Everything is set for the winner-take-all contest in Istanbul on Wednesday
Gran Canaria will be ready for another intense battle at Bahcesehir in Game 3
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Dreamland Gran Canaria has extended its BKT EuroCup season for at least one more game and now has set up a winner-take-all Game 3 with Bahcesehir College Istanbul – a matchup which the Spanish side expects to be another battle.
Gran Canaria evened the semifinal series 1-1 with a 69-68 home victory in a showdown of the best two defenses in the EuroCup. That came after Bahcesehir took Game 1 at home, 74-66.
So far, all four games between the two teams this season have been won by the home team. Gran Canaria prevailed 66-63 in early October while Bahcesehir registered a 73-65 home win in December as the two teams were together in Group A.
And the 2023 EuroCup champion Gran Canaria is expecting a similar contest in Game 3 on Wednesday in Istanbul.
“It was a difficult game, just like the other three games with Bahcesehir because it is a great team. We are happy that we stayed alive in the series. Now we are going for the final game in Istanbul. We’ll be ready,” Gran Canaria head coach Jaka Lakovic said after the Game 2 win.
And looking ahead to the third game, the play-caller added: “It will be the same type of game. Very physical and hopefully we can get our (shooting) percentages better and win the defensive rebounding like today.”
Protecting the defensive glass was a massive problem in Game 1 for Gran Canaria, which allowed 20 Bahcesehir offensive rebounds that resulted in 16 second-chance points. Bahcesehir managed just 7 offensive rebounds in the second game.
“We fought hard. We deserve a third game,” said Gran Canaria big man Mike Tobey. “We know that the job is not finished. We need to go to Türkiye with the mentality that we want to win. We are very excited. It’s always cool to win a game like that. But the guys are locked in. They know we have one more game if we want to go to the finals.”
Tobey knows what it takes to win the EuroCup. He helped Valencia Basket win the championship in 2019. And he is expecting it to be a tough fight in Game 3.
“We know it’s going to be another physical game. Do or die, so both sides will be giving it everything they got. Kind of like today – a super physical game. We’re really excited.”
Tobey scored 11 points in the Game 2 win and another strong performance by him and the team around the basket will be key. Gran Canaria made 62.5% on two-pointers in Game 2, which was much higher than the 51.3% that Bahcesehir had been allowing heading into Friday night, the second-lowest percentage in the competition.