Paris Edge Szolnoki To Advance

Welcome Back: Sean May made a well-timed return to EuroChallenge action for Paris Levallois, scoring 26 points in a must-win encounter

Paris Levallois used a strong third quarter to come back and claim a hard-fought 80-74 road victory over Szolnoki Olaj in the winner-takes-all clash for a place in the last eight of the EuroChallenge.

With the two teams locked together in the standings behind BCM Gravelines, the objective was clear for both sets of players, setting up a tense, sometimes frantic contest.

The lead changed hands 17 times with seven ties until Paris claimed it, seemingly for good, early in the third quarter.

They did so with an 8-0 charge that turned a 38-34 deficit into a 42-38 edge on John Cox's three-point play.

Two big threes from Antoine Diot soon after afforded them a 53-46 edge but Szolnoki kept scrapping and Paris needed Andrew Albicy's free throws to finish the third quarter with a 57-52 lead.

Albicy then opened the final stanza with a three-pointer but Szolnoki were not done yet and they would bring themselves level once more when Ernests Kalve hit a pair of free throws to follow James Florence's three and make it 69-69 with 4:45 to go.

Florence's jump-shot cancelled out Sean May's for Paris, but the visitors from France began to edge clear again as May's three followed Cox's jumper to make it 76-71 with 2:51 to play.

Tensions then seemed to get the better of both teams as neither added to their score for 110 seconds, Diot eventually ending the drought when he split a pair of free thows with 61 seconds to go.

Akos Horvath then missed a three-pointer for Szolnoki and Paris were able to put the game away from the line.

May led Paris with 26 points while Jonathan Aka had 16 and Cox 12.

Marton Bader's 13 points led Szolnoki with Kalve adding 11 and Florence 10.

Quotes: Szolnoki Olaj - Paris Levallois

Szolnoki Olaj head coach Nedeljko Asceric

"Congratulations for Paris. We played well but tonight we didn’t have the extra performance at the end. Maybe because we had a lot of important games before."

Szolnoki player Istvan Nemeth

"We could have won this game. We lost our concentration at the end of the game and maybe that is why we lost. They deserved this win tonight."

 Paris Levallois head coach Christophe Denis

"It was a hard game. It was a close game for 40 minutes. We knew that if we stayed close to Szolnoki, we will win this game because in the final of the game we will make it hard for them. It was an excellent job of both teams tonight."

Paris Levallois player Maleye Ndoye

"It was a very good and hard game. We had no choice but to win this game. We stayed close to Szolnok for the whole game and at the end of the game we made a lot of hard shots and they missed."

Quotes: Szolnoki Olaj - Paris Levallois

Szolnoki Olaj head coach Nedeljko Asceric

"Congratulations for Paris. We played well but tonight we didn’t have the extra performance at the end. Maybe because we had a lot of important games before."

Szolnoki player Istvan Nemeth

"We could have won this game. We lost our concentration at the end of the game and maybe that is why we lost. They deserved this win tonight."

 Paris Levallois head coach Christophe Denis

"It was a hard game. It was a close game for 40 minutes. We knew that if we stayed close to Szolnoki, we will win this game because in the final of the game we will make it hard for them. It was an excellent job of both teams tonight."

Paris Levallois player Maleye Ndoye

"It was a very good and hard game. We had no choice but to win this game. We stayed close to Szolnok for the whole game and at the end of the game we made a lot of hard shots and they missed."