CEZ Basketball Nymburk made it to the Eurocup Last 16 despite a 74-82 home loss against Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem in group A on Wednesday. Both teams tied for second place in Group A at 3-3 but Nymburk was second and Hapoel third on points differential. Nymburk had registered a 69-86 road win in Jerusalem which happened to be decisive down the stretch. Nymburk is now ready for a Last 16 group which features Valencia Basket, Bilbao Basket and VEF Riga. Raviv Limonad led the winners with 20 points. Josh Duncan added 17 for Hapoel. Miljan Pavkovic had 19 points for Nymburk while Petr Benda added 12. Pavkovic allowed Nymburk to get a 22-21 edge after 10 minutes and Nymburk improved its margin to 45-43 at halftime. Limonad took over after the break to make Hapoel get a 60-73 margin. Benda, Pavkovic and Rado Rancik stepped up to make Nymburk stay away from trouble and advance to the next round.

Duncan got Hapoel going with a three-pointer but Mike Taylor answered from downtown and a put-back layup by Benda gave Nymburk its first lead, 5-3. Taylor capped a 7-0 run with a fast break layup, Courtney Fells hit a triple and Jacob Pullen followed a jumper with free throws to restore a 7-10 Hapoel edge. Rancik buried a triple but Josh Duncan and Elishay Kadir kept Hapoel ahead, 10-15. Pavkovic rescued Nymburk with free throws and a layup by Benda kept the hosts within 14-15. Meir Tapiro hit a jumper and Fells split free throws but Radek Necas allowed Nymburk to regain a 19-18 edge. A three-pointer by Miljan Pavkovic helped Nymburk to stay ahead, 22-21, after 10 minutes. Tapiro struck from downtown early in the second quarter but a dunk by Drew Naymick tied it at 24-24. Kadir and Dan Grunfeld stepped up to make the hosts call timeout at 24-27. Pavkovic shined with a three-point play and Lukas Palyka buried a triple to put Nymburk back ahead, 30-29. Grunfeld scored down low but Pavkovic and Benda fueled a 6-0 run that gave Nymburk some fresh air, 36-31. Limonad took over with 7 points in an 0-9 run that made Hapoel get a 36-40 edge. Naymick followed a dunk with a jumper in a 9-0 run which Palyza capped with a slam for a 45-40 Nymburk lead. A three-point play by Duncan fixed the halftime score at 45-43.

Kadir and Limonad took over with consecutive baskets right after the break but Rancik and Benda answered with back-to-back jumpers for a 49-47 Nymburk edge. Duncan and Vojtech Hruban traded jumpers and free throws by Pullen tied it at 51-51. Duncan scored down low and Benda answered with a jumper but he didn't find much help around. Meanwhile, Pullen and Kadir stepped for Hapoel to give the guests a 53-58 lead. Both teams were aware that Budivelnik would bear Prienai and Hapoel improved its defense to get closer to the 18-point margin it needed to advance. Duncan, Craig Smith and Limonad shined late in the third quarter to make it a double-digit game, 55-65, after 30 minutes. Fells and Taylor traded baskets early in the fourth quarter, as Nymburk improved its defense. Meanwhile, Pavkovic brought Nymburk within 60-67. It didn't last long, as Tapiro and Limonad combined for all points in a 0-6 run that boosted Hapoel's margin to 60-73. Benda rescued Nymburk with a layup and Pavkovic buried a triple for a 65-75 deficit. Pavkovic hit free throws and by the time Rancik scored again, everything was said and done already, 69-75, with 3 minutes left. Hapoel walked out of the competition with a prestigious win and Nymburk managed to advance and keep fighting for Eurocup glory.