CSU Cuadripol save their chances for quarters

CSU Cuadripol Brasov won their second Eurohold BIBL regular season victory tonight, and only the third by a Romanian team so far in the inaugural season of the competition. They managed to beat Macedonian side Feni Industries at home by a single point - 87-86 - and now with a record of 2-5 keep their quarterfinal qualification prospects alive. But in order to go through, the Romanians have to defeat in their only remaining game their rival for that coveted 4th spot in Group A - Euroins Cherno More; plus they have to hope that either the Bulgarians lose both of their other fixtures, or Radnicki 034 Group succumb to already qualified Swisslion Takovo on the last day of the regular season.
 
Feni Industries, along with the Lions, had already insured they would advance to the quarters. But tonight`s dramatic loss and the 4-2 record mean they have less of a chance for the top position in the group and thus - of an easier opponent for next stage.
 
During the opening minutes of the game it looked like we were set for yet one more disappointing night for a Romanian team in the BIBL this year. The visitors led 0-7 after two minutes of play, before big man Ionut Dragusin came up with CSU Cuadripol`s first points on the board. Feni kept up the pressure though and had an 8-point advantage near the mid-point of the first period. But in the next 5 minutes, thanks mainly to Dragusin`s domination in the paint, the Romanian team started a come-back, cutting their deficit down to 3 points at the end of the quarter - 22-25.
 
Soon their come-back was completed - less than a minute into the second period the hosts led for the first time tonight - 26-25. From that moment on the two teams frequently traded leads, until they were both stuck at 40 points for about two minutes of scoreless play near the end of the first half. American guard Taliek Brown scored to end that barren spell and make it 40-42 in favour of the visitors, but CSU Cuadripol`s responded quickly again and the game was a tie at half-time - 43-43.
 
The second half was a real thriller. Both teams desperately wanted the victory and relentlessly chased each other to get it. Feni Industries had the upper hand at the end of the third quarter (64-70), but it was the hosts that would triumph at the end. While in the first half the visitors relied more on the team performance, in the second they got 16 points from frisky power forward Donald Cole, who seemed not afraid at all of the imposing presence of Dragusin under the home team`s basket. CSU Cuadripol`s giant center though continued to be a key man for his team in offense, but in those closing 20 minutes of the game he got a lot of help from the scoring efforts of the teams new acquisition Zoran Milovic. The Serbian power forward had netted just 6 points comig off the bench before the break, but in the second half he had another 14. Between them the newly formed front court duo of CSU Cuadripol inspired their teammates for their final and most important come-back tonight, pipping their opponents at the post for the victory by just one point.
 
It took the hosts 8 out of 10 minutes of the last quarter to scrape back from that 6-point deficit and tie the scores at 81-81. Then in the reamaining 2 the Brasov team had the lead, but it was by just one or two points. It was a game of nerves who would hit and who would miss more free throws in the exchange of tactical fouls. And Feni`s Taliek Brown had the decisive miss - he only netted one of his two charity stripe attempts, as his team was trailing 87-85 with 7 seconds to go.
 
Ionut Dragusin was literally (220 cm) and figuratively (29 pts and 9 rbs) above everyone else in the game. His only temporary slump was in the third quarter, but that was exactly when Brasov`s new star player Zoran Milovic was on hand to provide the scoring threat and keep his team in with a chance - he netted 10 points during that third period and a total of 20 off the bench. LeRoy Dawson and Enes Hadjibulic were the other men with double figure point tallies for the home team`s victory - 11 and 10 respectively.
 
Donald Cole finished with 25 point under his belt, but unfortunately with only one point from the game for his team. He shot 11/16 from the floor and 2/3 from three-point range, while also adding 6 boards and 3 assists. Milan Prekovic hit 4 triples and notched up a total of 16 points and 5 assists, but his efforts proved not enough for a victory either.