Artland Win At Liege To Set Up Dramatic Finale

The game still hung in the balance heading into the final quarter with the scpre tied at 74-74 but Artland finished strongly to secure victory and grab an opportunity to book their place in the Quarter-Finals with success in the last game.

It was a strong offensive performance by the German side with six players managing to chalk up double-figure scores and Nathan Peavy leading the way with 23 points while Toby Bailey dished up 7 assists to go with his 16 points.

It was a real roller-coaster of a game with both teams enjoying periods in front. Artland edged the opening period 28-24 but the home team tied the game up again at 41-41.

It looked like the visitors might canter to victory when they finished the first half powerfully to open up an eight point advantage at 57-49. However Belgacom showed real fight and determination in the third to haul themselves back into the game but the Dragons had more in their tank to ease away down the stretch.

The loss was particularly tough on Adrian Banks and Michael Green. The Belgacom duo were in fine form with Banks burying a magnificent seven triples on his way to 26 points while Green had 18 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.

Quotes Belgacom Liege vs. Artland Dragons

Belgacom Liège head coach Dario Gjergjia:
"Artland deserve the win today. From the 1st to the 40th minute, they knew what they wanted. When you receive 57 points in one half during European competition, you can't pretend to win the game, it is way too much. Moreover, we are a young team and it is tougher for us to come back. We could get back in the game, but then we collapsed in some situations (rebounds, hustle,...) because we hadn't done our job before. Artland has a very good collective but I will notice Peavy and Price. Hollis is one of the top 10 points guards in Europe; he plays smart, he controls his team and he brings confidence to his teammate. He also is a clutch player. I wish the best to the coach and the german team for the rest of the competition."

Dragons head coach Thorsten Leibenath:
"First of all, I want to congratulate and thank our fans who were here tonight and who helped us to reach the win. Liege is a very good team, we had a lot of respect for them coming here tonight. We you see the score, you might think that they was no defense tonight, but that would be untrue. Both team played competitive defense, but the tempo was very fast. Both team put a lot of energy on the court tonight. During the first halftime, Bailey and Fenn both scored 14 points and were the leaders of this team. In the second half, Liège controled them very well and I was pleased to see other players step up their game (Peavy, Ross, Hall,...) and take their responsabilities. It is a collective win tonight."

Dragons center Darius Hall:
"We were very competitive tonight, we fought during 40 minutes. We made some big shoots when the game was tight"

Liège player Will Thomas:
"We gave up too many easy points tonight. We tightened it in the third quarter and we were able to come back in the game. Unfortunately, in the fourth quarter, we released our pressure and they came up with the win."