Peja had the strength to resist the Cypriot club, AEK Petrolina, only in the first three quarters, when the rival teams were almost equal on the floor. However, in the final ten minutes of the game the hosts finally explode and managed to defeat Peja 81:64 (11:17, 25:15, 13:15, 32:17). This game belonged to Round 5 of Group G in FIBA Europe Cup.
In fact, the team from Cyprus created their lead in the second and the last quarter, and concluded the game with 17 points advantage in their favor.
Before the game against AEK, Peja hoped to further qualify in FIBA Europe Cup, but with the Wednesday’s loss in Larnaca, their chance has significantly diminished.
The top scorer from Petrolina AEK was Torey Thomas with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. For Peja, Lamarcus A Reed scored 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Gaziantep is leading Group G with 9 points, followed by Cluj who also has 9 points, AEK with 6 points and Peja with 6 points.
Peja’s only victory in FIBA Europe Cup was against the team from Cyprus.
In the next round, Peja will host the Turkish team Gaziantep, on November 22nd and it is the last game of the regular season of FIBA Europe Cup.