The less heralded team of the two Istanbul rivals in the EuroCup produced a masterclass performance from start to finish
Bahcesehir blows away Besiktas in Istanbul derby, 87-66
Bahcesehir College Istanbul romped to an 87-66 win over its more fancied city rival Besiktas Fidabanka Istanbul for a second successive BKT EuroCup win, having returned to the competition for the first time in three years.
Marko Simonovic led Bahcesehir’s effort against his former club with 14 points, scoring 12 in the fourth quarter. Sehmus Hazer, who also joined Bahcesehir from Besiktas, added 13 while Jaleen Smith, Tyler Cavanaugh and Tai Odiase chipped in with 12 each. Mateusz Ponitka netted 11 points in a free-flowing team effort which forced Besiktas on to the back foot in the final three quarters.
At the other end, Conor Morgan stood out for below-par Besiktas with a game-high 15 points. Emanuel Terry scored 13 and Kelan Martin added 12 for the visitors, who were stifled out on offense and overran defensively by a rampant home side.
Game Videos
It was a first-ever meeting between the two sides in the EuroCup and Bahcesehir showed the makings of a team capable of winning the competition after dominating the contest throughout, apart from a brief spell in the first quarter.
The home team scored the opening 6 points of the game before Besiktas hit back with a 0-11 run which saw the visitors edge ahead on the back of some fine shooting by Needham. That, however, was as good as it got for last season’s semifinalist, which got outplayed in every department from there on.
With Bahcesehir winning the opening period 23 -21 and then nosing ahead 30-27 early in the second, the host pulled away thanks to an 11-0 streak as Cavanaugh hit a pair of successive three-pointers before Smith also netted from downtown off the glass.
Bahcesehir led 47-32 at halftime and kept its feet firmly on the gas after the break, with Montenegrin forward Simonovic hitting top gear in the fourth on offense after being a defensive pillar in the opening 30 minutes.
Besiktas guard Derek Needham fizzed out after a bright start to the game and finished the game on a mere 9 points in the wake of aggressive Bahcesehir defense, which forced the visitors to take a barrage of tough shots from both inside and outside.