28.11.2006

Liege Win After Amazing Final Period

Roger Huggins and Karim Souchu each had 21 points as Liege Basket stunned last year's EuroCup Final Four hosts BC Kyiv, 80-62,

		Roger Huggins had 21 points for Liege Basket

The Belgians, playing before their own fans, trailed 55-50 at the end of the third quarter and then had a remarkable finish.

They held Kyiv to just seven fourth-quarter points while scoring 30 themselves in a most unexpected concluding 10 minutes to the game.

Artur Drozdov's three-pointer early in the final period gave Kyiv a 58-52 lead, and the visitors were still in front 60-57 after two LaMarr Greer free throws.

Liege then reeled off 10 straight points, capped by a Ronald Ellis jumper, to lead 67-60.

Greer tried to stop the bleeding with a jump shot of his own to make it 67-62 with 4:13 to play, Kyiv were held without a point the rest of the way.

After the game, Kyiv coach Viktor Berezhnoi fumed about his team's lack of fight on the boards.

Liege won that battle 48-28, with both Ellis and Francois Lhoest pulling down 10 apiece.

"Our team allowed 17 offensive rebounds to Liège Basket," he said.

"This was the same thing in Tallin, and we lose that game, too. If you lose rebounds, you lose the game.

"I was a little bit surprised because they changed some players. I've tried to wake up my guys but it didn't work."

Lhoest agreed that the rebounding had been the key.

After the half, Kyiv increased its intensity on defense, but we did, too, and it helped us to get rebounds and start fastbreaks.

"We took a lot of rebounds and it helped us to play fastbreak basketball and we had easy baskets."

Oleksiy Pecherov had 18 points and six points in defeat.