Unics and Bennet Cantu win: Euroleague Basketball January 25th Review
Panathinaikos Vs Unics:
At the start of the tournament, Unics were considered anything but the favourites for the Euroleague title contenders, however the way they have performed so far, it looks like they might conquer the throne in the end.
Last week, they squeaked past Fenerbahce Ulker in their top 16 opener and on Wednesday night they continued their good form and overpowered the reigning champions Panathinaikos 89-83.
Unics were phenomenal and after a tough first half, they changed gears and by outscoring the opponents 22-14, finished the third frame with a 7 point lead 63-56. A 3 by Henry Domercant in the first minute of the fourth frame boosted
the lead to double figures and although Panathinaikos showed some resilience in the ensuing passage, they never really got close to Unics until the end.
Henry Domercant led the Unics with a game high 21 points on 5 for 6 from the floor and 5 for 8 from the charity stripe. Terrell Lyday had 16 points while Vladimir Veremeenko pounded 15 on an accurate 9 for 9 from the free throw
line.
Mike Batiste marshalled the Panathinaikos with 16 points and 5 boards. Steven Smith amassed 15 on 2 for 4 from the long range while Dimitris Diamantidis bundled 14 points and pulled down 7 boards.
Bennet Cantu Vs Zalgiris Kaunas:
The fans who had assembled at the Pala Desio Arena witnessed a nail-biter.
Ahead by 13 points 64-51, Kaunas were heading for a win with 8 minutes remaining in the game but what followed next was a game changing 15-2 run by Cantu, that brought them neck to neck with Kaunas at 66 all.
The next minutes saw intense battle as both teams fought hard to shift the momentum on their side. Scores were tied at 78 all with few seconds remaining in the game and it looked like the game was heading into overtime, however
Giorgi Shermadini netted one from the charity stripe in the last 5-10 seconds to deny Kaunas of the victory.
Gianluca Basile paced Cantu with 15 points on 3 for 5 from the long range and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe while Giorgio registered 12 points on 6-for-7 from the free throw line. No other player managed to produce a double digit
tally but they all chipped in with significant points.
Cantu were accurate with their shooting and knocked down 56.3% from the floor.
DeJuan Collins accumulated 15 on 6 for 6 from the free throw for the Kaunas while Sony Weems added 14 along with 5 rebounds. Marko Popovic too was impressive and chipped in with his 12 on a perfect 6 for 6 from the charity stripe.
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