Schilb, Green lead Paris to quarterfinals

Paris Levallois made it to the Eurocup quarterfinals for the first time in Eurocup history by downing PGE Turow Zgorzelec 78-87 in Poland on Wednesday. Paris swept the series and will keep fighting to win the competition. Blake Schilb paced the winners with 24 points and 5 assists. Mike Green added 21 points and 6 assists while Dionte Christmas had 15 points for Paris. Vlad Moldoveanu led Turow with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Damian Kulig added 16 points and 9 rebounds, Michal Chilinski had 11 points while Tony Taylor got 10 for the hosts. Kulig and an outstanding Moldoveanu gave Turow a 22-16 lead late in the first quarter. It didn't last long, however, as Schilb had 8 points in a series-changing 0-18 run which allowed Paris to get a 22-34 margin. Schilb and Christmas kept the guests way ahead, 34-44, at halftime. Turow improved its defense after the break and a three-pointer by Kulig brought the hosts as close as 44-46. Schilb and Sharrod Ford stepped up for Paris, giving the guests a 48-59 margin after 30 minutes. Paris boosted its margin to 57-69 soon after that and relied on Schilb and Green to keep their team ahead until the final buzzer.

Kulig got Turow going with a free throw and Chylinski added a layup for a 3-0 lead. Moldoveanu hit a running hook and struck from downtown but Schilb and Green kept Paris within 8-5. Green kept pacing the guests with a jumper and a triple but Kulig and Chris Wright put Turow back ahead, 12-10. Schilb and Green kept finding easy baskets but Kulig kept his team in front, 16-14. Moldoveanu shined with a six-meter jumper and a bomb from downtown to boost the hosts' lead to 22-18 after 10 minutes. Schilb took over with back-to-back three-pointers early in the second quarter. A layup by JBAM soon gave Paris a 22-26 edge - and a seven-point lead in the series. Christmas hit free throws and a put-back layup by Ford made Turow call timeout at 22-30. Schilb hit a one-handed running shot and added a catch-and-shoot jumper to cap a 0-18 Paris run. Taylor split foul shots and Mardy Collins hit a triple but Louis Labeyrie and an unstoppable Schilb kept Paris way ahead, 26-38. Christmas took over with back-to-back triples but Moldoveanu and Chylinski kept Turow within 34-44 at halftime.

Ford scored in the low post immediately after the break. Taylor tried to change things with consecutive layups which Chylinski followed with a three-pointer to give Turow hope at 41-46. Paris called timeout but Kulig hit a triple for a 44-46 deficit. Giovan Oniangue and Ford stepped up with back-to-back baskets and free throws by Green gave the guests fresh air at 46-52. Collins hit his second three-pointer but Maleye Ndoye quickly answered from downtown and Schilb nailed an eight-meter bomb off the dribble to beat the shot clock buzzer for a 49-58 Paris lead after 30 minutes. Christmas followed a three-pointer with free throws and Green added a three-pointer to boost the guests' lead to 54-66 early in the fourth quarter. Moldoveanu nailed a triple but Schilb and Christmas restored a 57-69 Paris lead with under 6 minutes left. Taylor and Moldoveanu fueled a 6-0 run which Aleksander Czyz capped with a dunk but Schilb found Labeyrie for an alleyoop layup and rounded his great game with a wild four-point play. Turow never gave up for Paris swept the series and stayed alive in the competition.