Israeli club Hapoel Holon achieved a 90-83 home victory against French side Dijon Basket in the final round of Group I in FIBA’s Basketball Champions League on Wednesday evening.
The win gave Holon the first place in the four-team group in the round of 16 with a win-loss record of 4-2, and a spot in the quarterfinals.
Germany’s Riesen Ludwigsburg also advanced to the quarterfinals as runners-up with a similar 4-2 win-loss record after beating Galatasaray 64-58 in Turkey.
In front of 4,000 fans at Toto Arena, the French team took an early 22-6 lead, with the first quarter ending 24-15.
The visitors increased the lead to 32-17, but Joe Ragland and Adam Smith inspired Holon to cut the deficit to 47-44 at half-time.
Michale Kyser and Smith dominated the third quarter, giving Holon a 72-68 lead, while Chris Johnson shone in the fourth quarter to secure the home win.
Smith scored a game-high 29 points. Kyser added 26 points alongside eight rebounds, while Johnson contributed 16 points and ten rebounds.
Carrington scored 17 points for Dijon, while Kelly finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds.
The eight teams reaching the quarterfinals will play a best-of-three series in April, with home advantage to the first-placed teams.
The quarterfinal ties will be determined in a draw to be held in Bilbao, Spain on Friday. The four winners will qualify for the Final Four tournament. ■
