The Turkish club also claimed the head-to-head tiebreaker against its closest rival in the standings
Bahcesehir beats Gran Canaria, 73-65, to take control of Group A
In a battle for first place in Group A, Bahcesehir College Istanbul downed Dreamland Gran Canaria 73-65 at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall in Round 12 on Tuesday. Bahcesehir improved to 10-2 and earned the tiebreak advantage over Gran Canaria, which dropped to 9-3.
Tai Odiase led the winners with 16 points. Axel Bouteille added 15, Mateusz Ponitka had 11 while Tyler Cavanaugh and Sehmus Hazer each scored 10 for Bahcesehir. Cavanaugh added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Joe Thomasson paced Gran Canaria with 17 points, Mike Tobey netted 16 and Pierre Pelos had 11 for the visitors.
Game Videos
Hazer got Bajcesehir going with a driving layup. Nico Brussino made a triple and Thomasson added a floater for a 2-5 Gran Canaria lead. Jaleen Smith and Hazer each struck from downtown in an 8-0 run that Cavanaugh capped with a layup. Pelos downed a five-meter jumper and Tobey's jump hook kept the visitors within 10-9. Cavanaugh and Bouteille each had 5 points in a 12-0 run that Odiase capped with a put-back basket for a 22-9 lead. After Odiase matched Pelos's layup with a dunk, Bouteille insisted from beyond the arc and Ponitka added an off-balance basket. Jovan Kljajic beat the buzzer with a layup that fixed the score at 29-16 after 10 minutes.
Hazer took over with a backdoor layup and a three-pointer early in the second quarter. CJ Massinburg soon added a layup in transition that made it a 20-point game. John Shurna nailed a corner triple off a Gran Canaria timeout. Carlos Alocen added a driving layup and Mike Tobey's tip-in gave the visitors hope at 36-23. Tobey capped a 0-10 Gran Canaria run with a bomb from downtown. Odiase dunked and Cavanaigh soon gave Bahcesehir fresh air at 40-26. George Conditt and Odiase traded tip-ins, then Bouteille buried a fallaway jumper for a 44-28 score. Thomasson scored in penetration and Brussino's dunk brought the visitors within 44-32 at halftime.
Thomasson swished a jumper soon after the break. Odiase improved on that with a three-point play. After Pelos scored down low, Massinburg restored a 15-point Bahcesehir margin. Thomasson scored in penetration, Odiase buried his trademark jump hook and Caleb Homesley's three-pointer got Gran Canaria within 54-41. Pelos buried a step-back jumper and Homesley soon made it a 10-point game. Bouteille hit a jump hook in the lane, getting help from Odiase and Smith to keep Bahcesehir in control, 61-45, after 30 minutes.
Thomasson took over with a put-back layup early in the fourth quarter. Ponitka answered with consecutive backdoor layups for a 65-47 score with 7 minutes left. Thomasson kept pacing Gran Canaria with a fastbreak layup and followed Tobey's close basket with a three-pointer in transition that prompted the hosts to call timeout at 65-54. Thonasson capped a 0-9 run with free throws, as Odiase buried another jump hook. Tobey struck from beyond the arc and Alocen got the visitors within 67-61 with 4:10 remaining. Bouteille buried a critical jumper and Ponitka added a put-back basket, but Tobey drew Gran Canaria within 71-65 with 1:16 left. Ponitka made a floater to seal the outcome.