Telindus Oostende defeated Beghelli Fortitudo Bologna 81-73 in a replayed Week 8 game on Saturday to keep its elimination rounds hopes intact. Jerry Green scored 13 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished 4 assists to lead six Oostende scorers in double figures as the Belgian champs improved to 5-4. Oostende can seal a spot in the next stage with a win on Tuesday at Red Star, or even with a defeat, depending upon other results. The game, which originally took place on January 8 with Oostende being credited with a 62-60 victory, was replayed due to a disputed three-point shot by Beghelli at the end of regulation time. This time Oostende put the game away earlier. Fortitudo got within 68-67 with four minutes remaining but Elvir Ovcina keyed a 13-4 run that wrapped up a home victory for head coach Sharon Drucker’s side. The result also mathematically ended Fortutido’s chances of advancing to the next stage. Chuck Davis led Oostende with 15 points, Ovcina added 12, Sam Van Rossom and Veselin Petrovic had 11 each and Chris McCray finished with 10. Stefano Mancinelli led Fortitudo with 18 points, Kristaps Janicenoks scored 15, Oscar Torres 13 and Alessandro Cittadini finished with a season-high 12 points.

Iker Iturbe opened the scoring for Fotitudo with a three-pointer, but Van Rossom soon got Oostende on the board the same way. The hosts then went ahead on a Davis three-point play, but the teams remained even with Davis and James Thomas playing prime roles for their teams. Oostende made its move at the midway point of the quarter, running off 12 straight points, punctuated by back-to-back triples from Petrovic and Ivory Titus to claim a 20-10 advantage. Mancinelli ended a five-minute Bologna drought with a bucket to end the first period at 20-12. The visitors closed the gap in the second period with Janicenoks and Mancinelli connecting from downtown and Cittadini making noise in the paint as the deficit eventually shriveled to 2 points. McCray heated with 7 quick points in a 9-2 spurt that made it 43-34, but Cittadini and Janicenoks added points to close within 43-38 at halftime. Davide Lamma stepped up with an assist to Mancinelli and then a basket of his own to tie the score at 45-45. Green and Veselin answered back to give Oostende a slim lead, but Fortitudi remained close behind and tied it again at 58-58 on an Torres triple. Howevr McCray capped the third quarter with a three-pointer for a 62-58 Oostende lead. Green helped the hosts remain ahead and when Greg Brunner grabbed and offensive rebounds, scored and was fouled, the lead shot up to 68-61. But almost as quickly, a Janicenoks three-point play and Cittadini bucket on the offensive glass got Bologna within 2, prompting an Oostende timeout. An Iturbe free throw made it a 1-point game, but Oostende didn’t cave in. Baskets by Davis, Green and Ovcina cemented Oostende’s lead, 74-67. Ovcina killed Fortitudo’s last hopes with a triple on one end and blocking Cittadini on the other as Oostende increased the cushion to double figures for the first time since the first period to wrap up the win.