Limassol's basketball club books a historic continental run

It has been a long time coming, but Limassol's flagship basketball club has finally broken through to a European group stage after edging out their qualifying-round opponents on the road, 84-79, in a game that swung on a furious final quarter.

Trailing by eleven points with under eight minutes to play, the Cypriot side switched to a full-court press that completely disrupted their hosts' rhythm. A string of turnovers turned into fast-break points, and by the time the fourth quarter buzzer sounded, Limassol had completed one of the more memorable comebacks in the club's recent history.

The head coach, visibly emotional courtside, credited the bench for staying ready and the travelling fans for making themselves heard from the opening tip. "We have talked about this moment for three years," he said. "Tonight the players believed it before the scoreboard did."

The group stage draw is expected within the next fortnight, and early reports suggest at least one fixture will be moved to a larger Nicosia venue to accommodate demand from Cypriot basketball fans hungry for continental nights at home.