It was a rough night for Jaleen Smith until he bounced back with flying colors
Jaleen Smith stepped up for Bahcesehir when it mattered
Article
3 Mins read
Bahcesehir College Istanbul advanced to the BKT EuroCup Semifinals for the first time in club history thanks to an 85-81 come-from-behind win over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in the single-game quarterfinals. It wasn't easy by any means, as Cedevita led most of the way. The visitors had managed to stop some of Bahcesehir's main pillars: Tai Odiase, Mateusz Ponitka, Axel Bouteille and above all, Jaleen Smith were having a difficult night against Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic's team. Smith had averaged 12.9 points and 5.6 assists in the regular season, starting all 18 games. At the end of the third quarter, he was scoreless.
Cedevita led 59-68 early in the fourth quarter when Smith took matters into his own hands. He found Odiase for a wide open dunk, made a pair of free throws and found Furkan Korkmaz for a layup that tied it at 69-69. Smith went on to bury a rainbow jumper and soon added a driving layup, putting Bahcesehir ahead for good. He had 6 points and 2 assists in a critical 16-1 run that allowed the hosts to take full control of the game. Smith still had time to hit a three-pointer that gave Bahcesehir 79-73 lead with 2 minutes remaining.
When the dust settled, Bahcesehir had punched its semifinals ticket with the home-court advantage for its next series and Smith had played a key role with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists.
Smith has been outstanding all season long, reading games really well to find out how to be useful for his team. In Round 7, Bahcesehir topped Hapoel Tel Aviv 90-82. Smith was held to just 2 points but dished a career-high 15 assists. He reached the 20-point mark three times this season and also had a double-double (11 points and 11 assists) against Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul in Round 11. His free throw accuracy makes him even more valuable in all important games going forward. Smith has hit 43 of 44 free throws so far this season, with a league-leading percentage of 97.7%.
Smith made the difference in crunch time against Cedevita, giving Bahcesehir plenty of reasons to celebrate a truly historic victory.
Game Videos
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Dreamland Gran Canaria-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | SF Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:17
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Odiase stretches for big alley-oop! Magic Moment
- 00:52
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Marko Simonovic: 'We played an amazing game'
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Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Dreamland Gran Canaria | SF Game 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:12
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Odiase powers in the put-back! Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Hazer carves up the Granca defense! Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Marko Simonovic highlights run with slam! Magic Moment
- 01:01
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Marko Simonovic: 'We changed the game in the fourth quarter'
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Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Quarterfinals Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:09
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Stipanovic finds Radovic! Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Massinburg beats the buzzer! Magic Moment
- 00:36
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Devin Robinson: 'We're making history again'
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-Besiktas Fibabank Istabul | Eighthfinals Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Joventut Badalona-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:10
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Odiase hammers home Smith’s great pass! Magic Moment
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Veolia Towers Hamburg-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:17
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Stewart dunks with force! Magic Moment
- 00:31
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FLYING BLOCK! Magic Moment of the Night
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-Valencia Basket | Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:16
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Robinson destroys the rim! Magic Moment
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Bahcesehir College Istanbul-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:13
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Stewart launches Beringer for the slam! Magic Moment
- 00:16
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Robinson flies high to stop Puerto! Magic Moment
- 00:16
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Stewart blocks, Beringer dunks! Magic Moment
- 00:22
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A stunning team move by Bahcesehir! Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Nice move and dunk by Sehmus Hazer! Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Monster block by Odiase! Magic Moment
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Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:29
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DJ Stewart with a ferocious slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:08
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Odiase's big block! Magic Moment
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7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Trefl Sopot-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 01:00
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Facu Campazzo: 'For the fans, it was a great game'
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Real Madrid-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 21 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
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Maccabi turns defense into offense! Motorola Magic Moment
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Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:13
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Blatt finds Hoard! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:25
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Jokubaitis's buzzer-beater! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Beringer soars for alley-oop jam! Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Lemar squeezes in for a tough bucket! Magic Moment
- 00:28
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Odiase's huge block! Magic Moment of the Night
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-Aris Thessaloniki | Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
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What an assist from Tasic! Magic Moment
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Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Buducnost VOLI Podgorica | Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:16
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Stipanovic and Robinson at it again! Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Odiase's huge block! Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Big dunk srom DJ Stewart! Magic Moment
- 00:25
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Jovanovic forces overtime! Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Devin Robinson with a superb put-back! Magic Moment
