The final results from qualifying groups are underway, meaning today and tomorrow, all semi-finalists will be revealed. The competition is set up in such way that only the top team moves directly into the semi-finals, while the others continue to fight for their placement.
Yesterday, the atmosphere in the Trnsko and Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall was intense.
Group A
The players from the Tilburg University and the University of Würzburg came back to the Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall. The Dutch team shocked the German players at the very beginning, and the match culminated in a 72-51 win for the Tilburg University.
In the first three minutes, the players from Tilburg were already 7 points ahead of their opponents, who were unable to bounce back. The German team never gave up, not even when the defeat was certain. Even the cries of encouragement from the benches were unable to get Würzburg’s players back on track. However, both teams showed incredible respect and friendship. They fought with all their might until the very end, but if somebody tripped and fell, they got picked up, regardless of their affiliation. Although sad about losing, the German team could not refuse a group photo with the Dutch players. Even if they didn’t win, they will always have something to remember the Games by.
The match between the University of Zagreb and the University of Debrecen was likewise intense, and it ended in an 89-64 victory for the phenomenal athletes from Zagreb.
All the players from Zagreb had to do was achieve a 10 points lead by the first break, and the figure just kept increasing from there. The third quarter was especially suspenseful and the match culminated in a 26-9 win for Zagreb.
Hrvoje Garafolić, Zagreb’s No. 9, had the best score of the night with 27 shots, while Botond Agoston Nagy tried to keep his team in the game by scoring 20 points.
Group B
As expected, VERN’ and Niš are likely to lead the fight for the spot which guarantees the placement in semi-finals. The players from Serbia won 65-47 against the Portuguese University of Minho after an exciting second quarter.
In the first ten minutes, the University of Minho tried their hardest to prove as formidable opponents to the fan favourites. They were party successful at that, seeing as the first quarter ended in a 18-11 win for the Portuguese team. However, this only served to fuel the Serbian players, who overturned the result in the following two quarters by lifting themselves to a 20 points lead. After that, the only thing left to do was maintain the lead.
The player to score the most points for the Serbian team was Strahinj Stojačić with 12 points, while Antonio Moreiro scored 17 points for his team.
This was also the second match in the Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall for the VERN’ University of Applied Sciences and the University of Piteşti. From the very start, the players from VERN’ showed their prowess, and they will be the ones advancing to the next round with a 74-60 win.
In the first minutes, the Croatian team already had a 9 points lead, which gave them a head start. The Romanian players fought hard, but they were powerless against the Croatian team’s passing skills. This was Abramović’s time to shine, who had already established himself as a superior player during the past few matches. Everything seemed to be going great for VERN’s team until the third quarter, when suddenly Abramović was fouled out after the fifth personal foul. It seemed as if the light at the end of the tunnel had finally shone for the Romanian players, but they were still powerless against VERN’s powerful offensive tactic.
The players from VERN’ are confident that a day of rest will prove to be an advantage over the team from Niš, who have been playing for four days in a row. They also seem to hold the Serbian team in high regard.
“We’re waiting for our match with Niš. We have a day of rest before the game, which I think will be an advantage over our opponents, who’ve been playing for four days in a row. I expect the match to be interesting and intense – after all, we are fighting for the top spot in the group,” said Matej Kljajić, player from the VERN’ University of Applied Sciences.
Group C
The Estonian University of Life Sciences faced off against the Lithuanian Vytautas Magnus University in the first match of the day in group C. The guests won 103-73. In the Lithuanian team, Justas Tamulis was the most effective player with 16 shots, 2 jump shots, and 2 assists. In the defeated team, Joosep Russak was the star of the night with 16 shots, 6 jump shots, and 3 assists.
The second match in the group was played between the University of Split and the University of Primorska. The players from Split began the match with lots of passing and quick changes in position, which earned them a 15 points lead at the end of the first quarter. The Slovene players slowly caught up by the first half-time, but the best they could do was lower their opponents’ lead to 6 points in the third quarter. The hosts managed to fight back, which lifted them to a 75-61 victory in the end. When asked about the selfless performance of his team, the coach from the University of Split said:
“This type of play is very fond to my heart, as I grew up watching the great Croatian basketball player Toni Kukoć, who always said that shots can make one person happy, while assists can make two people happy.”
Group D
A match between the University of Rouen and the University of Rijeka started off the second round of Group D. The match started on a positive note for the hosts, who had a 37-32 lead up until the half-time. After returning from the break, the players from Rijeka seemed to have regained their strength, as they lifted their team to a 19-6 win in the third quarter. They kept their lead until the very end and won 77-58. The best player in the winning team was Ivan Miličević with 15 shots, 11 jumps, and 1 assist. In the French team, Cedric Leborloch was the best player with 14 shots, 2 jumps, and one steal.
“During the half-time, we agreed to change our tactic. We used zone defence, forcing our opponents to make mistakes, which ultimately helped us win.”
Today’s programme in the Trnsko Sports Hall finished with the second match in group D, between the University of Vienna and the Fatih University from Istanbul. The Turkish team won 75-60. In the winning team, Sertac Sanil was the undisputed star of the game with 25 shots and 8 jump shots. In the loosing team, Terence Aryee proved to be the best player with 18 shots and 4 jump shots.
The Fatih University from Istanbul and the University of Rouen will face off in the third round of group D, while the team from the Technical University of Munich will face off against the University of Vienna.
Results
