After allowing 20 offensive rebounds in Game 1, Gran Canaria protected its defensive glass better in Game 2 by giving up just 7.

Gran Canaria lives to fight another day after protecting its defensive glass 

[Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/can/) rebounded from its disappointing Game 1 loss in the semifinals by… well, rebounding better, especially on its defensive glass. And that led to the semifinal series now being tied 1-1. 

[Gran Canaria beat Bahcesehir College Istanbul 69-68](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/gran-canaria-still-alive-after-69-68-win-over-bahcesehir-thanks-to-homesley-heroics/) in Game 2 on a [Caleb Homesley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/caleb-homesley/011251/) three-point play with 1.1 seconds left to send the series to Game 3 in Istanbul next Tuesday. The biggest difference between the first two games was Bahcesehir’s number of offensive rebounds. 

The Turkish side took the opening game 74-66 as it dominated the rebounding battle 42-27, including a massive 20 offensive boards, which led to 16 second-chance points. Gran Canaria actually won the battle of the boards in Game 2 33-33, allowing just 7 Bahcesehir offensive rebounds for 9 second-chance points. 

"It was a difficult game, just like all three games with Bahcesehir because it is a great team. We are very happy that we stayed alive in the series,” said Gran Canaria head coach Jaka Lakovic. 

Besides controlling the rebounding, Lakovic was also satisfied with his players’ mentality of not giving up. 

“They played a strong third quarter and even took the lead a couple of times but we never gave up even after they took the lead with 2 seconds to go. We kept believing,” Lakovic said referring to Bahcesehir taking the lead 66-68 with 2.0 seconds left on a [Marko Simonovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marko-simonovic/012711/) dunk. “The players executed a great play to finish the game. These things happen in basketball. We finished the game with a win.” 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🤪🤪 <a href="https://t.co/SoNp8sRKDz">pic.twitter.com/SoNp8sRKDz</a></p>&mdash; Dreamland Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1905756778882633878?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

With the season on the line, Gran Canaria finished the game with a great play. Homesley came over from the far right side of the court, only to cut back to the basket, at which point [Nico Brussino](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/nicolas-brussino/008121/) delivered a perfect inbounds pass. Homesley caught it and was fouled as he hit the layup. Homesley also made the bonus free throw for the win. 

“It’s always cool to win a game like that,” said [Mike Tobey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mike-tobey/008966/), who scored 11 points for Gran Canaria. “But the guys are locked in. They know we have one more game if we want to go to the finals.”

And toughness on the defensive glass will again be a big decider in the winner-take-all game.

Game News

The Spanish side allowed just 7 offensive rebounds to even its semifinal series with Bahcesehir

Dreamland Gran Canaria v Bahcesehir College Istanbul (2025-03-28T20:00:00.000Z)

CB Gran Canaria’s dreams of the BKT EuroCup Finals are still alive after Caleb Homesley’s three-point play with 1.1 seconds left gave the Spanish side a thrilling 69-68 victory over Bahcesehir College Istanbul. 

Gran Canaria still alive after 69-68 win over Bahcesehir thanks to Homesley heroics

Dreamland Gran Canaria’s dreams of the BKT EuroCup Finals are still alive after Caleb Homesley’s three-point play with 1.1 seconds left gave the Spanish side a thrilling 69-68 victory over Bahcesehir College Istanbul. The home victory evened the semifinal series at 1-1 and means Game 3 will be played in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Nico Brussino scored 18 points and delivered the pass to Homesley on the game-winner, while Mike Tobey had 11 points and 8 rebounds and Homesley finished with 6 points, all of which came in the fourth quarter for the 2023 EuroCup champion.

Bahcesehir thought it had a series sweep when Marko Simonovic threw down a dunk with 2.0 seconds to play. But the Turkish club will need one more home victory to reach the finals. Furkan Korkmaz scored 12 points and Simonovic and Mateusz Ponitka both added 10 points in the loss.

Game Videos

Bahcesehir struggled to find its rhythm on offense early on, hitting just 1 of 6 shots, while Gran Canaria regularly got to the basket for a 9-2 lead after four minutes. Bahcesehir finally started scoring and evened the game at 12-12 before pulling ahead for the first time at 15-16. Gran Canaria responded and was ahead 22-18, then finished the first quarter up 24-21. 

Joe Thomasson scored the first basket of the second quarter for a five-point gap, which the guests responded to with a 3-9 spurt as Korkmaz picked up five points to put them back up 29-30. Tobey stepped up for Gran Canaria with seven points to move ahead 41-34, and the hosts were leading 41-36 at the break.

Gran Canaria three times pushed the advantage to seven points, only to be answered by Bahcesehir. The hosts finally set a new game-high lead of eight points, 50-42, with four minutes left in the third quarter. Back-to-back three-pointers from Korkmaz and Kenan Sipahi had Bahcesehir as close as 50-48. And the score was 52-50 at the end of 30 minutes,

Bahcesehir needed more than two minutes to get onto the scoring board, but it prevented Gran Canaria from pulling away as the hosts led just 53-50. And back-to-back triples from Ponitka had the Turkish side up 55-57. Bahcesehir was feeling good with a 57-61 advantage, but Brussino converted a three-point play and hit a triple as Gran Canaria was back up 63-61 with four minutes left. CJ Massinburg responded with a triple at the other end before three Gran Canaria free throws made it 66-64. After two Simonovic free throws to tie the game, it looked like Simonovic had won the game with a dunk with 2.0 seconds to play. But Brussino sent the inbounds pass to a cutting Homesley, who converted the layup and hit the game-winning bonus free throw with 1.1 seconds remaining.

The 2023 EuroCup champion prevail in a defensive thriller

Johnathan Motley bounced back from a difficult night in Game 1 by shining in Game 2 of Hapoel Tel Aviv BC's semifinal series with Valencia Basket.

Johnathan Motley showed out in Game 2 to keep Hapoel Tel Aviv alive

When [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/hta/) travelled to Spain to take on [Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/valencia-basket/pam/) in Game 1 of the 2025 BKT EuroCup Semifinals, much was expected of [Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/johnathan-motley/011157/).

In the absence of fellow big man [Bruno Caboclo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/bruno-caboclo/012096/), Motley and Hapoel ended up falling to [a 91-82 defeat](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/valencia-outlasts-hapoel-at-home-91-82/) to open the series. That night, the 29-year-old Motley had 12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. But in Game 2, it was a very different picture.

Back in the Bulgarian town of Samokov, Hapoel’s temporary home this season, Motley – roared on by a couple of thousand fans inside the arena – responded in style by posting 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block as the Israeli side grabbed [a 96-91 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/hapoel-tel-aviv-forces-game-3-with-96-91-win-over-valencia/) to take the series back to Valencia for a Game 3 next week.

The Valencia players struggled to cope with Motley from the off, with the former Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul big man combining excellently with [Yam Madar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/yam-madar/011052/), his ex-teammate at Fenerbahce and the orchestrator of Hapoel’s offense. Madar, it’s worth noting, had a fantastic game with 21 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals.

“AB ([Antonio Blakeney](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/antonio-blakeney/013402/)) played well, Yam always plays well, so I just tried to help. We’re just going to keep trying to do the same thing,” Motley humbly said afterward.

Motley knew himself that he didn’t play to his lofty standards in Game 1, but he was determined for that to not be the case in Game 2, as he showed.

“For me personally, I just wanted to be way more aggressive,” he explained. “The first game I was way too passive, so I just wanted to come out, shoot my shots and go down swinging. You can’t be so passive in a game like this.”

<center>
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Most of his production came in the first half as he sat on 17 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist at the interval, and a similar type of start at La Fonteta in Game 3 would certainly give Hapoel plenty of confidence about reaching the EuroCup Finals.

Until then, Motley and co. will be resting up and preparing for the battle that awaits in Valencia.

The American center bounced back from a difficult night in Game 1

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Valencia Basket (2025-03-28T17:30:00.000Z)

The Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv fans will be partying into the night in Bulgaria after defeating Valencia Basket 96-91 in Game 2 of the BKT EuroCup Semifinals, bouncing back from a 91-82 defeat at La Fonteta in Game 1 earlier this week.

Hapoel Tel Aviv forces Game 3 with 96-91 win over Valencia

The Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv fans will be partying into the night in Bulgaria after defeating Valencia Basket 96-91 in Game 2 of the BKT EuroCup Semifinals, bouncing back from a 91-82 defeat at La Fonteta in Game 1 earlier this week.

Johnathan Motley dominated for Hapoel, posting 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block, while Antonio Blakeney had 22 points, Yam Madar paired 21 points with 9 assists, and Tomer Ginat finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Valencia was led by Matt Costello, who had 21 points. Nate Reuvers netted 13 points, Stefan Jovic poured in 11, and Jean Montero came close to a double-double with 10 points and 9 assists.

Madar was inspired in the early going, being responsible for all 13 of his team’s points by scoring 5 points and dishing 3 assists as Hapoel went 13-7 ahead. The Israeli guard added a couple of steals to his name, with Motley and Ish Wainwright helping swell Hapoel’s advantage to 19-10. A couple of threes by Reuvers and Costello featured during an 11-2 Valencia run to close the quarter, yet Hapoel still led 23-21 after 10 minutes.

Bar Timor struck from deep to get the home fans back into it, but Reuvers scored inside and Jovic’s three-point play tied it up at 26-26. Motley’s tip-in, Timor’s layup and Madar’s three opened a seven-point difference, 33-26, and Motley kept charging by moving to 15 points with the score at 39-32. Xabi Lopez-Arostegui and Reuvers helped make it a one-possession ballgame, 41-39. Then it was the turn of Marcus Foster to get his first points of the night, netting four points in quick succession, 50-44, but Costello scored five points inside the final 1:14 minutes to ensure it was 54-49 at the break.

Blakeney stepped up for Hapoel in the early stages of the third period, scoring 11 points inside the first three minutes as the hosts went 66-53 ahead. Motley then scored inside to make it a 15-point difference, 68-53, while the lead extended to a game-high 17 points, 74-57, when the American big man found his way to the basket again. Valencia hit back, though, by putting together a 14-2 run that included five points by Jovic to head into the fourth quarter trailing by five, 76-71.

Madar’s three-pointer got the fourth quarter off to a bang, 79-71, but Puerto and Costello both scored inside to keep it close, 79-75. Motley’s mid-range jumper was followed by a triple by Costello, 81-78, then Costello responded to a Madar mid-range jumper to keep Valencia three points behind, 83-80. Reuvers got his team within two points, 83-81, but Blakeney and Madar helped swell the lead to 93-83 with 2:47 to go. Costello, once again, scored inside, but Tomer Ginat’s three resulted in a huge roar among the fans, 96-85. Montero scored a couple of times either side of a Chris Jones layup, but it wasn’t enough for Valencia as Hapoel won 96-91.

The Israeli side led for the last 28 minutes of the game

## Friday, March 28

### [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 96-91 Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/game-center/2024-25/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv-valencia-basket/U2024/192/)

Hapoel held off a Valencia comeback attempt to win 96-91 in Bulgaria in Game 2 and force a do-or-die Game 3 at La Fonteta next week. Johnathan Motley dominated for the hosts, posting 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block, while Antonio Blakeney had 22 points, Yam Madar paired 21 points with 9 assists, and Tomer Ginat finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Valencia was led by Matt Costello, who had 21 points. Nate Reuvers netted 13 points, Stefan Jovic poured in 11, and Jean Montero came close to a double-double with 10 points and 9 assists.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">עוד אחד. <a href="https://t.co/luQAG1Y2Jv">pic.twitter.com/luQAG1Y2Jv</a></p>&mdash; Hapoel Tel Aviv BC (@HapoelTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/HapoelTLVBC/status/1905709981137346803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Dreamland Gran Canaria 69-68 Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/game-center/2024-25/dreamland-gran-canaria-bahcesehir-college-istanbul/U2024/191/)

Gran Canaria’s dreams of reaching the EuroCup Finals are still alive after Caleb Homesley’s three-point play with 1.1 seconds left gave the Spanish side a thrilling 69-68 victory over Bahcesehir. The home victory evened the semifinal series at 1-1 and means Game 3 will be played in Istanbul on Wednesday. Nico Brussino scored 18 points and delivered the pass to Homesley for the game-winner, while Mike Tobey had 11 points and 8 rebounds and Homesley finished with 6 points, all of which came in the fourth quarter for the 2023 EuroCup champion. Bahcesehir thought it had a series sweep when Marko Simonovic threw down a dunk with 2.0 seconds to play, but the Turkish club will need one more home victory to reach the finals. Furkan Korkmaz scored 12 points and Simonovic and Mateusz Ponitka both added 10 points in the loss.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">🏀 Final:<br><br>🐥 Dreamland Gran Canaria 69<br>🔵 Bahcesehir College Istanbul 68<br><br>🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VamosGranca?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VamosGranca</a> <a href="https://t.co/UWews8jTq8">pic.twitter.com/UWews8jTq8</a></p>&mdash; Dreamland Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1905742014106530026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hapoel and Gran Canaria will need to respond on Friday night, otherwise their EuroCup seasons will be over

Game Center: Gran Canaria, Hapoel Tel Aviv both win to set up Game 3s next week

Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of Game 2 of the BKT EuroCup Semifinals.

Semifinals, Game 2: Pregame quotes

## Friday, March 28: Game 2

### Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv vs. Valencia Basket (18:30 CET)

**Valencia Basket head coach Pedro Martinez**

"Surely with the environmental factor \[Hapoel\] will have more energy, surely it will help them, but well, we have to think about what is ours, what depends on us. And be prepared for a tough environment, but in the end it is a basketball game, we must not take it out of there. Basketball is always about adaptation, the other day we scored 91 points, hopefully we will score 91 again, and the way we do it, if we run more, run less, shoot more from the outside or shoot less, in the end you have to adapt and be prepared for any circumstance. We are also prepared for them to change things with respect to the first game, we are also going to do the same, and that's it. Small details will surely make the difference. There are always details, nothing revolutionary, nothing very different from what we usually do, but well, for both teams there are certainly things in their tactical baggage that you save for one day, then you put them in the next day, and even more so in these matches that are played in such a short time. It's not something new, but there are things that you've had in previous matches, and well, I'm sure they're going to do it and we're going to do it too. We are only thinking about this match, we are not thinking about anything else, we have to live exclusively in the present, and the present is to play a good game tomorrow and try to qualify."

### Dreamland Gran Canaria vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul (21:00 CET)

**Jaka Lakovic, Dreamland Gran Canaria head coach**

"I think the team is doing well. We traveled all day yesterday. So far I don't have all the information from the physiotherapists. We will see how the team is, but I think everyone should be ready to play tomorrow. Above all, we have to improve our defensive rebounding, because they hurt us a lot there. They grabbed twenty offensive rebounds, they hurt us a lot, and they scored 20 second-chance points. On offense we have to improve our reads on their switch defense, where we got stuck. With that, along with the things we've done well and can do better, we should be fine."

**Miquel Salvo, Dreamland Gran Canaria forward**

"We knew it was a long series, and we are sure it will be 120 minutes \[in total\] because we are sure that with our fans, with a lot of people, we will have the enthusiasm and desire to play a good game. We want to force a Game 3 which I think we deserve because of what we've been through: all the trips, the hours away from our families, the effort we've made, the early mornings we've had... I think we deserve to level this series and go back to Istanbul with the pressure on them."

Check out what the protagonists are saying ahead of the BKT EuroCup Semifinals

Heading into Game 2 of the EuroCup semifinal series between Valencia Basket and Hapoel Tel Aviv BC, both teams will have learned important lessons in Game 1.

Valencia, Hapoel learned valuable lessons in Game 1

After Game 1 of the semifinal series between [Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/valencia-basket/pam/) and [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/hta/), some cards are already on the table.

Valencia rallied from a double-digit deficit to [beat Hapoel 91-82](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/valencia-outlasts-hapoel-at-home-91-82/) at La Fonteta in Game 1, but both teams will meet again at Samokov Arena on Friday. If Hapoel wins, the series would return to La Fonteta for do-or-die Game 3.

Valencia found the way to win despite not being able to impose its rhythm for the best part of the game. It had only 4 assists in the first half, none of which came in the first quarter. Despite entering the game as the competition's leader in three-point shooting (39.1% 3FG), Valencia hit just 4-of-24 shots from downtown (16.7% 3FG).

"We won despite our bad three-point shooting percentage," said head coach Pedro Martinez. "This is something we usually do quite well, and we only 4 four of those even though we scored 91 points, so it's good to score from other positions. We knew it would be difficult to show our identity and be focused. We will try to do that on Friday."

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Retratos de una noche especial 🧡<br><br>Nuestro equipo audiovisual se ha puesto creativo, y ha decidido inmortalizar el partido de ayer de una forma especial. <br><br>¿Os gusta? 👀 <a href="https://t.co/jzzstLdQV3">pic.twitter.com/jzzstLdQV3</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1904873748915720653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

How did Valencia turn it around? The biggest key was circulating the ball better while preventing Hapoel from doing so. After getting 11 assists and 4 turnovers before the break, Hapoel finished the game with more turnovers (16) than assists (15). Valencia ended up getting 14 second-half assists, too

Hapoel head coach Dimitris Itoudis believes that his team paid a big price for an underwhelming third quarter.

"We pretty much succeeded in the first half, scoring almost 50 points and being +6," commented Coach Itoudis. "The third quarter costed us a lot due to the aggressiveness Valencia showed. We went 1 of 4 and 1 of 8, twos and threes, so 2 of 12 combined, 6 turnovers and no assists. It says a lot how much it cost us this third quarter, but it is a playoff series. We have to become better in the second game and try to find a way to tie the series."

### What changes can we expect in Game 2? 

First of all, small forward Semi Ojeleye should be in a better physical condition. Ojeleye led Valencia in scoring this season (12.8 PPG) but played less than seven minutes against Hapoel, going scoreless. 

"He was feeling really bad in the morning and had a very bad night. An indigestion or indisposition, I don't know exactly what it is. But he has been feeling very bad," Coach Martinez explained. "He has made a great effort: during warm-ups, he had to go to back to the locker room twice because he had diarrhea and needed to vomit. He has made a huge effort coming from his heart more than from his physical skills. Let's see if we can get him back for Friday. Hapoel, meanwhile, was without [Bruno Caboclo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/bruno-caboclo/012096/) and [Joe Ragland](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/joe-ragland/005181/), who are key pillars in the team's rotation.

Of course, both teams are set to make adjustments to take the closer to their respective comfort zones. Valencia is all about hard defense, rebounds and high rhythm, looking or quick shots whenever possible. Hapoel is able to score just as much but feels more comfortable in a five-on-five offense in which [Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/johnathan-motley/011157/), [Marcus Foster](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marcus-foster/010386/) and [Yam Madar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/yam-madar/011052/) can find one-on-one opportunities. Valencia did a good job bringing Hapoel's stars into foul trouble: Madar and Foster fouled out, and Motley picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter.

Coach Martinez gave credit to his players for solving a tough situation. "You always adjust things but in the end, but it was the players themselves. They were uncomfortable in the first half due to Hapoel's great work. In the second half, they had the ability to adjust better," he said. "As coaches, we change small things, but it is the players who have managed to feel more comfortable."

"We cannot lose our composure and being kicked out because we are nervous for some decisions offensively or defensively, so we need to find a better way to execute the plan," Coach Itoudis noted. "We will work on that, we have two more days to find it out, to figure it out."

<center>
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Coach Itoudis knows that preventing Valencia from hitting three-pointers should not be enough, as it was proven in Game 1. Valencia outrebounded Hapoel 42-31, took a better care of the ball and found answers outside with an outstanding [Jean Montero](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jean-montero/010042/), but also inside, as [Matt Costello](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/matthew-costello/010444/) and [Nate Reuvers](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/nathan-reuvers/012738/) combined for 25 points.

"We lost the battle on rebounds and turnovers, and stayed scoreless for four and a half minutes in the third quarter, staying out of the game plan," Coach Itoudis said. "So it doesn't mean that if you manage to keep Valencia low on the three-pointers you have the game in your pocket, on the contrary they have other ways to win the game, but at least on that part we were pretty much successful."

Above all, EuroCup fans can be sure that it will be another basketball battle between two really well-coached teams.

"We kept playing, looking for our moment and that arrived in the third quarter, in which we improved. We have to recover, try to change some things to see if we are able to be a little more in our rhythm and know that they won't let us do it," Coach Martinez said before the game. "This is basketball: you want to do things and the opponent won't allow you to do it. Both teams will change things and I am sure they will give us even more trouble in the next game."

Adjustments will be key before Game 2 in Samokov, Bulgaria on Friday

The opening game of the best-of-three BKT EuroCup Semifinals left CB Gran Canaria and Bahcesehir College Istanbul with reasons for optimism as they travel to the Canary Islands for Game 2 on Friday night.

Granca, Bahcesehir both have reasons for optimism ahead of Game 2

The opening game of the best-of-three BKT EuroCup Semifinals left both teams with reasons for optimism as they travel to the Canary Islands for Game 2 on Friday night.

For [Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/bah/), which held on for [a 74-66 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/bahcesehir-overpowers-gran-canaria-74-66-in-game-1-of-semifinals/), the reasons are obvious, starting with the fact that it defended its home court and now is just one win away from a historic appearance in the finals. Coach Dejan Radonjic's team got the job done chiefly through teamwork – plus a brilliant showing from center [Marko Simonovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/marko-simonovic/012711/).

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">🌅 Günaydın büyük Bahçeşehir Ailesi! 🙋<br><br>❤️💙 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlyHighTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlyHighTogether</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HayalDe%C4%9FilHedef?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HayalDeğilHedef</a> <a href="https://t.co/stKLuT98Ep">pic.twitter.com/stKLuT98Ep</a></p>&mdash; Bahçeşehir Koleji Spor Kulübü (@BKBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BKBasketbol/status/1904771094826881106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Bahcesehir used its depth and an overpowering rebounding effort to notch the victory. While the performances off the bench of Simonovic, [Jaleen Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jaleen-smith/011192/), [Sehmus Hazer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sehmus-hazer/011201/) and [Furkan Korkmaz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/furkan-korkmaz/005763/) made a massive impact, they overshadowed the fact that two key players – [Mateusz Ponitka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mateusz-ponitka/004172/) and [Tai Odiase](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tai-odiase/011823/) – were somewhat underwhelming. And that means that Coach Radonjic can look forward to having those players, who combined to play less than 20 minutes on Tuesday, well-rested and hungry for Game 2.

What's more, aside from its fantastic rebounding, Bahcesehir did very little that it cannot repeat or improve on in Game 2. It shot below its season-long numbers, making only 48.7% of its two-pointers and 30.4% of its threes. The 12 turnovers committed were 1 more than normal and the lone blocked shot was fewer than normal.

All told, aside from its team-record 20 offensive rebounds and Simonovic's career game, Bahcesehir can be confident for Friday's contest.

### Gran Canaria looks to even things at home

And why would Gran Canaria be confident? Start with the fact that after stumbling to an 18-point third-quarter deficit, it outscored Bahcesehir 8-21 to get within 5 points in the fourth quarter. That run should boost the team's spirits, as coach Jaka Lakovic alluded to.

"The game was a physical game. I think we started the game well and after that Bahcesehir made a 10-0 run to take control of the game with their switching defense, which we didn’t resolve well," Lakovic said in the post-game press conference. "In the second half we started to play more physical with more effort. We stopped Bahcesehir on 25 points in the second half. But at the moments where we needed the stops, where we came close to 5 points, we gave up too many rebounds."

In short, Gran Canaria bounced back from a slow start, played strong second-half defense and needs a better plan against Bahcesehir's switching defense and rebounding. It sounds like much of Coach Lakovic's Game 2 plan should be easy to prepare!

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🤝 𝗡𝗢𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗦, 𝗡𝗢𝗦 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗠𝗢𝗦 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗦<br><br>💛 Esto no acaba aquí. <a href="https://t.co/y0J1s6OSHG">pic.twitter.com/y0J1s6OSHG</a></p>&mdash; Dreamland Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/GranCanariaCB/status/1904617126775681403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So far, in the three meetings this season between these teams, the home team has won each time. Only twice has a team scored more than 70 points in those matchups. And Gran Canaria has scored at least 70 points in seven of its 10 home games and averaged 82.2 points at home this season.

One of the best free-throw shooting teams in the EuroCup, Gran Canaria was just 11 of 16 from the line (68.9%) in Istanbul, including a few costly misses. Coach Jaka Lakovic will also have his team primed for a better rebounding effort in Game 2 after Bahcesehir controlled the glass to the tune of 42-27 – and scored 16 second-chance points – in the opener.

Perhaps the biggest advantage for Gran Canaria is the psychological one. Playing with its back to the wall, the team will give everything to stay alive, while in the back of their minds, Bahcesehir's players will know that there is always Game 3 to fall back on.

For club legends and team leaders [Andrew Albicy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/andrew-albicy/003425/) and [John Shurna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/john-shurna/006588/), going down without maximum effort is out of the question. And in them, like teammates [Nico Brussino](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/nicolas-brussino/008121/), [Miquel Salvo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/miquel-salvo/005005/) and [Jovan Kljajic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jovan-kljajic/007560/), beats the heart of a champion. A 2023 EuroCup champion. And that should be more than enough to win this game and push the series to Game 3 next week.

Bahcesehir shined in the opener, but Gran Canaria will host Friday's showdown

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Semifinals winner, Game 1

Congratulations to Arale Weisberg, our 21st winner in the 2024-25 EuroCup Fantasy Challenge! Arale's team, 'Aralos 10', posted a score of 178.25

Arale had the following starting lineup: Jean Montero of Valencia Basket as team captain, then his teammate Matthew Costello, Yam Madar of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv and Bahcesehir College Istanbul duo of Marko Simonovic and Axel Bouteille. Valencia guard Chris Jones was the sixth man.

The head coach of Arale's team was Pedro Martinez of Valencia Basket, and the four bench players were Tyler Cavanaugh of Bahcesehir, Ish Wainright of Hapoel as well as Dreamland Gran Canaria duo of Nico Brussino and Caleb Homesley.

The prize for finishing first in the 21st round of the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2025-26 season, so congratulations, Arale!

The leader in the overall standings remains Milos Mihajlovic and his squad, 'BallIsLife', which has a total of 3,523.15 points after the first 21 rounds. Trades are now open for the 22nd round, which is Game 2 of the EuroCup semifinals, and the number of trades is unlimited.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!