The 33-year-old veteran pulled all the strings for the home side in a lopsided contest
Derek Needham shines as Besiktas breezes past Buducnost
Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul cruised to a comprehensive 94-76 home win over Buducnost Voli Podgorica to make a perfect start in Group A of the BKT EuroCup, after Derek Needham rolled back the years.
The 33-year-old guard racked up a game-high 18 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds after he came off the bench to run the show in front of a vocal home crowd who roared on Besiktas throughout. Kelan Martin added 14 points for the hosts, Conor Morgan netted 12 and Jonah Mathews posted 10 in a concerted team effort.
At the other end, Rasheed Sulaimon and McKinley Wright led Buducnost with 13 points each while Juwan Morgan chipped in with 12, but the visitors struggled as their influential point guard Yogi Ferrel was largely subdued.
Ferrel finished on a mere 8 points, having been kept scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter, with Buducnost making only 3 of 14 shots from downtown. Besiktas hit 9 of 24, having also amassed 38 rebounds and a whopping 23 assists.
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Besiktas head coach Dusan Alimpijevic was delighted with his team’s effervescent performance, with Buducnost powerless to cope with the home side’s electrifying pace which generated a barrage of fast breaks.
“The number of rebounds and assists shows just how ready we were to hustle today,” the Serbian tactician said. “I am very happy because the opening game is always tough to play in any competition and we need to build on this performance.”
Buducnost briefly carved out a 10-12 advantage after Besiktas had raced into a 5-0 lead, but that was as good as it got for the Montenegrin outfit. Powered by Needham, Besiktas pulled 43-28 clear in the second quarter and held on for a 49-39 halftime lead, as Sulaimon and Wright tried to keep Buducnost afloat.
The writing was on the wall for Buducnost after a 10-2 run allowed Besiktas to race away into a 64-47 lead late in the third quarter and the advantage swelled to 20 points in the fourth, as the home team kept its foot on the gas.
“Great game and great energy by us, it’s something we’ve been looking for throughout the preseason,” said Needham. “I came off the bench today, I always try to be the youngest guy with the energy needed. “
In Round 2, Besiktas visit Istanbul arch-rival and EuroCup debutant Bahcesehir, while Buducnost is at home to the competition’s 2023 champion Dreamland Gran Canaria.