The biggest comeback of the Quarterfinals took place last night in Limassol, with the Red Panda Moufflons overturning a -29 deficit to secure a dramatic 69–68 victory over Ρ&P, booking their place in the Final Four for the first time in their history.
R&P could be described as the perfect “self-destructing” side, as despite leading throughout the game, they ultimately let victory slip through their hands along with the chance to advance to the Semi-Finals and compete for the title.
Up until the end of the third quarter, the team of Pampos Papacharalambous was consistently ahead on the scoreboard, even building a lead of over 20 points (34–57), making it seem as though the game had already been decided. However, the players of Daria Evdokimova had a completely different view, going all in during the final quarter and eventually being rewarded.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the hosts came out firing with five consecutive three-pointers, cutting the deficit to a much more manageable margin (49–59, with 8 minutes remaining). About 1.5 minutes before the end, Kronitis reduced the gap to the minimum (66–67). Papacharalambous then made 1 of 2 free throws to give Ρ&P a two-point lead, but Pavlov delivered the final blow with a game-winning three-pointer, sealing the comeback and the valuable 69–68 victory for the Moufflons.
For the hosts, Konstantin Evdokimov and Nikola Popovic stood out with 18 and 15 points respectively, while for the visitors (who were missing Konstantinos Selitas), Panayiotis Koutousis and Chris O’Quinn led the scoring with 27 and 17 points.
In the Semi-Finals, the Moufflons will face ESOBGA on Monday night (21:00 – Agios Dometios Indoor Hall), while for Ρ&P this was their final game of the season. We thank them for their presence and contribution this year and look forward to seeing them again next October.
