Club Estudiantes beat Liege Basket 87-73 in a dead rubber tie in Group I of the EuroCup on Tuesday.

Spanish side Estudiantes had already qualified for the quarter-finals after losing just one match in their previous five games, while Belgians Liege had no chance of qualification no matter what the result in this match.

Cameroon center Stephane Pelle poured in 25 points for the hosts to lead all scorers, but it was not enough to earn victory although the tie was level until the last period.

Viktor Sanikidze hit a slam dunk and a three-pointer to help his side to a 21-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Pelle then hit a jump shot and two free throws in 40 seconds to take the lead at 25-23 and Liege stayed marginally ahead for much of the quarter, Souchu Karim scoring two from outside the arc, although the score was 43-43 at the midway point.

Pelle tapped-in to take an early lead in the third period, and the game swung back and forth to keep the scores tied at 60-60 going into the  final 10 minutes.

Estudiantes finally showed their class in the last quarter though, out-scoring their opponents 27-13. Brazilian teenager Caio Silveira Torres was in fine form with 10 points, including all five of his two-point attempts, to help secure the win.

"It was a difficult game for us," said Estudiantes coach Mariano de Pablos.

"The last 10 minutes were better for us, because they didn’t have a lot of players and they were tired. We weren’t comfortable for 30 minutes, but our last quarter saved us."

Will McDonald starred in the win for Estudiantes with 21 points and nine rebounds.

"We gave all that we had," said Lieges' Xavier Collette, who tallied 10 points in a losing cause.

"We couldn't control McDonald, and he killed us inside."

"Today I saw a squad of players very aggressive and motivated," added Liege coach Giovanni Bozzi.

"We scored some easy baskets thanks to our fast break. We played very organized, but I’m disappointed with our bad percentage on three-pointers."  

Liege were just 4-of-17 from beyond the arch.