Bellas's last-second basket lifts CAI over Trento

CAI Zaragoza struck first in its home-and-away Eurocup eighthfinals series by edging Dolomiti Energia Trento 85-83 at home on Wednesday. As such, CAI has a two-point lead in the two-way series, which now moves to Trento for the decisive 2nd leg. A big basket by Tomas Bellas with 0.7 seconds left allowed CAI to win the game down the stretch. Bellas and Slava Kravtsov led the winners with 14 points apiece. Henk Norel and Joan Sastre each had 12 while Stevan Jelovac added 10 for CAI. Julian Wright led Trento with 22 points. Davide Pascolo added 19, Dominique Sutton had 13, Trento Lockett got 12 while Jamarr Sanders contributed 11 for the guests. Lockett led a 2-13 run which allowed Trento to get an early 6-13 lead. Pascolo and Sutton allowed the guests to get a double-digit margin, 18-28, after 10 minutes. A dunk by Wright kept Trento way ahead, 27-39, but Kravtsov and Sastre stepped up to bring CAI as close as 44-45 at halftime. Norel and Pere Tomas shined after the break and a three-pointer by Sastre gave the hosts a 63-55 margin, which Trento cut to 68-66 after 30 minutes. Tomas gave CAI a 83-78 lead but Pascolo and Sanders tied it at 83-83 before Bellas gave CAI a two-point lead in the series.

Norel got CAI going with a tip-in which Bellas followed with a driving layup for a 4-0 lead. Lockett followed free throws with a three-pointer to give Trento its first lead, 4-5. Pascolo hit a jump hook that Sastre erased with a fast break layup. Wright hit a mid-range jumper which Sanders followed with a fast break slam for a 6-11 Trento edge. Lockett scored down low to cap a 2-13 run, as Bellas stepped up with a triple. Wright shined with a tip-in and Pascolo bettered Norel's layup with back-to-back baskets. Pascolo kept pacing Trento with a six-meter jumper and even when Jelovac and Norel made free throws, Sutton kept Trento way ahead. Sastre and Lockett exchanged three-pointers for a 18-28 score after 10 minutes. Sutton beat the shot clock buzzer with a wild triple but Jelovac answered from downtown and added a put-back basket for a 23-31 CAI deficit. Toto Forray scored down low while Wright followed a reverse layup with a dunk to make CAI call timeout at 27-39. Kravtsov tried to change things with consecutive layups, Sek Henry scored in penetration and a three-pointer by Nate Linhart made Trento stop the game at 36-41. Kravtsov shined with an alleyoop slam and Isaac Fotu erased Lockett's jumper with free throws. Pascolo scored again but Sastre and Bellas brought CAI within 44-45 at the break.

Norel scored in the low post soon after halftime and a three-pointer by Tomas gave CAI a 49-45 margin. Trento had been scoreless for 3 minutes and an alleyoop slam by Sastre capped a 7-0 CAI run. Sanders stepped up with a three-pointer, Norel found space for an uncontested dunk and an alleyoop layup by Tomas made the guests call timeout at 55-48. Sanders insisted from downtown which Wright followed with a put-back basket for a 55-53 Trento deficit. Bellas followed a three-pointer with free throws and Sastre bettered Pascolo's off-balance basket with a bomb from downtown for a 63-55 CAI lead. Wright stepped up with back-to-back baskets, making the hosts call timeout at 63-59. Jelovac hit a jumper that Pascolo improved with a triple. Sutton split foul shots, Robin Benzing struck from downtown but so did Wright to keep Trento within 68-66 after 30 minutes. Wright and Peppe Poeta put the guests ahead, 68-70, early in the fourth quarter. Kravtsov dunked again, igniting a 9-1 run which he capped with a layup for a 77-71 CAI lead. Sutton scored twice in penetration, getting help from Wright to bring Trento within 79-78. Norel hit a jump hook and Tomas added a driving layup but free throws by Pascolo and a three-pointer by Sanders tied it at 83-83. Bellas banked in an off-balance shot with 0.7 seconds left to give CAI the lead in the series.