Qualifying Round H, Game 2 report: Cajasol 65-68 ASK Riga
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 ASK Riga advanced to the Eurocup regular season by sweeping its two-way series against Cajasol. ASK confirmed its power by edging Cajasol 65-68 in Sevilla, Spain on Tuesday night. As such, ASK advances to regular season group A along with Chorale Roanne, Zadar and Maroussi Costa Coffee. Meanwhile, Cajasol will play the EuroChallenge in its first season in European club competitions since 2001. Bruno Sundov led the winners with 19 points while Uvis Helmanis added 16 on 5-for-9 three-pointers. Pedro Rivero had 11 points for Cajasol while Andrea Pecile and Andres Miso each added 10 for the hosts. Helmanis and an outstanding Sundov allowed ASK to get a 9-19 margin late in the first quarter. Sundov struck from downtown to make it an 11-point game, 16-27, soon after that. A 14-0 run in which Juanjo Triguero and Warren Carter combined for 8 points to put the hosts ahead, 49-48. ASK improved its defense early in the fourth quarter while consecutive triples by Helmanis sealed the outcome and allowed ASK to reach the Eurocup.
Tyrone Ellis got Cajasol going with a driving layup but Sandis Valters and Milutin Aleksic answered from downtown while an unstoppable Sundov made the hosts call timeout at 7-12. Helmanis buried back-to-back triple and soon added a free throw to make it a double-digit game, 9-19. Free throws by Mile Ilic got Cajasol within 11-19 after 10 minutes. The hosts improved their defense early in the second quarter while Dusko Savanovic tried to ignit a comeback with a layup. Ricardo Marsh answered in the other end while Miso and Sundov traded free throws for a 15-22 score. Sundov followed free throws with a triple to give ASK a 25-point margin in the series, 16-27. Pecile and Miso stepped up with free throws but Helmanis and Sundov answered from downtown for a 20-34 ASK lead. Rivero and Michal Ignerski combined for all points in a 9-0 run that got Cajasol within 29-34 at halftime.
Iñaki De Miguel and a three-pointer by Ellis brought Cajasol back to life, 34-37, early in the third quarter. Sundov silenced the crowd with a put-back basket while Marsh stepped up with a jump hook to make Cajasol call timeout at 34-41. Brewer buried a three-pointer and soon added foul shots for a 35-46 ASK edge. Rivero stepped up with a layup-plus-foul, igniting a 14-0 run in which Carter and Triguero combined for 8 points to put Cajasol back ahead, 49-48. A free throw by Corey Brewer tied it at 49-49 after 30 minutes. Cajasol needed a major comeback to get back in the series and Rivero tried to ignite it with a triple. Sundov fouled out with 8 minutes to go but ASK improved its defense right when it mattered. Marsh and Aleksic stepped up with the guests but Carter tied it at 55-55 with over 4 minutes remaining. Back-to-back triples by Helmanis sealed the outcome of the series, allowing ASK to make it to the Eurocup regular season.
QUOTES
Cajasol head coach Manuel Comas
"First of all, I want to congratulate ASK Riga because it is a very good team. Then I would like to congratulate my players because they had a great attitude tonight. We played very hard, but were very anxious, so we made mistakes. We tried to win the game already in the first quarter, but they were very successful and we made too many mistakes. If we play hard like we did today, good results will come soon."
ASK Riga head coach Ramunas Butautas
"I want to thank Cajasol for their great game and their fans for the great basketball atmosphere. We played against a tough team that takes part one of the hardest leagues in Europe. Cajasol has very talented players and an expert coach, so it was difficult to win tonight. We had a good start, but we had problems in the second half because Cajasol improved its defense. We were disciplined and made few mistakes. We are very happy and ready for the next round."
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Javier Gancedo, Eurocupbasketball.com
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