Sluc Nancy became the first French team since 2003 to advance to the ULEB Cup elimination rounds by edging visiting Gran Canaria Grupo Dunas 76-71 in Group A on Tuesday. Nancy, which made it to the next round in its first-ever ULEB Cup appearance, improved to 5-3 and ties with Hemofarm for the second place in the Group A standings, one win behind Lietuvos Rytas, first at 6-2. These three teams have already made it to the next round, while Strasbourg, fourth at 4-4, is all but mathematically qualified. Dan McClintock led the winners with 24 points on 10 of 12 two-pointers and 9 rebounds. Tariq Kirksay added 17 points, Branko Milisavljevic had 13 while Cedrick Banks scored 11 points and dished 8 assists for Nancy. Jackson Vroman led Gran Canaria with a monster double-double of 28 points and 14 rebounds. Jimmie Hunter added 10 points for Gran Canaria, which rallied for a 14-point deficit to get a 44-47 lead midway through the third quarter. Banks fueled a 8-0 run to put Nancy back ahead and the hosts kept full control throughout the fourth quarter to add a historical win.

Nancy had a strong start, as a layup by Milisavljevic ignited a 6-0 opening run which Kirksay capped with a dunk. Gran Canaria went scoreless in the opening 2 minutes until Vroman scored around the basket but McClintock matched it and added free throws for a 10-2 Nancy lead. Joel Freeland shined with a layup but Milisavljevic answered from downtown to make it a nine-point game, 13-4. Kornel David stepped up with a put-back layup which McClintock erased with a dunk, while Banks hit free throws to give nancy its first double-digit lead, 17-6. Marcus Norris buried a three-pointer, but Banks and Cyril Julian combined for all points in a 6-0 run for a 23-9 Nancy margin. Jim Moran nailed one from downtown to get the guests within 23-12 after 10 minutes. Julian scored again but Gran Canaria was ready to fight. A three-pointer by Victor Baldo ignited a 1-9 run in which Vroman scored twice around the basket to bring the guests back to life, 26-21. McClintock scored again and Kirksay added a triple, but Roberto Guerra and Vroman kept Gran Canaria close at 31-25. McClintock dunked it again and soon added a layup for a 35-26 margin after 18 minutes. Kirksay scored inside and Milisavljevic added a jumper, but David and Vroman helped Gran Canaria to get within 39-32 at halftime.

Vroman stayed on fire after the break and scored twice to get Gran Canaria back into the game, 39-36, early in the third quarter. Milisavljevic stepped up with a layup which Vroman - who else? - erased in the other end and added free throws for a 41-40 score. Victor Samnick shined with a put-back layup but Moran and Hunter gave Gran Canaria its first lead of the game, 44-45, midway through the third quarter. Hunter scored again, but Banks had 5 points in a 8-0 run which Julian capped with free throws, good for a 52-47 Nancy lead. Freeland dunked it, but McClintock and Kirksay scored inside to keep Nancy ahead, 56-49. A put-basket by Vroman and a free throw by McClintock fixed the score at 57-51 after three quarters. McClintock and Vroman exchanged baskets right at the start of the final period. Vroman fed Norris for a close basket but Nancy kept running its offense through McClintock, who scored twice to keep his team ahead at 63-55. Freeland buried a jumper which Kirksay matched with a close basket. Banks scored in penetration to make Gran Canaria call timeout, 67-57, with 5 minutes to go. Time was running out for the guests, who kept struggling to score. Meanwhile, Banks fed Kirksay for a triple but Guerra and Hunter answered from downtown to give the guests some hope, 74-69, already in the final minute. Milisavljevic sealed the win from the free throw line, allowing all Nancy fans to celebrate that their fans will fight for the ULEB Cup title!