Bennet Cantu improved to 2-2 in Group E and increased its chances to reach the Last 16 by downing GasTerra Flames 81-54 at home on Tuesday. Cantu ties with Panellinios for second place in this group and will mathematically advance to the next round if it wins in Athens and Galatasaray downs GasTerra in Game 5 next week. GasTerra needs to beat Galatasaray in Istanbul to keep chances to reach the Last 16. Manu Markoishvili led 6 Cantu players in double digits with 16 points. Nicolas Mazzarino added 11 while Arminas Urbutis, Benjamin Ortner, Jonathan Tabu and Vladimir Micov each had 10 for the winners. Jason Dourisseau had 11 points for GasTerra while Matt Haryasz added 10. Cantu opened the game with a 15-5 run and soon boosted its margin to 27-7 late in the first quarter. GasTerra managed to get within 38-24 at halftime but Cantu improved its margin to 58-36 with a minute left in the third quarter and did not find much trouble to register a well-deserved win.

Mazzarino got Cantu going with a triple but Dorisseau answered from downtown for a 3-3 tie. It didn't last long, however, as Maarten Leunen joined the three-point shootout, igniting a 7-0 run that Mike Green capped with a jumper for a 10-3 Cantu lead. Dourisseau tried to change things with a put-back basket but a layup by Micov and a three-pointer by Tabu boosted Cantu's lead to double digits, 15-5. Dourisseau dunked it off a steal but Markoishvili had 4 points in a 10-0 run that broke the game open, 27-7. A put-back basket by Haryasz brought GasTerra within 27-9 after 10 minutes. Micov stepped up with a layup early in the second quarter but Stephen Ross answered with a jumper for a 29-11 score. Robby Bostain sank a jumper and John Turek added free throws but only brought the guests within 33-15. Mazzarino swished his second triple but Ross and Aron Roije got GasTerra even closer, 36-20. Jason Ellis scored around the basket and Matt Bauscher matched Ortner's jumper with a layup to fix the halftime score at 38-24.

Cantu improved its defense after the break, while Ortner split free throws and Micov added a layup for a 41-24 lead. Turek followed a layup with a jumper but once again Ortner and Micov kept Cantu out of trouble at 47-28. Dourisseau tried to ignite the guests' comeback with a layup and Haryasz added a jumper for a 47-32 score. Markoishvili and Mazzarino struck from downtown to gave Cantu a 19-point lead, 53-34. Haryasz kept pacing GasTerra with a jumper but an unstoppable Markoishvili followed another triple with a jumper to boost the hosts'lead to 58-36. Free throws by Henry Bekkering got GasTerra within 58-38 after 30 minutes. Free throws by Michele Mian and a big triple by Tabu sealed the outcome, 63-69, early in the fourth quarter. GasTerra kept trying, however, as Haryasz followed an easy basket with a jumper and Bauscher added a bomb from downtown, but it was already too little, too late for the guests. Cantu improved its chances to stay alive in the competition while GasTerra now faces a make-or-break game against Galatasaray in Istanbul next week.