Qualifying Round B, Game 1 report: BC FMP 69-61 Ural Great
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 BC FMP took a major step to make it to the Eurocup for the sixth consecutive season by edging Ural Great 69-61 in Zeleznik, Serbia in the first leg of the Eurocup second qualifying round. As such, FMP got an eight-point lead in the series, that now travel to Perm, Russia, where Ural Great hosts the do-or-die second leg. Dragan Labovic paced the winners with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Nikola Markovic added 11 points, all in the second half while Nemanja Protic had 10 for FMP, the only team that has played each and every Eurocup edition. Andrei Surovtsev had 12 points for Ural Great, Vanja Plisnic added 11 against his former team while Fedor Likholitov and Jumaine Jones each got 10 for the guests. The winner of this series will advance to Eurocup regular season Group G along with Pamesa Valencia, Fortitudo Bologna and the Artland Dragons. Meanwhile, the loser will play the EuroChallenge. An outstanding Surovtsev allowed Ural Great to get a 23-31 margin midway through the second quarter. Markovic and Labovic took over in the third quarter to put FMP ahead for good, 61-55, after 30 minutes. FMP limited Ural Great to one points in the next seven minutes, enough to get the lead in the series.
Miroslav Raduljica got FMP going with a close jumper while Labovic added a tip-in for a 4-0 lead. Ural Great called timeout and Likholitov stepped up with a put-back layup, igniting a 2-13 run in which Christian Dalmau and Ralph Biggs struck from downtown for a 6-13 margin. Mladen Jeremic and Protic tried to change things for FMP but Plisnic and a dunk by Likholitov boosted the guests' lead to 12-21. Protic and Predrag Samardziski got FMP within 18-25 after 10 minutes. FMP opted to play more aggressive early in the second quarter, going to foul line often to get within 21-27. Jones sank free throws while another jumper by Dalmau restored a 23-31 Ural Great margin. Labovic took over with 8 points, including a couple of three-pointers, in a 10-0 run that put FMP back ahead, 33-31. Surovtsev and Plisnic rescued Ural Great to make FMP call timeout at 35-38. Plisnic shined with consecutive jumpers while Surovtsev nailed a three-pointer to make Ural Great stay ahead, 40-45, at halftime.
Markovic and Samardziski scored right after the break but Dalmau kept the guests ahead, 44-47. A layup by Protic and free throws by Labovic allowed FMP to regain the lead, 50-49, midway through the third quarter. Likholitov stepped up with a jumper that Labovic bettered with a three-pointer. Markovic and an unstoppable Labovic kept pacing FMP to make Ural Great call timeout at 59-55. A jumper by Protic made it a six-point game, 61-55, after 30 minutes. Ural Great went scoreless in the next four minutes, while a three-pointer by Markovic boosted the hosts' lead to 64-55. Ural Great missed 4 shots and committed 3 turnovers until Jones sank a free throw. It was his team's only point in more than 7 minutes, however, but Jones sank a triple off a FMP timeout for a 64-59 deficit with 3 minutes to go. Protic sank a jumper that sealed the outcome of the game, but both teams kept fighting until the final second. Free throws by Dalmau, Filip Covic and Biggs fixed the final score at 69-61.
QUOTES
FMP head coach Slobodan Klipa:
"Congratulation to all my players. I do hope that we shall play the second game with the same intensity and enthusiasm as we had tonight. I know we are able to be better and let’s show that next week."
FMP forward Nikola Markovic:
"We beat a real big team and we are going to Russia to play the rematch armed with optimism."
Ural Great head coach Roman Dvyaninov:
"I expect better face from my team in the rematch. We missed a lot of free throws and that is the main reason we lost tonight."
Ural Great center Vanja Plisnic:
"Congratulations to FMP. But I think we are guilty for that loss. We were completely lost in the second half and the hosts knew how to take advantage of that."
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Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Eurocupbasketball.com
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