Alba downs Khimik in OT, reaches next round

Alba Berlin made it to the elimination rounds by edging Khimik Yuzhne 65-68 in overtime in Group N on Thursday. The game was played on Thursday due to force majeure. Alba could not make it to Yuzhne on Wednesday due to weather conditions. Alba improved to 4-0 while Khimik dropped to 2-2. Reggie Redding paced the winners with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Levon Kendall added 14 points and 11 rebounds while Vojdan Stojanovski had 10 points for Alba. Ronalds Freimanis led Khimik with 12 points. Kendall, Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann and a three-point play by Redding allowed Alba to get a 15-18 lead after 10 minutes. A layup by David Logan capped an 0-11 run that gave Alba a 15-26 margin. Paul Delaney, Matt Gatens and Romeo Travis fueled a 10-0 Khimik run that brought the hosts within 27-28. Redding and Stojanovski boosted Alba's lead to 28-35 at halftime. Khimik managed to get within 44-45 at the end of the third quarter and a layup-plus-foul by Vitaliy Kovalenko completed the hosts' comeback, 47-45, right after that. Wohlfarth-Bottermann tied it at 49-49 midway through the fourth quarter but Oleksandr Riabchuk struck twice from downtown in a 9-2 run that seemed to put Khimik ahead for good, 58-51. Kendall, Redding and Jan Jagla allowed Alba to force overtime, 59-59. Jamal Shuler gave Khimik its last lead, 65-63, as Cliff Hammonds, Redding and Kendall allowed Alba to finally return to Berlin with a ticket to the next round.

Leon Radosevic got Alba going with a jumper but back-to-back three-pointer by Freimanis gave Khimik a 6-2 lead. Alex King and Radosevic made free throws, as Alba held Khimik scoreless for more than 4 minutes. Meanwhile, a layup by Kendall put the guests back ahead, 6-7. Freimanis scored again and a layup by Sergiy Popov gave the hosts a 10-7 lead. Wohlfarth-Bottermann had 4 points in a 0-6 Alba run that gave his team a 10-13 lead. Popov made free throws, Kendall scored again and a three-pointer by Shuler tied it at 15-15. A layup-plus-foul by Redding gave Alba a 15-18 edge after 10 minutes. Jan Jagla and Stojanovski struck from downtown early in the second quarter and a layup by Logan made it a double-digit game, 15-26, after a 0-11 run. Travis and Radosevic traded jumpers and Freimanis brought Khimik a bit closer, 19-28. Another jumper by Travis made Alba call timeout at 21-28. Delaney and Gatens soon made it a one-point game, 27-28, after a 10-0 run. Alba went scoreless for more than 3 minutes until Stojanovski hit a triple. Back-to-back layups by Redding and Stojanovski boosted Alba's lead to 28-35 at halftime.

Both teams struggled to score after the break until Freimanis made free throws. Alba did not score for more than 3 minutes until Wohlfarth-Bottermann split free throws. Artem Pustovyi hit a jumper and a layup by Delaney made it a three-point game, 34-37. Stojanovski stepped up with a layup but Popov brought Khimik even closer, 38-39. Kendall and Kovalenko exchanged free throws but back-to-back baskets by Redding gave Alba some fresh air at 40-45. Foul shots by Gatens and Pustovyi brought the hosts within 44-45 after 30 minutes. A three-point play by Kovalenko completed the hosts' comeback, 46-45, early in the fourth quarter. Kovalenko dunked but Redding stepped up with a layup for a 49-47 Alba deficit with 6 minutes left. Wohlfarth-Bottermann dunked but Oleksandr Riabchuk did better with a three-pointer. Radosevic made free throws but Pustovyi and Shuler made Alba call timeout at 55-51. A three-pointer by Riabchuk seemed to seal the outcome, 58-51, in the next-to-last minute. Kendall and Redding stepped up in crunch time and Jagla made free throws for a 58-57 Alba deficit. Delaney split free throws and a dunk by Jagla tied it at 59-59 with 6 seconds left. Shuler missed a jumper at the end of regulation.

Gatens shined with a put-back dunk early in overtime but a layup by Hammonds tied it again, 61-61. Shuler made free throws, Kendall hit a jumper and Shuler put Khimik back ahead, 65-63. Redding split free throws and Hammonds followed that with a layup for a 65-66 Alba edge already in the final minute. A block by Redding allowed Kendall to make free throws at the other end, enough for Alba to escape with a go-ahead win.