NICOSIA (FIBA Europe Cup) – Apoel Nicosia inscribed their second consecutive victory in Group J of the FIBA Europe Cup and continued their strong finish of the Regular Season with a 75-65 victory against the last-placed Siauliai.

Turning Point: Both teams found it difficult to score in the first minutes of the game, but Apoel decided not to play around any longer against their winless opponents, going on a 16-0 run bridging the first two quarters to break away to a double-digit lead. The Cypriot side ended up outscoring the visitors from Lithuania 26-12 in the second period of play and never looked back.

Stats Don't Lie: There were no major disparities through most of the statistical categories, but what really stands out is the long-range shooting. Taking full advantage of the friendly rims, Apoel knocked down 8-of-22 three-pointers, while Siauliai connected from downtown only three times before the fourth quarter, finishing with a 5-of-21 line.

Game Hero: For the second game in a row, it was Murphy Burnatowski who took it upon himself to carry Apoel to a victorious finish in the FIBA Europe Cup. Although he fell quite a bit short of his 32-point outburst against Pardubice, the Canadian big man contributed with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.

The Bottom Line: The victory allowed Apoel to take back second place in Group J standings for the time being with one game left in the Regular Season. Barring an unexpected Pardubice slip-up against Siauliai next week, Dimitrios Koustenis' side will need a win against Tsmoki on the road in Minsk to make sure they are through to the next phase of the competition.

They Said: "It was a great victory, our third one in the competition. Congratulations to our players, they played really well. We maintain our hopes of qualifying to the next round and we're going to Minsk to fight for the first place in the group." - Apoel coach Dimitrios Koustenis.

"Congratulations to Apoel on their win. We had a good start in the game but unfortunately we couldn't keep it up and were eliminated from the next round." - Siauliai coach Vaidas Pauliukenas.

FIBA