tied the score at 38-38 with free throws early in the third quarter, then a triple nailed by Muratcan Guler gave a 40-43 slim margin to Besiktas. Fueled by Gaines with a three-point-play, the visitors stayed in front 42-46. Langford’s open court layup gave again the lead to Panionios, 47-46. The tams remained close with the home team leading 52-51 through three quarters. An Alexander Kyritsis jumper gave a 59-51 cushion to the home side early in the fourth quarter, then after Lofton hit a three for the visiting team, Carter scored 5 of 9 consecutive points netted by the hosts to raise the difference to 68-54 with three minutes left. Back-to-back threes from Lofton brough Besiktas within 70-63, but a Duvnjak jumper and free throws restored a comfortable 76-65 edge and Milbourne fixed the final result from the foul line.