PAOK defeated UCAM Murcia 79–73 at the PAOK Sports Arena and took an important first step towards qualifying for the FIBA Europe Cup Finals. It was the first semifinal of the competition and essentially the first half of a very tough series, which will be decided next Wednesday in Spain.
Cleveland Melvin scored 22 points and was the game’s top scorer, while Breein Tyree finished with 19 points — 16 of them coming in the second half — and Ben Moore added another double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) in an excellent performance. More than 6,000 PAOK fans created a fantastic atmosphere at the PAOK Sports Arena and gave the team the necessary boost, especially in the second half when PAOK turned the game around.
PAOK controlled the first quarter, leading 7–1, 17–10, and 19–17. Despite being up by five (22–17) at the start of the second quarter, the visitors responded with an impressive 3–18 run to take the lead (25–35). With a 15–26 partial score in the second period, they went into halftime ahead by nine (34–43).
With an outstanding Tyree, PAOK opened the second half with an 11–0 run to regain the lead (45–43), held Murcia to just 12 points in the third quarter, and tied the game at 55–55 by the end of the period.
PAOK dominated for most of the fourth quarter, even building a 14-point lead (76–62). Although the visitors reduced the gap to six (79–73) late in the game, PAOK held on to secure the win and take the first step towards qualification ahead of the extremely challenging second leg next Wednesday in Spain.
Scoring by quarters: 19–17, 34–43, 55–55, 79–73
PAOK: Allen 2, Melvin 22 (2), Tyree 19 (3), Koniaris, Omoruyi 8, Persidis 2, Iatridis, Beverley 6, Moore 13, Dimsa 7 (1).
UCAM Murcia: Cacok 14, Forrest 5 (1), De Julius 11, Radebaugh 1, Falk, Cate 8, De La Torre 4, Martin 16 (4), Ennis 10, Nakic 4 (1).