Oldenburg wins a thriller against Limoges to clinch Group I

EWE Baskets Oldenburg edged Limoges CSP 92-88 for a sweep that booked its place in the eighthfinals for the first time ever on Wednesday night. Oldenburg, which never made it past the Eurocup regular season prior to this campaign, improved to 4-1 record, clinching first place in Group I. The reigning French champion Limoges drops to 2-3 record, but holds destiny in its own hands as it needs to win next week at home against PAOK Thessaloniki to go through. Both sides hit 12 triples on the night, and neither team held a double-digit lead at any point during 40 minutes. Game went down to the wire, as Brian Qvale and Vaugh Duggins made clutch plays in the final 4 minutes of the contest to secure a historic win for the hosts. Duggins scored 21 points, Klemen Prepelic netted 16, Qvale had 13, and Scott Machado added 11 in victory. Will Daniels scored 15 for a balanced Limoges attack. Nobel Boungou-Colo had 14 points, Leo Westermann added 13 points with 6 assists, while Ali Traore contributed with 12 and Bo McCalebb with 11 points in defeat.

Prepelic hit a three, and Qvale made a put-back for the hosts, but Limoges set the tone with Daniels, and Traore coming off the bench, helping make it 7-10. Oldenburg regained narrow lead with Robin Smeulders scoring 5 points, and Philipp Schwethelm hitting a triple, but Traore and Yakhouba Diawara made sure Limoges stays within 17-16 after 10 minutes. Westermann hit a three to put the visitors back in front, but back-to-back three-pointers from Schwethelm and Prepelic made it 26-23. Qvale added a three-point play to the hosts’ tally, but Matt Gatens hit from long range, while Daniels, Traore and Boungou-Colo made baskets to give Limoges 31-34. Before halftime, however, Machado nailed a pair of triple for the hosts, and Diawara hit one for Limoges, helping make it 41-41 at the break.

At the start of the third Prepelic hit two three-pointers for Oldenburg, and after Westermann’s three, Prepelic made a basket-plus-foul to spark a 7-0 run that put Oldenburg in front 55-48. Duggins and Boungou-Colo traded baskets, before Duggins’ put-back made it 63-55. Daniels and McCalebb quickly erased the deficit, getting Limoges within 2 points, but Machado’s triple gave Oldenburg 67-62 after 30 minutes. Duggins and Qvale scored baskets for Oldenburg, but Daniels and McCalebb hit triples for Limoges, 71-68. Schaffartzik added a triple to make it a 1-point game, then traded threes with Schwethelm. Qvale scored inside to make it 78-75, but Westermann hit a three-pointer, fifth for Limoges in the fourth quarter, to tie it at 78-78. Oldenburg regained lead with a pair of baskets from Qvale, 82-78. After Westermann’s fouls shots, Duggins and Schaffartzik traded three-pointers, making it 85-83 going into the final 60 seconds. But Duggins made a three-point play to extend the margin to five points. Camara’s put-back gave Limoges hope, but Chris Kramer sealed the deal with 15 seconds to go, sending Oldenburg into the eighthfinals.