Conor Morgan, Kyle Allman and Derek Needham forced the brilliant Tai Odiase into submission
Besiktas trio was too much for battling Odiase in Istanbul derby
Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul came out on top against visiting Bahcesehir College Istanbul in an absorbing Istanbul derby as the home team had too much firepower for the BTK EuroCup Group A leader, with the home team’s clutch trio delivering the goods.
Conor Morgan, Kyle Allman and Derek Needham combined for 46 points as Besiktas prevailed 89-82, canceling out Tai Odiase’s massive effort for the visitors as the big man dominated with 20 points and 8 boards.
Bahcesehir was left with too much work to do in the second half after trailing 58-43 at the interval, having fallen behind 49-29 late in the first half due to lethal three-point shooting from Besiktas.
Game Videos
The hosts were 10 of 17 from downtown at halftime while the visitors made only 2 of 9, as Besiktas played airtight defense on the perimeter and forced Bahcesehir to take a barrage of tough shots.
The visiting team turned the tables in the second half as Besiktas, which was 9 of 13 from long range at one point, finished on 13 from 28 but Bahcesehir was unable to capitalize down the stretch as it was contained to a shambolic 3 of 17 from deep.
Morgan, who went the extra mile to make light of big man Emanuel Terry’s absence, acknowledged Besiktas came out with all guns blazing before being forced to weather the storm down the stretch.
“We came out and played super hard, we brought the energy and effort,” said Morgan, who posted 17 points, 7 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. “Bahcesehir at times struggled to match that and it’s a big win for us moving forward.”
Besiktas head coach Dusan Alimpijevic was also pleased with the outcome. “[Bahcesehir] is a good team and we surely didn’t expect it to be easy,” the Serbian tactician said after seeing his outfit get sweet revenge for a crushing 87-66 loss in the reverse fixture.
“They are top of our group and that means something. All credit to my team, we played a pretty good game and it’s our third win in a row without the injured big man,” he emphasized.
In Round 12, Besiktas visits Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv while Bahcesehir is at home to second-placed Dreamland Gran Canaria, in what should be a pair of rip-roaring clashes in the top half of the table.