Anthony Brown keeps Turk Telekom rolling against Bourg, 98-89

The Turkish outfit is comfortably in the playoff places while the French side is looking over its shoulder

Regular Season

Round 13 of 18

game Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse vs Turk Telekom Ankara

Group B

3 January 2025, 16:30

Regular Season

3 January 2025, 16:30

Regular Season

Turk Telekom Ankara

TTA

98

89

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse

JLB

Final Score

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l

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Turk Telekom Ankara continued its momentum by beating Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse 98-89 to notch its fourth straight win in the BKT EuroCup, while the visitors lost for the third game in a row. With this victory, Erdem Can’s men now hold an 8-5 record, with Frederic Fauthoux’s charges dropping to 6-7. After Bourg won the first game between these two by four points, Turk Telekom's nine-point victory gives it the advantage in any potential tiebreaker.

Anthony Brown was electric for Turk Telekom, finishing with 32 points after going 8 of 9 on three-pointers. Olivier Hanlan scored 23 points, of which 12 came in the fourth quarter, while Kyle Alexander added 13 points, having netted 5 points in the final 36 seconds. For Bourg, Xavier Castaneda had a team-high 18 points, followed by Joel Ayayi and Maksim Salash with 12 apiece, Brandon Paul with 11, and Adrian Nelson with 10.

Brown got Turk Telekom off the mark with a three-pointer, which would prove to be the theme of the first quarter. Adrian Nelson’s activity on the offensive glass was paying dividends for Bourg, with the forward scoring 5 points and Castaneda knocking down a triple as the visitors went 6-10 ahead. But a 10-0 Turk Telekom run that featured a couple of threes by Speedy Smith helped the visitors take a 16-10 lead. Bourg kept it tight, but when Brown struck from three-point land for the third time to make it 6 for 7 from deep for Turk Telekom, the hosts led 24-19. Hugo Benitez’s three made it tight at 26-25, but Hanlan’s two free throws ensured it was 28-25 after 10 minutes.

Maksim Salash had 5 points in the final 2:30 minutes of the first quarter, then converted a three-point play to tie things up at 28-28. Brandon Jefferson hit a couple of free throws to restore Bourg’s advantage at 28-30, but Hanlan, Ismet Akpinar and Brown all netted jumpers to make it 34-30. A Brandon Paul three and a perfect trip to the line from Kevin Kokila gave Bourg a 34-35 edge, before Castaneda responded to an Akpinar steal and layup to set a 36-37 score. Brown’s corner three, a big alley-oop slam from Makoundou, and a Javon Bess triple swelled the lead to 44-37. Bourg got as close as 44-42 thanks to 5 points by Joel Ayayi, and again at 46-44 following two made free throws by Castaneda, but Hanlan’s 5-0 personal run made it 51-44 before Castaneda split free throws to set a 51-45 halftime score.

Ayayi got Bourg going in the second half with 5 straight points, which cut the score to 51-50, but Brown’s three-pointer – his fifth on the night from five attempts – looked as though it was going to get the hosts going at 54-50. However, Castaneda scored 7 points in a 9-0 Bourg run that saw the visitors go 54-59 ahead, with the last two coming after an unsportsmanlike foul by Speedy Smith – his second of the game, which saw him head for an early shower. Alexander hit back for Turk Telekom by scoring 5 straight points to tie it at 59-59, and Brown later appeared with 5 points in a row to give the hosts a 67-64 edge. Nelson’s triple pushed Bourg back ahead at 67-69, but Brown scored from mid-range to make it 69-69 heading into the final frame.

Bourg had the better start to the fourth after scores by Paul and Brandon Jefferson opened a 69-74 score, and despite a response from Turk Telekom, Nelson’s offensive rebound and finish gave the visitors a six-point margin at 72-78. Hanlan, who drained a three earlier in the period, netted another to make things tight at 75-78, then had a three-point play to make it 78-80. Turk Telekom youngster Melih Tunca had not played through the first three quarters, but he saw some fourth-quarter action and made a big impact with a three-pointer that restored the hosts’ lead, 81-80, before seeing another triple bounce four times before dropping, 84-80. Jordan Usher got his first points of the night, but Brown’s deep three – his seventh – made it 87-82. Brown then reappeared by hitting a contested three – his eighth – to give Turk Telekom a 90-84 edge. In the final 36 seconds, Alexander stepped up with offensive rebounds and points, netting 5 to help guide the hosts to a 98-89 win.