Aris lament missed chances after Champions League journey ends
 

FIBA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - QUALIFIERS

Aris’ bid to reach the Basketball Champions League group stage has ended prematurely after the Thessaloniki side were knocked-out of the competition by Nizhny Novgorod…

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Aris’ plans on joining the likes of AEK, PAOK, and Promitheas in the Basketball Champions League group stage have been foiled after a 62-51 defeat at the hands of Nizhny Novgorod confirmed a 125-116 aggregate defeat for the Thessaloniki outfit.

After holding just a two-point aggregate lead following Tuesday’s first leg in Russia, Aris failed to make use of homecourt advantage as Nizhny surged to an early lead and never looked back.

Lucky Jones led Aris scorers in the loss with 15 points while Boris Dallo and Gary McGhee each notched 10 points. Meanwhile, Nizhny’s Kendrick Perry led all scorers on the night with 16 points as the American guard helped his side take command of the tie early and often.

Nizhny’s surge to the aggregate lead didn’t take long as the Russian side carved-out a 20-11 lead in the first quarter before padding that leading with a 14-7 run in the second frame.

Now trailing 34-18 after the first half, Aris tried to rally in the third quarter with a 25-13 run that eventually cut the Nizhny lead to just four points (47-43) heading into the final frame.

Aris were unable to carryover their momentum into the fourth quarter as Nizhny tightened up their defence and limited the home side to just eight points in the frame. While the Russians were stingy on defence, their offensive effort was still clicking as a 15-point tally in the frame blew the game wide-open once again.

The win means Nizhny will now face JIP Pardubice in the third qualifying round for a shot at the group stage, while Aris are headed straight for the FIBA Europe Cup regular season.

HIGHLIGHTS: ARIS - NIZHNY NOVGOROD

by Peter Katsiris

Image Source: SDNA.gr

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