Coach Alimpijevic was impressed with his team’s defensive performance
Jonah Mathews delivered scoring as Besiktas found energy to beat Wolves
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 15 of 18
Group A
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Nothing was going right for Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul in the third quarter offensively in its big game against Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius. Luckily for Besiktas head coach Dusan Alimpijevic, the Turkish side found the energy to continue its fight on defense - and Jonah Mathews had a near career night on offense - to get a crucial victory.
Mathews poured in 27 points and Besiktas held Wolves under 20 points in each of the final three quarters for a 79-77 victory and an 8-7 record in Group A while Wolves dropped to 7-8. It was a performance that impressed the home side’s coach.
“I don’t know how we found the energy to win this game. I don’t care how we won this game. I just care that my guys found the energy and found a way to win this game,” Coach Alimpijevic said.
Besiktas failed to score for the first 7:34 minutes in the second half and watched Wolves pull away with a 0-11 run for an 11-point deficit. After scoring 15 points in the first half, Mathews did not score in the third quarter until 11 seconds were left.
The 26-year-old American led the comeback in the fourth quarter with 10 points, including 8 straight points inside the final 4 minutes.
"A win is always good. My teammates found me I was able to hit some shots. They are a very good team and have shown that in the EuroCup and the Lithuanian League. So I am happy we got the win,” said Mathews, who also had 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 7 fouls drawn for a performance index rating of 30.
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That PIR set a new personal high for Mathews, topping his previous high of 27 while his 27 points were 1 shy of his personal best.
Besiktas shot an impressive 41.7% on three-pointers, which is not a surprise given the Turkish side had made 38.0% from long range coming into the game, which was third-best in the EuroCup. But Besiktas did surprise many by converting 23 of 25 free throws (92.0%). Alimpijevic’s team was the worst free-throw shooting team in the league at just 71.1%.