MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - The first-leg results in both of the FIBA Europe Cup Semi-Finals have left the outcome of the ties very much in the balance, but it was Telekom Baskets and Telenet Oostende who got themselves in slightly more favorable positions.

The German side used Julian Gamble as a battering ram inside the paint against Nanterre 92, ending the French side's domination at home, while 36-year-old Rasko Katic played as if he was at least 10 years younger, helping Oostende overcome Elan Chalon.

Like at the end of every week, we take a closer look at what actually went down in the competition through the lens of numbers.

6

Nanterre's up-and-coming star Mathias Lessort found ways of contributing against Telekom Baskets with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals, despite having a rough night handling the ball with 6 turnovers to his name.

"The result isn't good, but we aren't doing too bad, considering they dominated us. We haven't played well of late, but we need to work hard and progress together."Pascal Donnadieu, head coach of Nanterre 92Pascal Donnadieu, head coach of Nanterre 92

All other Semi-Finalists seem to have taken care of the ball with extra caution, with Elan Chalon turning the ball over nine times as a team. Telekom Baskets and Telenet Oostende committed 11 and 13 turnovers, respectively.

The Belgian side's guard Corey Walden lost possession of the ball three times, as no other player did it more than twice.

8

Telekom Baskets inflicted the first home defeat on Nanterre, who previously hadn't lost a single game at the Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez in the FIBA Europe Cup this season, ending the longest active home winning streak in the competition.

The French club had won all eight of their games in Nanterre before seeing the perfect record blemished by a 77-76 loss to the visitors from Germany, who themselves now hold the best mark with seven consecutive victories at the Telekom Dome.

Elan Chalon haven't lost on their home floor, Le Colisee, for eight games in a row, but that also includes a draw in the second leg of the Round of 16 tie against Hungarian outfit Kormend.

16

If it wasn't for two short meltdowns in the second and fourth quarters, Telenet Oostende would currently be enjoying at least a double-digit cushion before the second leg against Elan Chalon.

"A 5-point lead isn't much, but it's bigger than what we had before the start of this game."Dario Gjergja, head coach of Telenet OostendeDario Gjergja, head coach of Telenet Oostende

Having taken the lead in the first minute of the game, the Belgians were in front from start to finish. Dario Gjergja's squad led by as many as 16 points in the first half and by as many as 14 after intermission, but have only themselves to blame for not capitalizing on a dominant display.

And, yes, Cameron Clark of Elan Chalon was great too and does deserve some props as well, as we'll go on to explain just below.

29

Cameron Clark posted the best individual performance among the players of all four teams in first-leg Semi-Final battles. The Elan Chalon forward collected 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block on his way to collecting an efficiency ranking of 29.

The runner-up spot went to Julian Gamble of Telekom Baskets, whose tally added up to an efficiency of 27. The big man registered his fourth 20-point game in a row with a 26-point, 6-rebound outing in France against Nanterre.

36

Age is just a number and 36-year-old Telenet Oostende center Rasko Katic showcased that against Elan Chalon, scoring a team-high 23 points on 11-of-17 shooting and grabbing 7 boards in a first-leg win.

The veteran from Serbian collected 15 points in the first quarter alone, doing it in a variety of ways – posting up, adding a couple of mid-range jump-shots, cutting inside after pick and rolls and adding a Dream Shake to the mix in the fourth quarter.

50

"We didn't play poorly, but we had problems under the basket with Julian Gamble and the three-point shooting of their point guard Joshua Mayo," said Nanterre's guard Heiko Schaffartzik after the loss to Telekom Baskets.

While four third-quarter three-pointers hurt the French club, the pain probably wasn't as severe as from the 50 points they allowed Bonn to score inside the paint. Julian Gamble made 12-of-15 from in close, while other players added 26 more easy points.

Elan Chalon had similar problems with Telenet Oostende, who scored 40 points in the post, mostly thanks to big games from centers Rasko Katic and Khalid Boukichou, who took turns in punishing the Chalon-sur-Saone club.

64.3

In the game against Elan Chalon, Telenet Oostende were knocking down three-pointers almost at the same clip as they were converting free-throw attempts. Having made 9-of-14 from beyond the arc, the Belgian side's three-point accuracy was 64.3%, an incredible figure. At the same time, however, the team went 16-of-23 (69.6%) from the stripe, which undoubtedly leaves plenty of space for improvement for the second leg.

FIBA