Black Sea Ticha survived a thrilling triple-overtime thriller with Spartak Pleven in the decisive quarterfinal playoff match of Sesame NBL. The two teams had split their home games, with the series tied 1-1. In "Arena Shumen" on Friday night, Spartak led for much of the game, but the victory went to "the seamen" - 94-91, after a truly remarkable battle that kept the tension until the last second. The match was marked by the throwing of objects from fans and smoke in the final moments, as well as premature entry onto the court by agitated supporters. Jelani Watts-Gale once again played the role of the big hero for the team led by Vasil Evtimov. A three-pointer by Watts-Gale with less than a second left secured the dramatic win for Black Sea Ticha, advancing them to the semifinals where they will face Balcan. The other semifinal matchup between Rilski Sportist and Lokomotiv Plovdiv was already clear days before.

The decisive game was held in "Arena Shumen" because "Congress Hall" in DCS in Varna, where the first game of the series was played, was not available for the "seamen" on the day of the match.

Spartak Pleven had a total of four wins out of the five games played between the two teams this season. In the regular season, the Pleven team won three times, including twice as guests. Today, Spartak was very close to triumph, but in the end, the Varna team found a way to win.

First Quarter:

In the early minutes, the score moved back and forth, but towards the end of the first quarter, Izaya Yumipig hit a three-pointer, giving Spartak a 21-14 lead. Immediately after, Lamont West hit a three-pointer for the Varna team. Pavlin Ivanov then hit another three-pointer for the Pleven team, but this was immediately countered by West, resulting in a 20-24 score. Pavlin Ivanov was playing very strongly, and his third three-pointer gave the Pleven team a 9-point lead - 29-20. Izaya Yumipig was fouled while shooting a three-pointer at the end of the first quarter and hit all three free throws, ending the first 10 minutes with a 32-22 score in favor of Spartak.

Second Quarter:

The second quarter started well for the Pleven team, with Pavlin Ivanov hitting another three-pointer, followed by John Florvis, a former player of Black Sea Ticha, scoring unopposed for 37-22 - the biggest lead of the match. While Pavlin Ivanov was "on fire" for Spartak, Lamont West carried Black Sea Ticha. The Varna team narrowed the gap to 11 points with a three-pointer, but Nikolay Titkov hit a three-pointer for Pleven - 40-26. Black Sea Ticha responded with a three-pointer from Alonzo Gafni. Jelani Watts-Gale stole the ball and scored for the Varna team, and Georgi Boyanov narrowed the gap to 8 points - 34-42. Gafni played strongly, scoring after a battle, and then cutting the lead to 7 with a basket plus a foul - 41-48. Gafni added two more successful free throws, and Jaylan McClaud brought some calm to the Pleven team with a pass - 50-43. A three-pointer by Venecislav Petkov narrowed the gap to 2 points, but Spartak responded with 5 consecutive points - 55-48. The first half ended with a stunning three-pointer by Venecislav Petkov as the clock ran out, and the score after 20 minutes was 57-51 in favor of Spartak.

Third Quarter:

The battle between the two teams continued with full force at the start of the third quarter, which began with a three-pointer by Pavlin Ivanov. With 7:56 minutes left in the quarter, the Pleven team was still leading - 62-55. The players of Vasil Evtimov seemed determined to turn the tide, and a three-pointer by Jelani Watts-Gale narrowed the gap to 2 points - 60-62. Two points from Pavlin Ivanov in the middle of the quarter made the score 69-62, but Ivan Karacic hit an important three-pointer for the Varna team seconds later. Karacic then, with a brilliant play, narrowed the gap to 4 points, and with 3 minutes left in the third quarter, the score was 71-67 for Spartak. Jaylan McClaud increased the lead to 8 points with a successful mid-range shot, and the Pleven team defended their lead for some time. Nikolay Stoyanov missed two consecutive three-pointers from clean positions, but Georgi Boyanov stole the ball from Martin Rushev and scored in the basket for Spartak, narrowing the lead to 4 points seconds before the end of the period. This score was maintained until the end of the third quarter - 75-71 for Spartak.

Fourth Quarter:

A three-pointer by Alonzo Gafni brought Black Sea Ticha within a point of their opponents at the start of the final quarter. A drive by Darrell Davis gave the Varna team a one-point lead, and Jaylan McClaud scored the first basket for the Pleven team in the last period. Venecislav Petkov tied the game at 81-81 with a three-pointer, but the Pleven team responded with a three-pointer from the corner by Martin Sotirov in the middle of the quarter. Sotirov left the game soon after for five fouls. Watts-Gale scored two free throws for the Varna team, but Pavlin Ivanov from the mid-range brought the lead back to 3 points for Spartak. Watts-Gale then scored a crucial three-pointer for an 86-86 tie. Venecislav Petkov scored another three-pointer in transition for a new tie, but seconds later, Lamont West was fouled by Pavlin Ivanov while attempting a three-point shot. The guard did not flinch from the line, making the score 91-88 for Spartak with 1:43 left. With 43 seconds left, Lamont West hit a crucial three-pointer for the Varna team, evening the score again - 91-91. Kawon Scott missed two free throws 24 seconds before the end, and with 0.3 seconds left, Jelani Watts-Gale hit a stunning three-pointer for the Varna team - 94-91. This proved to be the final blow. In the meantime, a few seconds before, bottles and other objects were thrown from the stands onto the court. There was also smoke, and fans briefly entered the court after Watts-Gale's three-pointer, even before the match was over. The Pleven team had less than a second to try to extend the match, but this proved impossible, ending their season while the Bulgarian Cup and Supercup holders continue to dream of the championship title.

Alonzo Gafni stood out with 23 points and 7 rebounds for the Varna team, Jelani Watts-Gale scored 21, and Lamont West added 19. Venecislav Petkov contributed 11 points to the win, and Georgi Boyanov recorded 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists plus 2 steals. For Spartak, Pavlin Ivanov led with 27 points, Noel Brown recorded 14, and Jaylan McClaud left with 13 points and 7 assists.

The Varna team dominated in the paint - 39 rebounds against 28 for the Pleven team. The difference was even more pronounced in offensive rebounds - 19 for Black Sea Ticha and only 6 for Spartak.

Starting lineups:

Black Sea Ticha: Gafni, Watts-Gale, West, Stoyanov, Boyanov

Spartak Pleven: McClaud, Rushev, Scott, Brown, P. Ivanov

MATCH STATISTICS

Photo: BK Black Sea Ticha / Facebook