The astounding rebounding numbers in AS Monaco's favor told much of the story as the team edged Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 90-87 on Tuesday to win Game 3 of their best-of-three series and secured a spot in the EuroCup Semifinals for the first time in club history.  

Monaco outrebounded Buducnost 46-25. Of the 37 times a shot was missed on its offensive end, Monaco collected the rebound 23 times – a whopping 62.2% of the time. For contrast, Buducnost grabbed just 30.3% of its missed shots. And the winner of Tuesday's other Game 3, UNICS Kazan, collected 35.6% of its offensive boards.  

Those 23 offensive boards, which were a club record, led to 27 second-chance points for Monaco and were too much for Buducnost to overcome. This came after Buducnost had outrebounded Monaco 31-41 to win Game 1 and Monaco controlled the glass 34-44 in taking Game 2.  

"We had the same problem as the last game, which is why Monaco won; we allowed them 23 offensive rebounds," Buducnost head coach Dejan Milojevic lamented after the game. "That was the key to today's game. We did some good things, we had our chances, but when you don't control the rebounds, usually you don't win the games."  

Indeed, since Milojevic took over as head coach midway through the Top 16, Buducnost won both of its games in which it won the rebounding battle. Including before he became head coach, Buducnost is 1-5 since the start of the Top 16 when it has been outrebounded.  

"It came down to offensive rebounds," Buducnost point guard Justin Cobbs said. "I think we got outboarded by about 15 or 20 or something like that. It just came down to effort; the effort on the offensive rebounds, second-chance points. So give credit to the other team." 

Monaco surely deserves credit up and down its roster, but one who deserves special mention is 1.88-meter guard Marcos Knight, who posted a double-double of 12 points and a club-record-tying 12 rebounds. His 9 defensive rebounds also tied the club record. He is by far the smallest player ever to grab 12 rebounds or more in a quarterfinals game, giving away 11 centimeters to the next-shortest one.

Knight had 3 offensive rebounds to 5 for J.J. O'Brien and 6 for center Mathias Lessort, the man who missed the potential game-winner at the buzzer in Game 1, but proved the catalyist the rest of the series. On Wednesday, Lessort scored a career-high 24 points and set the tempo early with 17 first-half points.  

"It's a great feeling," Lessort told EuroLeague TV after the game. "After the first game we lost on the last shot, we felt terrible and the whole team showed a lot of character. Tonight, we had the same type of game as the first one and we showed that we learned from it. That's a great win and now we're on to the semifinals already." 

Monaco's rebounding average of 36.4 is the sixth-best in the EuroCup this season, but its semifinals opponent, Herbalife Gran Canaria, ranks second (37.2 rpg.). Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic will surely have a new strategy ready before Game 1 of that series tips off on Tuesday. 

"It's an amazing result for all of us, but I just said to my players, 'This is not the end of the road.' We continue on our road to the EuroLeague," said Mitrovic. "I'm very optimistic, with a lot of emotion. We showed we can play different ways of basketball; defensively, offensively."  

It will be interesting to see which of those different ways Monaco relies on next.  

Monaco advanced through rebounding dominance  

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The 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals features four teams from four different countries. Three teams were their respective Top 16 group winners, two are in this stage for the first time and one is a former EuroCup champion. AS Monaco faces Herbalife Gran Canaria in one semifinal and Virtus Segafredo Bologna takes on UNICS Kazan in the other. These two best-of-three series will be the first times these opponents have ever met.

### AS Monaco vs. Herbalife Gran Canaria

AS Monaco reached the semifinals for the first time in club history by surviving a tense Game 3 to oust Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. That came after it went 5-1 in the Top 16 to finish atop Group E. Herbalife Gran Canaria is in the semifinals for the third time; its best appearance to date was finishing as the runner-up in 2015. Gran Canaria enters the series on a five-game winning streak after sweeping Boulogne Metropolitans 92 in the quarters. It was the only team to win its quarterfinals series without the benefit of home-court advantage. The teams are among the best at rebounding in the competition; Monaco's 13.8 offensive rebounds per game are most in the competition this season, while Gran Canaria is second with 37.2 rebounds per game.


### Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. UNICS Kazan

Virtus Segafredo Bologna is undefeated on the season and accordingly won its regular season and Top 16 groups before sweeping Joventut Badalona in the quarterfinals. This marks its first time in the EuroCup Semifinals, though Virtus is a two-time EuroLeague champion among its five continental trophies. UNICS Kazan survived a tough three-game series to beat Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and reach the semifinals for the sixth time. It has won two of its previous semifinals series and captured the EuroCup crown in 2011. Virtus boasts the EuroCup's premier attack with 88.4 points scored per game. UNICS has one of the best defenses; it allowed only 69.7 points per game in the Top 16, which was second-lowest in that phase.

7DAYS EuroCup Semifinals at a glance

Mathias Lessort picked a sterling moment to set a career-high in scoring. The AS Monaco center led his team to a series win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica on Wednesday while claiming the MVP honors for the week in the 7DAYS EuroCup. Lessort posted a performance index rating of 29 to lead all players in the two Game 3s played in the EuroCup Quarterfinals. He made 7 of 10 two-point shots and set a club record with 10 free throws made alongside 2 misses in compiling 24 points. He also had 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block and 7 fouls drawn, while committing 5 turnovers and 3 fouls. The second-highest PIR of the week came from Mindaugas Kuzminskas with 28 for Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in a loss at UNICS Kazan. UNICS Jordan Morgan and Okaro White were third and fourth, respectively, with PIRs of 27 and 26, followed by Lessort's Monaco teammate Marcos Knight (21).

### Individual highs: Marcos Knight of AS Monaco, 12 rebounds

Lessort was the leader among all Game 3 players in both scoring, with 24 points, and steals with 3. His quarterfinals average of 18.7 points was third-best. Lokomotiv's Nigel Williams-Goss was the stage's top scorer with 21.7 points per game. Alessandro Pajola of Virtus Segafredo Bologna led all players with 4 steals per game. Knight's career-high 12 rebounds led all who played in Game 3 and his average of 7 per game placed fifth in the phase. John Brown of UNICS led all players with 8.7 rebounds per game in the quarters. Lokomotiv teammates Williams-Goss and Mantas Kalnietis each dished 8 assists to top the Game 3 lists. Milos Teoeodic of Virtus averaged 8.0 per game to lead all players in the quarterfinals. White and Willie Reed of Buducnost toed for the Game 3 lead with 3 blocks each. Reed was among five players tied for the most blocks in the quarterfinals with 1.3 per game.

MVP of the Week: Mathias Lessort, AS Monaco

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The do-or-die showdown between UNICS Kazan and Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar to reach the 7DAYS EuroCup semifinals, had everything you expect from a high-level basketball game: Outstanding individual performances, two great teams battling to stay alive in the competition and a game played point to point, possession by possession that went down to the final seconds.

When the dust settled, UNICS defeated Lokomotiv 82-78, punching its ticket to the semifinals for the sixth time in club history. In a team usually led by its backcourt players, UNICS's big men made the difference down the stretch. A fastbreak layup by Nigel Williams-Goss brought Lokomotiv within 77-76 with 1:01 left. UNICS needed a go-to guy and found one in Jordan Morgan, who hit a jump hook in the paint. UNICS got a couple of critical defensive stops and Okaro White sealed the win from the foul line.

White earned his right to face his former team, Virtus Segafredo Bologna, in the semifinals; he played for the Italian powerhouse in the 2014-15 season. He finished the game with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a personal-best 3 blocks and 7 fouls drawn for a career-high PIR of 26. White not only hit the game-clinching free throws, but had another critical basket. UNICS led 73-72 when John Brown missed, but White jumped high to grab the offensive board and put it in.

Small details and critical plays made the difference, but the numbers also showed that UNICS wanted it more. UNICS pulled down 16 offensive rebounds, collected 10 steals and had 6 blocks. Lokomotiv had good numbers, but all of them a bit lower: 14 offensive boards, 6 steals and 3 blocks.

"A very tight game, but at the end, I am thankful for the guys, to my players, because they really made a huge effort. We had a lot of injuries at this time and should control a lot of issues. Four guys were playing today with pills and injections," UNICS head coach Dimitris Priftis said after the game. "I want to underline the big bravo to the players."

Morgan played a big role with 17 points and 9 rebounds in less than 20 minutes on the floor. Brown scored all of his 10 points in the final 14 minutes, stepping up when it mattered most. Unsung heroes Georgy Zhbanov and Dmitrii Uzinskii provided the toughness required on defense and hit a three-pointer apiece. And of course, Smith delivered with 19 points off the bench. It was indeed a team-oriented effort that allowed UNICS to win the game.

UNICS advanced to the semifinals for the sixth time in club history. It has won twice, downing Cedevita Zagreb 87-66 in 2011 on its way to lifting the trophy and topping Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in 2014, winning their two-game, total-points series 136-130. UNICS lost three times in the semifinals, always against Spanish teams - against Real Madrid in 2007, Herbalife Gran Canaria in 2015 and Valencia Basket in 2019

Virtus and UNICS are set to face each other for the first time in the EuroCup Semifinals. Game 1 of the best-of-three series is scheduled on Tuesday, April 6 at Virtus Segafredo Arena.

Hustle, faith lifted UNICS to semis

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Since the 7DAYS EuroCup introduced best-of-three playoff series before the start of the 2016-17 season, at least two quarterfinals have been decided in do-or-die Game 3s in each campaign. The 2020-21 season is no exception, as two make-or-break games are scheduled with a semifinals spot on the line: UNICS Kazan faces Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and AS Monaco meets Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. Here is a look back at all of the previous Quarterfinals Game 3s in competition history.

In 2017, Lokomotiv and Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem swept their respective series, leaving two more series that reached a decisive Game 3. In one f them, FC Bayern Munich hosted Unicaja Malaga. The two teams had traded home wins, but Unicaja stole a road victory at Audi Dome, 69-74, to qualify for the semifinals. Nemanja Nedovic led the winners with 21 points, Dejan Musli added 16 and Kyle Fogg added 12 for Unicaja, which led most of the way. Reggie Redding paced the Bayern attack with 15 points. Free throws by Nedovic sealed the outcome down the stretch.

Valencia Basket had less trouble to knock out EuroCup archrival Khimki Moscow Region 92-76. Sam Van Rossom led six Valencia scorers in double digits with 17 points. Alexey Shved scored 21 points for Khimki, whose last lead came at 26-28. Valencia and Unicaja also reached the 2017 EuroCup Finals, where they exchanged home wins to set up a do-or-die Game 3 for the title at La Fonteta. Unicaja rallied from a 13-point deficit in the final 9 minutes to get a 58-63 victory and raise the trophy. Unicaja won all three playoff series without the home-court advantage and Alberto Diaz was named the 2017 EuroCup Finals MVP.

A year later, there were two other quarterfinals series that went down to Game 3. Bayern played UNICS at Audi Dome and prevailed this time 91-81 win. Redding led the winners with 23 points, Jared Cunningham added 21 while Danilo Barthel, Vladimir Lucic and Stefan Jovic each scored 12 for Bayern. Trent Lockett paced UNICS with 16 points. UNICS led 61-63 late in the third quarter, but an 11-0 run that Stefan Jovic capped with a bomb from downtown put Bayern well on its way to winning the game and series.

In a high-scoring showdown, which is somewhat unusual in a Game 3, Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia bested Zenit St Petersburg 105-99 at home. Chris Wright paced the winners with a career-high 25 points, Julian Wright scored 21 and Amedeo Della Valle 20. Evgeny Voronov led Zenit with a career-high 23 points. Reggio Emilia and Bayern, however, were eliminated in the semifinals, respectively, by Lokomotiv and Darussafaka Istanbul. Darussafaka then handed Lokomotiv its only two losses of the entire EuroCup season in the finals and lifted the trophy.

Things were even more balanced in 2019 when three series needed Game 3s to find a victor. Valencia was the only team that swept its quarterfinals series, downing Rytas Vilnius. After trading road wins, ALBA Berlin used the home-court advantage to top Unicaja 79-75 behind 15 points and 10 assists from Peyton Siva. The game came down to the final seconds and Rokas Giedraitis came through with a key basket with 14.2 seconds left and a steal on Unicaja's next possession to help snatch the win.

MoraBanc Andorra upset LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 80-82 at the Astroballe. Dylan Ennis and Jerome Jordan led the winners with 14 points apiece. ASVEL led 80-79, but Ennis stepped up with a wild driving layup and Andorra held the hosts scoreless on its final three possessions. UNICS edged Lokomotiv 69-65 behind 14 points from veteran forward Kostas Kaimakoglou. Free throws by Pierria Henry and Errick McCollum sealed the outcome late. ALBA was the only Game 3 survivor that reached the 2019 EuroCup Finals, where it forced a Game 3. Valencia lived up to its role as the favorite and thrashed ALBA 89-63 at home. Will Thomas was named EuroCup Finals MVP.

The 2019-20 playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, two more series go down to the always-exciting Game 3. In seven previous games, there have been only two road warriors - Unicaja in 2017 and Andorra in 2019. Unicaja was also the only team that played in Game 3 of the Quarterfinals and ended up winning the title. It all can all change in 2021, with two exciting Game 3 showdowns. Stay tuned!

Rewind: Quarterfinals Game 3

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**AS Monaco has only improved in his three seasons in the EuroCup, reaching the Top 16 in its first campaign and qualifying to the playoffs in 2020 and 2021. In the last two years, one of its main pillars inside has been big man Wilfried Yeguete, one of the best per-minute rebounders in the competition. Yeguete has an interesting basketball background, as he played for the University of Florida for four years along with 2017-18 EuroCup MVP anf former roommate Scottie Wilbekin. Yeguete went on to play for STB Le Havre, Pau-Orthez and Le Mans before joining Monaco. Soft-spoken off the court, Yeguete has accepted to blog for us for the remainder of the season, as he keep working hard to try to help Monaco win the EuroCup title!**

Hello everybody! I am starting my EuroCup blog right before one of the most important games in club history! I am Will Yeguete and play for AS Monaco. I played my whole professional career in France but also played for the Florida Gators men's basketball team at the University of Florida. I was there for four years and played with some guys you may know, like Scottie "Superstar" Wilbekin. I played four years with him and he was also my roommate. We are still close friends today. We stay in touch and try to meet up every summer. There were four us that came together and left together Florida, and we all stay in touch, so Scottie is still today a really close friend of mine. 

Scottie won the EuroCup with Darussafaka and then he went to Tel Aviv. I enjoyed watching him play that season, when he had that big run in the EuroCup and pretty much took care of the team all the way to the title. Scottie is a special player. I think that when he is confident, he can make reallt big shots, and is a good defender as well. He is a great leader and a great shotmaker. Down the stretch, the ball being in his hands is a guarantee of a big shot or a foul. He is a great player. I also played with Bradley Beal, Patrick Young - who was with Olympiacos and Milan - or Alex Tyus, who won the EuroLeague with Maccabi and is with Real Madrid now. He had a great career in Europe. I played with Chandler Parsons, Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker, Erik Murphy, who are all still around, playing overseas. 

"This is high-level basketball... and it is good to be in the quarterfinals now." 

As for me, this is my second EuroCup season and it is an exciting moment for us, facing Game 3 of the Quarterfinals against Buducnost. The competition is really tough, especially this year. Obviously, we also made it to the playoffs last season and had a great run but it got stopped. We have a big squad this year, I like the team, the competition and the fact that we are able to play, even without fans. It is really physical, high-level basketball and I also like the fact that we can play with our hearts and the referees let us play. So this is high-level basketball, there are good players and it is good to be in the quarterfinals now, to be one of the eight teams at this level. 

As you see, we lost at home against Buducnost and then bounce back in Game 2. We didn't play the right way in Game 1 and had a lot of turnovers. We didn't put the ball inside and couldn't stop their pick-and-roll offense, but we adjusted well in the second game. We didn't play great in Game 1 but still we were by 6 with, I think, 1:40 left. So we had the game in our hands but they made big plays down the stretch. Justin Cobbs made some big shots. They looked for their advantages, especially Cobbs and Reed. 

"We just have to win one game and we will be in the semifinals. We hope we can get the job done." 

Cobbs hit the go-ahead shot but I don't think it came down to that. I played with Justin one year in Le Mans and that's his shot, he will make that mid-range shot just like that. This is kind of what he does, and he was able to make it. And at the end, we had a really good look with Mathias Lessort and obviously, everybody saw it, he missed it, but it was a great look. But the game didn't come down to that, we made some mistakes before that and were not able to capitalize down the stretch in the final play with Mathias. Unfortunately, he missed the shot, that's basketball, but then he was our best player in Game 2. He gave us a lot of energy and strength inside. We were all really eager to bounce back. Losing at home was tough because we felt we were the better team but they were able to make some big plays down the stretch but we are still alive. We just have to win one game, and we will be in the semifinals. We hope we can get the job done on Wednesday. 

We will miss our fans in Game 3 but even without them, I think there is still some home-court advantage. It helps playing at home. We played Monday at home and the game is also at home two days later. We don't have to travel between close games and I believe this is an advantage for us, being able to stay home, stay with our families, sleep in our beds... Of course, we won't have our fans but it is better to play at home than on the road. We have to be a really, really good defensively, put them into foul trouble early in the game, and put the ball inside. We have to attack the paint - Mathias, Rob Gray and Marcos Knight are really good at that. If we don't settle for threes too much, we will put ourselves in a good situation to be able to win the game. We have to guard as well and make sure they guard us. In Game 2, we were able to attack them inside, drew some fouls, find Mathias and Damian Inglis inside and just battle. They have big, physical guys inside and rebounding is going to be the key for Game 3. 

"It is a great opportunity for us to be able to put Monaco more on the European map." 

 I will keep trying to help my team as much as I can. I try to be within my role and with the team that we have, I know I have to be aggressive, offensively and defensively. We have really good guards that can play and put the ball in the basket but sometimes we need hustle plays, rebounding, steals, defensive stops and things that I feel I am really, really good at. I feel like I have to be great at this area of my game to be able to help my team to the fullest.

I think it is going to be the most important game in the history of the club. We are in a great situation because we lost Game 1 but are back at home. It is a great opportunity for us, to be able to put Monaco more on the European map, and we are thankful to play at home. We know it is going to be tough on Wednesday but if we do things right, we will get the job done. We have to be willing to compete and really, really battle. 

Soft-spoken off the court, Will Yeguete has accepted to blog for us for the remainder of the season, as he keep working hard to try to help Monaco win the EuroCup title!

Will Yeguete, Monaco: 'We are still alive'

Three years after making his 7DAYS EuroCup debut with Partizan NIS Belgrade, Nigel Williams-Goss is back in the competition and trying to lead Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar all the way to the title. Williams-Goss joined the team midway through the Top 16 and has led Lokomotiv to three do-or-die wins. He is averaging 18.6 points on 57.9% three-point shooting, 4.6 assists, 2.4 steals and a PIR of 20.4. The numbers are even higher – 28.0 points on 75.0% three-point shooting, 5.0 assists, 3.0 steals and a PIR of 31.0 – during his team's ongoing quarterfinal playoffs series against UNICS Kazan. With the season on the line again, Williams-Goss told EuroCupBasketball.com that Lokomotiv is confident going into Game 3 on the road this Wednesday. "We felt good going into Game 2, that if we kind of cleaned some things up, we would be okay. We did and we were able to get the win," Williams-Goss said. "So we feel good going into Game 3 and are just looking forward to it."

**Hello, Nigel. First things first, how is Lokomotiv feeling after bouncing back in Game 2?**

"I think we feel good going into Game 3. Honestly, even though we lost Game 1, we felt good about Game 1. We had 20 turnovers, eight missed free throws and still only lost by six points. So we felt good going into Game 2, that if we kind of cleaned some things up, we would be okay. We did, and we were able to get the win. So we feel good going into Game 3 and are just looking forward to it." 

**UNICS made only 32.5% of its two-pointers but hit 19 three-pointers in the opener. Did they surprise you?**

"You've got to give them credit for making shots, but when a team shoots their career-best from three and you add that, like I said, to our 20 turnovers and eight missed free throws, to only lose the game by six... Obviously, as a team, you feel good that, again, if you can control what you can control and make their three-point looks a little bit tougher, that you would have a good chance going forward. And again, I think Game 2, they only hit 10 three-pointers and we have obviously a lot less turnovers, and we were able to win the game." 

"We've answered the call every time that we've been in this position." 

**Both games were very different, and Game 3 may not be similar to any of them. How important is scouting in the middle of a playoffs series?**

"I think that's what makes series so fun to play because it's kind of like playing chess, you know? Both teams are trying to make strategic moves before the game and then during the game you're trying to react to maybe things that they changed. So, it's really just like a chess game and I think that, as a basketball player, that's why you love to play in competitive playoff series."

**This will be your fourth do-or-die game in this year's EuroCup and UNICS's first. Does that give you some sort of advantage?**

"I can't really speak for UNICS or what their mindset is, but for us, like you said, we have been able to be in this position a few times already and we've answered the call every time that we've been in this position. So, we feel good about where we are. Obviously, we know we have to bring maximum effort and focus into the next game. We've been here before and we've been able to rise to the occasion. So, we think we can do it again."

**You share the backcourt with two former EuroCup champions, Will Cummings and Mantas Kalnietis. How great is it to be among so many talented guards?**

"It has been unbelievable. I think that Mantas and Will are two different styles of guards, you know, with Mantas being a little bit taller and obviously being one of the best passers in Europe, and then with Will just being so offensively gifted and fast. It's just been great to play alongside two really, really good guards. I think the three of us have obviously jelled together quickly and it's been able to translate into wins, which is the most important thing, so it's been great." 

**Your coach, Evgeny Pashutin, has a reputation for giving a lot of freedom to his players, which suits your playing style. How comfortable do you feel playing for him?**

"Right now, in this moment, I wouldn't want to be playing for anybody else, you know? He gives us, like you said, a lot of confidence and a lot of freedom, and I think you can do that with a group like ours with a lot of veteran players that played at a high level. He brings us here for a reason and he trusts us, and I think the whole team is just kind of jelling at the right time."

**Your first experience in the EuroCup was with Partizan. It was also your first season in Europe. How was it?**

"I think that kind of set the foundation for my career, really. It was my first time as a professional and obviously as a rookie, people want to see how good is this player after he leaves college. So for me, I think it kind of set the foundation for my career and obviously was fortunate enough to play at a big-time club like Olympiacos and then going to the NBA. So, for me, it was a great first experience to start my career. But this experience has been unbelievable, too, as far as being one game away now from the EuroCup Semifinals. Both experiences have been great for me."

**Your main off-the-court hobby is fashion. Will we see your fashion collection at some point in the future?**

"I really love fashion. And it's tough because I feel like nowadays the fashion world, especially for basketball players in fashion, is getting a little bit oversaturated. You know, people start making money and they can afford designer clothes, then everyone is into fashion. But for me, my love for fashion started when I was really young, like in elementary school. I just always really loved clothes and stuff like that. So I don't really know what I want to do in the future but I know definitely that fashion will be a part of my life forever." 

"In this moment, I wouldn't want to be playing for any [other coach]." 

**UNICS and Lokomotiv are big sports rivals and play in similar arenas. Are you enjoying this rivalry?**

"Yes, for sure. These are two well-organized and well-put-together teams and organizations, and then, like you said, two gyms that are pretty much identical. I think our gym is a little bit newer but same structure and everything, same building plans. So it's kind of interesting – we are playing at home and playing away – but pretty much in the same gym. And then again, the two clubs have had a lot of success in Europe. I think the two teams, right now, are two of the best teams not only in Russia, but in Europe. UNICS has an unbelievable team this year and they are having a great season. So it's just been really fun to compete against UNICS during the series."

**What needs to be done to win this game and make it to the semifinals?**

"I think, for us, it just comes down to our defense and keeping them off the offensive glass. One of their biggest strengths is their relentless effort in crashing the offensive glass. So I think if we are able to get stops, which will need to do to win the game, we have to close those stops with rebounds. And I think that if we do those things, then just stay mentally sharp and keep a clear head whether they make a run or no matter what happens. I think if we do those three things, we will have a good chance to move on."

The top overall performer in the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals so far, Nigel Williams-Goss of Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, talks about the all-Russian rivalvry that will decide a semifinalist on Wednesday when his team visits UNICS Kazan.

Nigel Williams-Goss, Lokomotiv: 'Just like a chess game'

Tomislav Ivisic has impressed observers in helping U18 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica reach the third-place game at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade. But the talented big man has been missing a major partner on his side in the Serbian capital.

Ivisic averaged 20.0 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.7 blocks for a performance index rating of 34.7 in the group phase of the tournament. The the big highlight was his outstanding game against U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, with 29 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks for a 48 PIR.  

"I'm happy that everyone can see my hard work and my progress. I also have some senior experience, so it helps a lot while playing my age group," Ivisic said. "It's not easy. There are a lot of good teams here and a lot of games in a few days. But I prepared for it."

This is his second time playing in this competition after appearing at the ANGT Valencia in 2019-20, where he played for U18 Cibona Zagreb.

"The biggest thing I learned from Valencia last year is definitely that teamwork always wins, not individuals," said the 2.16 meter center, who averaged 4.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in Valencia.

While Ivisic standing out in Belgrade is not a surprise given his development over the years, it is a little easier to distinguish him this time around. Tomislav has regularly had his twin brother Zvonimir Ivisic as a running mate. But Zvonimir, who is a bit taller at 2.19 meters, is not in Belgrade because he is dealing with a knee injury.

Tomislav said he and his brother have always helped each other with everything -. also in a competitive way.

"We always competed about who is better, and in that way we both push each other to be better players. We complement one another and when one of us makes a mistake, the other is there to correct it. It's the same thing off the court," said Tomislav, who used to play football as a goalkeeper before concentrating on basketball.

And even though the twins look alike, their games do have differences.

"The difference between me and him is that he plays more the outside game with pick-and-pop, and I play the inside game more with pick-and-roll. He is a better shooter, but we can both shoot threes," said Tomislav, who has made 5-of-13 three-pointers for 38.5% in Belgrade.

Tomislav and his brother have been together their whole career, growing up in the small town of Vitez in central Bosnia and Herzegovina about 60 kilometers northwest of Sarajevo and then heading to Croatian club Sibenik and its excellent academy.

"The most important reason why we choose Sibenik was to develop our skills as young players because coaches there teach young players to develop every skill they have or have potential for," said Ivisic, who models his game after Nikola Jokic because of his game style and confidence.

Ivisic received playing time in a couple of games in the Croatian League in 2018-19 and then was a regular with the pro team in 2019-20, averaging 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14 games. Zvonimir also got into a couple of games last season as well.

The brothers also played together at the ANGT Valencia last season as well as for Croatia at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2019. That was actually the second U16 continental tournament for Tomislav, who helped Croatia win the title in 2018.

"Winning the U16 European Championship was a huge thing for me personally and for the whole team. We worked hard that summer and we believed we could achieve good things at the tournament. But to be honest, we didn't expect to take first place," joked Ivisic, who averaged 1.5 points and 2.3 rebounds playing a year younger than the rest of the competition.

This past summer, the twins left Sibenik and signed on with Montenegro side Buducnost.

"We decided that it's time to leave Sibenik for somewhere better for our basketball careers, and Buducnost contacted us and we really liked their history about developing young players," Tomislav explained.

"At this tournament, I am trying to show my potential and my hard work from the last six or seven months, and I hope the team can fight for the ANGT Finals," he said.

Should Buducnost get selected to play at the ANGT Finals, Tomislav Ivisic could once again have his twin brother alongside him, too.

Buducost's Ivisic is excelling in Belgrade even without twin brother

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When Giampaolo Ricci hit a three-pointer for Virtus Segafredo Bologna in minute 25 of Game 2 of its 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals playoff against Joventut Badalona on Friday, the best-of-three series seemed all but decided. The scoreboard showed a 23-point lead, 32-55 for Virtus, that seemed completely impossible to overcome for the hosts.

Joventut had just lost its top scorer from Game 1, swingman Xabi Lopez-Arostegui, to an ankle injury, and a few minutes later Nenad Dimitrijevic followed the same path. Missing two main contributors, Joventut was mentally down and trailing by 23. What could go wrong for Virtus?

Two words: Ferran Bassas.

Out of nowhere, the Catalan guard hit 4 straight triples -- after Joventut had started the game going 1-for-10 from the arc -- that revitalized the hosts. After those shots, he continued dishing assists and adding points and for a few minutes as Virtus went from an unstoppable steamroller to a vulnerable leader.

"It cannot be easy with the top eight teams in any competitions, is never easy. Joventut is a great team," Virtus coach Sasa Djordjevic said after the game. "They showed their character, they made some changes, they used some lineups that put up the energy. They made some great threes and they came back. We had a down face in that moment, but we closed it as we know."

When Albert Ventura hit another of those great threes Djordjevic mentioned, the scoreboard showed a 72-71 advantage for Joventut. What had seemed impossible -- a comeback from 23 points behind the span of barely 10 minutes -- had just happened. Joventut had the lead and all the momentum in the world with less than 4 minutes to play.

But Virtus refused to let it go any further.

A team filled with talent and experience, built to win titles, kept its cool and continued playing at its own rhythm regardless of the situation.

Top 16 MVP Vince Hunter was the first to come to the rescue, by scoring, grabbing rebounds and dishing assists to prove that he is still in the zone that earned him that award.

"When their second group came out, we took a step back and we made a few mistakes, but we picked it back up," Hunter said. "We were prepared for ups and downs and we expected this to happen, but closing time came and we tried to step it up."

And step it up they did. Two of the team's veteran leaders, Stefan Markovic and Milos Teodosic, hit surgical threes at the right moments. Markovic's gave some air to Virtus at 72-76 and force Joventut to keep up its insane scoring rhythm; Teodosic's doubled the difference to 75-81 with 25 seconds to go, and he made it look easy, as if Joventut's valiant effort had been admirable, but it was predestined for Virtus to take the win.

Said and done. Still unbeaten after 18 games, Virtus has confirmed this season what it already showed before the 2019-20 season came to a halt -- that the Black V is hungry, ready to win continental titles again, and eager to be back where it had always belonged in its glory years: the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Now, Virtus has two more steps to go to lift the EuroCup trophy and win passage to the EuroLeague. For the next one, in the semifinals, Virtus knows knows that it will have to visit Russia for sure to play the Game 3 winner of the quarterfinal between UNICS Kazan and Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar. Either would be a formidable opponent, but Virtus proved again on Friday that it doesn't mind the pressure.

Poise, experience got Virtus to semis

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