Croatia: Cedevita wins the Kresimir Cosic Cup
Cedevita Zagreb defeated Zadar 86-82 in Vukovar to win the 2015 Kresimir Cosic Cup. It was Cedevita’s second-straight cup victory and third overall. Miro Bilan went for 20 points and 10 rebounds and Nemanja Gordic added 19 points and 4 assists to lead the winners. Zadar made up all of a 9-point fourth quarter deficit to tie it at 82-82 when Josip Sobin split free throws with 24 seconds remaining. However Gordic answered with a clutch three with 8 seconds left and Marko Ramljak missed from downtown for Zadar. Fran Pilepic’s free throw with 0.9 seconds remaining iced the win. Pilepic finished with 15 points. James Florence led Zadar with 24 points and 8 assists, Ive Ivanov scored 14 and Sobin added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Spain: Barcelona, Unicaja win Copa del Rey openers
The first two Copa del Rey quarterfinalists are FC Barcelona and Unicaja Malaga. Alex Abrines and Justin Doellman scored 16 points apiece as FC Barcelona outlasted Valencia Basket 85-80 in the first quarterfinals game in Gran Canaria. Unicaja bested Bilbao Basket 86-78. Barcelona led for much of the game, but Valencia always stayed close. Abrines gave his team a promising 62-53 edge late in the third quarter, however Nemanja Nedovic and Pablo Aguilar had Valencia back within 3 early in the fourth. A pair of Abrines threes helped Barcelona to a 70-59 cushion. Once again, Valencia rallied and a pair of Sam Van Rossom triples gave it a fighting chance at 85-81 with a minute to go. But Boban Dubljevic and Rafa Martinez missed from downtown and Barcelona held on for the win. Abrines and Doellman were a combined 6 for 6 from downtown for the winners, who made 13 of 21 threes (61.9%). Ante Tomic added 14 points and 7 rebounds and Mario Hezonja scored 13. Dubljevic paced Valencia with 19 points and Van Rossom scored 11.
Jayson Granger scored 18 points and dished 4 assists and Mindauga Kuzminskas added 15 points and 7 boards to lead Unicaja to an 86-78 victory. Unicaja led 41-37 at halftime and then scored the first 8 points of the second half. Bilbao narrowed the gap to 6 on multiple occasions and a Joaquin Colom triple made it 75-70 midway through the fourth quarter. Stefan Markovic came through with 5 points in the final three minutes to stop Bilbao’s comeback in its tracks. Ryan Toolson and Markovic scored 10 points apiece for Unicaja. Colom and Dairis Bertans led Bilbao with 17 points each.
Turkey: Anadolu Efes ousts Galatasaray in quarters
The second semifinal of the 2015 Turkish Cup will pit Anadolu Efes Istanbul against Darusafaka Dogus after both won their quarterfinals games on Thursday in Gaziantep. Efes outlasted Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 79-73 behind 22 points from Thomas Heurtel. The game was tied 59-59 through three quarters, but Milko Bjelica and Dario Saric scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter to put Efes on top for good. Justin Carter free throws brought Galatasaray within 67-64 with five minutes remaining. After back-to-back baskets by Bjelica and Heurtel, Galatasaray never got within 5 again. Heurtel made 4 of 6 threes in a starring role for Efes, while Matt Janning added 15 points and Bjelica scored 11. Kerem Gonlum paced a balanced Galatasaray attack with 14 points and 9 rebounds, Carter scored 12 and Ender Arslan compiled 11 points and 7 assists in defeat.
In the day’s first game, Darusafaka Dogus defeated Ronesans Ted Ankara Kolejliler 50-69 as Erwin Dudley posted 15 points and 9 rebounds and Taylor Brown had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Darusafaka already led by 20 late in the second quarter and held an 18-38 advantage at halftime. The difference reached 33-63 midway through the fourth quarter as Darusafaka cruised to victory. Matt Gatens led Ankara with 10 points and 9 rebounds.
Serbia: Partizan dominates quarterfinals
Partizan NIS Belgrade routed Vojvodina Srbijagas 81-54 in Nis to cruise to the Radivoj Korac Cup semifinals. Partizan held its opponents to 6 second-quarter points in building a 33-17 halftime lead and then scored 32 points in the third quarter to put the game away. Partizan also outrebounded Vojvodina 51-27. Sasha Pavlovic led Partizan with 14 points, Dragan Milosavljevic added 11 and Bozo Djumic 10. Rados Seslija scored 9 for Vojvodina. In the early game, Vrsac Swisslion topped Metalac Farmakom 73-78. Dejan Davidovac scored 18 points on 14 of 17 free throw shooting for the winners, Stefan Balmazovic added 17 points and Dragan Apic posted a double-double.
Slovenia: Semifinals picture is complete
Tajfun and Krka joined Union Olimpija Ljubljana and Zlatorog in the Slovenian Cup semifinals after winning their quarterfinals games on Thursday. Tajfun defeated Helios Suns 77-87 as Djordje Lelic scored 23 points and Emir Zimic corralled 13 rebounds for the winners. Helios led 46-43 at halftime, but Lelic erupted for 13 points in a 0-18 run that bridged the third and fourth quarter for a 58-70 Tajfun advantage. Helios closed to within 73-78 with four minutes remaining, however Tajfun finished strong to win. Luka Voncina led Helios with 21 points. Krka Novo Mesto routed Kolpa Crnomelj 53-71 behind a big second half. Krka outscored its opponents 23-45 after the break. Alexis Wangmene led Krka with 14 points and Matej Rojc added 10. Crt Ristic led Crnomelj with 15 points.