| 03.12.2005
With the EuroCup reaching the end of the first round this week, there were several teams looking down the barrel of a gun with regards to their European hopes.
One of those was Italian side Cantu, who needed a win against BC Siauliai to ensure a spot in Round II.
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Phillip Jones
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| Siauliai had proved the better side in the first game, beating Cantu 74-69.
But Cantu dug deep in the home leg against the Lithuanians to record an 81-70 victory and keep their EuroCup season alive.
Cantu guard Phill Jones had a tough time in the first meeting between the two sides, shooting 4/14 from the field for 13 points. But the New Zealand international bounced back at home and his 29-point performance earns him Player of the Week honours.
If there is one thing that Phill Jones has displayed consistently throughout his career, it is his ability to put the ball in the basket, at all levels.
Jones has been New Zealand's top player since his debut with the Tall Blacks in 1994. His introduction to the cream of world basketball came at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where he put up 10.5 ppg.
Then in 2002 he led the side in scoring (18.2 ppg) at the FIBA World Championship where New Zealand shocked the international basketball community by finishing in fourth place.
In 2004, Jones was the second leading scorer overall at the Athens Olympics with 21 ppg.
Cantu Coach Pino Sacripanti will be looking for that kind of offensive output from Jones if his side is to contend for play-off honours in both the Italian league and EuroCup. | 
