The visitors led by as many as 24 in the fourth quarter
Besiktas hammers Trento, 68-83, on the road
Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul outscored Dolomiti Energia Trento 22-43 in the middle two quarters to take control en route to a 68-83 victory at Il T Quotidiano Arena on Thursday night. The result saw Besiktas climb into at least a share of fourth place in Group A with a 5-4 record, while Trento slipped to 3-6.
Kelan Martin paced the winning effort with 13 points, Yigit Arslan and Berk Ugurlu added 12 points apiece and Jonah Mathews scored 10. Quin Ellis, Myles Cale and Toto Forray all scored 13 for Trento and Anthony Lamb had 12 in defeat.
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Lamb and Cale got Trento going before Dustin Sleva and Kyle Allman answered back for the visitors. The hosts clamped down on defense and pushed the ball on offense with Cale capping an 8-0 run for a 12-4 lead. Ugurlu and Sleva came alive to rally Besiktas within 16-13. Lamb gave Trento some breathing room only to see Sleva and Allman keep Besiktas in the hunt. Toto Forray's layup made it 20-17 after 10 minutes.
Cale remained hot with a pretty move in the paint for Trento but Arslan was even hotter with a pair of threes to give the visitors their first lead, 22-23. Andrea Pecchia scored straight off a Trento timeout, Jordan Ford netted a free throw after Besiktas head coach Dusan Alimpijevic was called for a technical foul and Lamb finished off a three-point play for a 28-24 cushion. Mathews scored 4 points in a 0-6 spurt as Besiktas regained control. Free throws by Ugurlu and Kerem Onan made it 30-35. A tough score by Ugurlu extended the margin to 32-39 at halftime.
A three-pointer by Conor Morgan gave Besiktas a 10-point lead and Derek Needham's first points of the game made it 34-46. A timeout changed little for the hosts as Martin and Arslan kept Besiktas cruising as 35-53. Martin’s next three-pointer made it a 20-point game. Free throws by Eigirdas Zukauskas were not enough to spark a comeback and Besiktas was sitting pretty at 42-60 through three quarters.
Ellis started to heat up for Trento, making the team’s first three of the night after 18 misses. Even so, Besiktas was able to match almost every shot. Zukauskas kept fighting for Trento, but to no avail. The Besiktas lead peaked at 54-78 on a Needham free throw with 2 and a half minutes remaining as the visitors closed out a comfortable win.