Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse returned to winning ways in Group B by downing Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 83-90 in the Slovenian capital on Wednesday. 


Bourg stops Cedevita, 83-90! 

Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse returned to winning ways in Group B by downing Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 83-90 in the Slovenian capital on Wednesday. Bourg improved to 5-2 in the standings while Cedevita dropped to 4-3. 

Xavier Castaneda paced the winners with 16 points, Jean-Marc Pansa added 14, Jordan Usher had 13 and Brandon Paul 10 for Bourg. Jaka Blazic led Cedevita with 23 points. Devin Robinson added 15 while Devante Jones had 13 for the hosts.

Game Videos

Usher got Bourg going with a three-pointer and Kevin Kokila matched Robinson's jumper with a layup for a 2-5 lead. Blazic struck twice from downtown, Usher downed his second triple and Joel Ayayi's put-back layup restored a 8-10 Bourg lead. Robinson dunked, Castaneda downed a mid-range jumper and Blazic's three-point play gave Cedevita its first lead, 13-12. Ayayi and Blazic traded layups, Maksym Salash hit a mid-range jumper and Rok Radovic tied the game, 17-17, after 10 minutes.

Paul and Adrian Nelson each struck from beyond the arc and Hugo Benitez buried a jumper for a 19-25 Bourg lead early in the second quarter. Blazic scored in transition, Castaneda nailed a rainbow jumper and DJ Stewart's layup kept Olimpija within 23-27. Robinson dunked again, then Stewart followed a jumper with a layup to complete the hosts' comeback, 29-27. Jones ignited the crowd with back-to-back triples and Martynas Geben's layup caused Bourg to call a timeout at 37-29. Castaneda struck from downtown and Salash added a layup to bring the visitors within 37-34. Geben scored again and Usher dunked before Castaneda hit a floater that fixed the halftime score at 39-38.

Game News

Robinson buried a triple soon after the break. Kokila dunked, Geben answered with a power layup and Salash sank a triple that got Bourg as close as 45-43. Geben scored again and Aleksej Nikolic erased Kokila's slam with a driving layup. Nikolic kept pacing Cedevita, Pansa and Robinson traded layups and Salash's jump hook drew Bourg within 54-50. Paul downed a three-pointer and Castaneda soon made it a 1-point game. Pansa stepped up to give Bourg a 60-61 lead. Jones sank a floater and Beringer added a put-back slam, but Paul and Maxime Courby kept Bourg in charge, 65-69. Blazic beat the buzzer with a triple to get Cedevita within 68-69 after 30 minutes.

Ayayi scored in transition early in the fourth quarter, Benitez swished a jumper and Courby struck from downtown to boost Bourg's lead to 72-76. Pansa found space for an uncontested dunk, causing Cedevita to call timeout at 72-78. Blazic rescued the hosts with a three-point play, Usher dunked again and Stewart's dunk gave Cedevita hope at 78-80. Robinson took over with a wild slam and Castaneda drew a three-point shooting foul with 37.8 seconds remaining. He hit all 3 attempts, Benitez split attempts and Pansa's put-back layup sealed the outcome down the stretch.

The visitors improved to 3-1 on the road this season

Bourg stops Cedevita, 83-90

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (2024-11-06T17:30:00.000Z)

Lietkabelis runs past Hamburg, 91-68

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys clicked on all cylinders in beating the visiting Veolia Towers Hamburg 91-68 on Wednesday night. Registering its second straight win, Lietkabelis improved to 2-4 in Group B, while Hamburg dropped to 1-6 on the season, leaving it in last place.

Lietkabelis took control with an 11-2 run bridging the first and second quarters and never looked back. Mantas Rubstavicius led six scorers in double figures with 22 points, while Andrija Stipanovic shined with 11 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Vytenis Lipkevicius also scored 11, while Martynas Varnas, Marko Pecarski and Oleksandr Kovliar each scored 10 in victory. Kur Kuath had 10 points for Hamburg.

Hamburg got its offense going first, with Kenneth Ogbe and Osaro Rich each sinking a three-pointer to open 8-11 lead. But Stipanovic fueled the efforts of the hosts on both ends of the floor, first defensively, then scoring twice from close range, and also setting up a Varnas fastbreak dunk during a 6-0 run. A triple from Kovliar made it 19-15, but Reece had a three-point play for Hamburg while Leif Moeller and Niklas Wimberg each nailed a long jumper, tying the game. A three-point play from Grantas Vasiliauskas made it 24-21 after 10 minutes.

Rubstavicius single-handedly extended the margin to 32-23 in the first 3 minutes of the second quarter by scoring all the points in an 8-0 run, including a pair of three-pointers. Triples from Lipkevicius and his fastbreak layup extended the margin to 42-27 as Hamburg's offense struggled. Wimberg scored a second-chance basket, but Pecarski and Dovis Bickauskis made sure Lietkabelis took a 48-30 advantage, its biggest lead of the half, into halftime.

Ogbe started the second half with a three-pointer, but Rubstavicius and Stipanovic extended the margin some more and a basket from Pecarski made it 56-35. Hamburg was not going to simply go away, showing effort on defense, but Kuath was the only player managing to do some damage offensively before a triple from Moeller cut it to 58-42. Keondre Kennedy and Varnas traded three-pointers before back-to-back threes from Rubstavicius and Lipkevicius in the final 40 seconds of the quarter made it 70-47.

The margin remained in the 20s in the fourth, as Patrick Heckmann and Kovliar traded triples. Wimberg also had a three for the visitors, but Gabrielius Maldunas dunked on a fastbreak to make it 75-53. Kennedy, Brae Ivey and Ogbe scored for Hamburg, but only cutting it to 77-59 midway through the fourth. However, Rubstavicius and Varnas had back-to-back triples to fuel a 10-2 run as Lietkabelis celebrated its second victory in a row.

It marked a second consecutive win for the Lithuanian squad 

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2024-11-06T17:00:00.000Z)

Led by the effervescent Anthony Brown, the Turkish team overcame a first quarter deficit to snap a three-game losing streak

Turk Telekom roars back to brush Cluj aside, 99-80

Turk Telekom Ankara improved to 4-3 in Group B of the BKT EuroCup and snapped a three-game skid with an emphatic 99-80 home win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca, thanks to a blistering performance from Anthony Brown who posted a career-high 39 points to go with 7 assists and 4 boards.

Braian Angola racked up 21 points and 8 rebounds while Yoan Makoundou added 18 points for Turk Telekom, which rallied superbly from a 22-30 first-quarter deficit and turned the matchup on its head as Brown did damage from all over.

At the other end, Zavier Simpson shined with 22 points, 9 assists and 6 boards and Zach Hankins chipped in with 20 points for Cluj, which saw its three-game winning streak vanquished and slipped to 3-4.

The visitors made a bright start and opened up an 8-point lead as Simpson pierced through Turk Telekom’s defense almost at will and Hankins dominated the paint, with the pair netting 9 points each for Cluj in the first quarter.

However, Turk Telekom came storming back in the latter stages of the second as Brown started firing on all cylinders, propelling the home team into a 20-8 run which turned a 32-39 deficit into a 52-47 lead at halftime.

Turk Telekom found yet another extra gear in the third quarter as the unstoppable Brown poured 14 points in that period, galvanizing the home team into an 80-64 lead ahead of the final 10 minutes. At that stage, the hosts were a staggering 11 of 16 from downtown and it was clear there was no way back for Cluj.

Brown and Turk Telekom kept their feet on the gas in the fourth and the livewire forward sank another three long-range shots to finish on 8 of 10 from deep, having missed only his last 2 attempts when the writing was already on the wall for the visitors.

His monster display was complemented by relentless work all over by Angola and Makoundou, who both facilitated Turk Telekom’s fast-paced offense leaving Cluj with too much work to do.

Led by the effervescent Anthony Brown, the Turkish team overcame a first-quarter deficit to snap a three-game losing streak

Turk Telekom Ankara v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2024-11-06T16:30:00.000Z)

Aris BC, led by coach Giannis Kastritis, beat JL Bourg-en-Bresse last time out and is now hoping to build some momentum in this year's EuroCup.

Coach Kastritis trusts in fighting spirit to show the way forward for Aris Thessaloniki

There are some moments or games even early during a season that may eventually define a team’s path. Like [the stunning win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/aris-stuns-bourg-88-91-on-the-road/) of [Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/aris-midea-thessaloniki/ari/?season=2024-25) at 2024 BKT EuroCup finalist Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse.

While there’s still a long road ahead in the season, Aris coach Giannis Kastritis believes that this victory can have significant, positive long-term impact on the Greek side as it looks to mount a deep run in the EuroCup.

“Such an important win gives us a lot also when it comes to having confidence,” Kastritis tells Eurohoops. “Trusting in your capabilities for what comes next in the long, difficult season that we have ahead of us. We expect some ups and downs until we stabilize ourselves at a steadily high level of performance.

“These types of wins help you buy some time. \[They\] build confidence, boost your psychology to improve and progress.”

Read more [HERE](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1738843/coach-kastritis-trusts-in-fighting-spirit-to-show-the-way-forward-for-aris-thessaloniki/).

The Greek side, fresh off a win at Bourg, is feeling confident under its Greek play-caller

Dolomiti Energia Trento deserves a lot of respect for [its 87-85 home victory over Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/trento-shocks-joventut-with-fourth-quarter-rally/). The surprising win came after Trento first fought back into the game from 16 points down but then rallied from 13 points behind to pull it out thanks to some impressive energy boosted by the home fans. 

The Il T Quotidiano Arena witnessed an unexpected comeback and one that exhibited how impactful the fans in Trento can be.

When asked about turning the game around despite trailing by 13 points with under 6 minutes to go, Trento star [Anthony Lamb](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/anthony-lamb/013272/) said: “It was really the fans. They carried us all the way through. Unbelievable energy today, especially the fourth quarter. They helped us come back and win that game. It was all them.”

Lamb scored a team-high 22 points, including 17 of them in the second half. [Jordan Ford](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jordan-ford/013270/) was limited in the first half as well but ended with 14 points. But perhaps the game-changer was [Andrea Pecchia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/andrea-pecchia/005438/). The 26-year-old poured in a career-high 11 points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 steals. 

And it was the guard’s effort that sparked the Trento comeback.

Paolo Galbiati’s side trailed by 16 points in the second quarter and pulled to within two points twice in the third period. After the second time, Joventut surged ahead with a 2-13 run to lead 62-75. Trento however did not give up. Lamb responded with two scores, and Pecchia drove coast to coast for a dashing layup and added two more free throws to make it 73-75.

Trento had just seen Joventut open some breathing room again at 75-81 when Pecchia got tied up with [Ante Tomic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ante-tomic/002507/), who was called for an unsportsmanlike foul with under 2 minutes to go. 

Pecchia split his two free throws before Lamb scored on the ensuing possession. Lamb the next time down drained a triple and it was a one-point game 81-82.

<center>
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After a Joventut timeout, the usually sure-handed veteran Tomic threw a pass to a surprised [Adam Hanga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/adam-hanga/005099/), which Pecchia snatched and put in for Trento’s first lead. 

The next possession, Tomic again made a mistake, committing an offensive foul far from the basket. Joventut’s head coach Dani Miret could not believe it and was hit with a technical. 

The final 45 seconds turned into a free throw shooting game with Lamb converting the technical foul as well as two other free throws and Ford split two chances from the charity stripe. [Devon Dotson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/devon-durrell-dotson/013285/) could only make one of two for Joventut and Tomic knocked down two foul shots and the game came down to [Keye van der Vuurst](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/keye-van-der-vuurst/013286/) with a three-pointer at the buzzer which went off target. 

“We believed. We were down 13 but we had a great reaction. Anthony Lamb stepped up very well. I am super happy for Pecchia, who played an amazing game with a crazy effort. It was a good win because we defended our home court,” the Trento coach said afterwards. 

Trento is right there in the fight for the playoffs in Group A with a 3-4 record. And the home crowd is definitely providing a major boost as the club has collected a 3-1 record at home. And it showed how much it can help the team rally from big deficits.

More Trento News

The Italian side won in a dramatic finale

How Trento rallied from 13 points down in final 6 minutes to surprise Joventut

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Joventut Badalona (2024-11-05T19:00:00.000Z)

Dolimiti Energia Trento did an excellent job taking care of the ball and that allowed the defense to hold its own and eventually pull off a surprising come-from-behind victory over Joventut Badalona.

Trento took care of the ball to get comeback win

[Dolimiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/dolomiti-energia-trento/roster/trn/) did an excellent job taking care of the ball and that allowed the defense to hold its own and eventually pull off a surprising come-from-behind victory over [Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/roster/jov/?season=2024-25).

Trento committed only 8 turnovers in registering an [87-85 home win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/trento-shocks-joventut-with-fourth-quarter-rally/) to move to 3-4 in Group A, including a 3-1 record at home. 

“A tough win. We don’t have any club in Italy like Badalona who can play with these towers and the way they tried to limit our transitions. Spending fouls, bringing big men inside to avoid layups and shots at the rim,” Trento coach Paolo Galbiati said referring to the Joventut big man duo of [Ante Tomic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ante-tomic/002507/) and [Artem Pustovyi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ante-tomic/002507/). 

“It’s a nice win but we have to understand that we have to play with that kind of effort every single time. And we have to play our style no matter what because in the first quarter, we slowed down too much and didn’t find a way.”

Galbiati also made special mention of his team’s ball-handling, saying: “We had just 8 turnovers which for us is kind of like a miracle.”

Trento’s offense came into the game ranked 16th in turnovers at 16.3 per game. That failure to maintain possessions is a big reason the Italian side also ranked 16th in scoring at 76.7 points a contest - which Galbiati’s men passed by more than 10 points. 

It must be said that Joventut’s defense ranked last in the league in turnovers forced at just 9.8 per game. Trento also took advantage of Joventut’s poor foul shooting, which reared its head in this one. The Spanish side converted only 11 of 19 free throws (57.9%). That is actually quite a bit worse than its average of 69.5% coming into the game - which ranked second to worst in the league.

Lamb was unstoppable for Trento in the second half

Another major reason Trento pulled out the win was the improved play of [Anthony Lamb ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/anthony-lamb/013272/)and [Jordan Ford](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/jordan-ford/013270/) in the second half. Lamb was limited to 5 points in the first 20 minutes while Ford had just 4 points. 

Lamb finished the game with 22 points and Ford tallied 14 points. 

“I’m so thankful to Trento for this opportunity. I am very elated right now and have a lot of emotions pumping. But everybody showed us a lot of love down the stretch and gave us the energy to pull it out,” said Lamb. 

The hosts erased a 16-point deficit to stun Joventut 

Johnathan Motley’s absence was ruthlessly exploited by a Bahcesehir team which used superb efficiency close to the basket to claim a vital 90-82 victory and retain first place in the group.

Tai Odiase exploited Motley absence in big Bahcesehir win

The headline news ahead of the Group A crunch clash between pace-setting [Bahcesehir College Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/roster/bah/?season=2024-25) and [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/roster/hta/?season=2024-25) was the absence of the Israeli team’s star center [Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/johnathan-motley/011157/).

The big man had continued his strong start to the season with a spectacular 30 points to help Hapoel overcome [Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/roster/bud/?season=2024-25) [in Round 6](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/hapoel-shows-no-mercy-to-beat-buducnost-92-72/), but that was quickly followed by intense speculation about a supposed big-money offer to return to the [Turkish Airlines EuroLeague](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/) with [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/roster/red/?season=2024-25).

Ironically, Hapoel’s next game was in the Serbian capital, with Tuesday’s meeting with Bahcesehir relocated away from Istanbul. And it was perhaps therefore inevitable that Motley did not appear for action, leaving a massive hole in the paint and a question mark over how Hapoel could fill it.

In the end, the loss was too big for Hapoel to overcome as Motley’s absence was ruthlessly exploited by a Bahcesehir team which used superb efficiency close to the basket to claim a vital [90-82 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/bahcesehir-stays-atop-group-a-by-downing-hapoel-90-82/) and retain first place in the group.

Tai Odiase dominated against Hapoel

[Tai Odiase ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tai-odiase/011823/)must have been particularly happy to see Motley’s name absent from the stats sheet and the Bahcesehir big man had a great night as he scored 19 points on 7-of-8 two-point shooting. That haul included a series of super slams, with the best saved for the last as he threw it down with brutality inside the final 90 seconds to cap the win.

Odiase wasn’t the only one who enjoyed himself in the paint, with [Tyler Cavanaugh](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tyler-cavanaugh/009601/) also excelling as he recorded a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, without a miss from the field. [Sehmus Hazer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/sehmus-hazer/011201/) and [Mateusz Ponitka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mateusz-ponitka/004172/) were also very effective inside the arc, both converting 4 of their 5 two-point attempts in their respective totals of 23 and 14 points.

So did Hapoel miss the presence of Motley close to the basket? Just a bit, and it didn’t help matters that his replacement in the starting five, [Bruno Caboclo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/bruno-caboclo/012096/), got himself into early foul trouble before eventually finishing strong to record his own double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

But that wasn’t enough to quell Bahcesehir’s inside dominance, reflected in the fact that the Turkish team converted an extremely impressive 23 of its 31 two-point attempts (74.2%), and won the rebounding battle 33-31.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ht" dir="ltr">𝑩𝑬𝑳𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑫 𝑯𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑹𝑨𝑺𝑰 🤩<br><br>❤️💙<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlyHighTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlyHighTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/8sIkO7shWK">pic.twitter.com/8sIkO7shWK</a></p>&mdash; Bahçeşehir Koleji Spor Kulübü (@BKBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BKBasketbol/status/1853918904831111172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This also marked a major shift in strategy, because Bahcesehir came into the game as the most accurate three-point shooting team in the BKT EuroCup, knocking down 41.4% of its attempts from beyond the perimeter.

That wasn’t the case on Tuesday night, with Dejan Radonjic’s men converting just 1 of their first 10 three-point attempts. Those numbers later improved, mostly thanks to Hazer making 3 of his 5 long-range efforts, but the final tally of 8 makes on 23 tries (34.8%) was still well below the season average.

It didn’t matter, though, because the one-two punch of Odiase’s scoring and Cavanaugh’s rebounding was more than enough to secure a victory that further underlines Bahcesehir’s title credentials.

Bahcesehir College Istanbul v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2024-11-05T19:00:00.000Z)

Dolomiti Energia Trento rallied from 13 points down in the final 6 minutes to shock Joventut Badalona 87-85 at home on Tuesday. 

Trento shocks Joventut with fourth-quarter rally 

Dolomiti Energia Trento rallied from 13 points down in the final 6 minutes to shock Joventut Badalona 87-85 at home on Tuesday. Trento trailed by 16 points midway through the second quarter before getting close only to fall back behind by double figures. The hosts took advantage of Joventut collapsing in the closing minutes to improve to 3-4 this season, including a 3-1 mark at home.

Anthony Lamb scored 22 points, Jordan Ford had 14 points, Eigirdas Zukauskas 12 and Andrea Pecchia chipped in 11 points in the win. Joventut crashed to its fourth straight loss in Group A play for a 2-5 record - and just two wins in its last 10 regular season games dating back to last season. Ante Tomic collected a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds but committed 2 turnovers and an unsportsmanlike foul in the final 2 minutes. Devon Dotson had 14 points and Kassius Robertson and Adam Hanga both scored 12 points in the loss. 

Joventut came out firing on all cylinders with a 2-13 lead thanks to 4 points from Tomic and Yannick Kraag and a Hanga triple. Dotson scored back-to-back baskets and Pep Busquets drained a triple and the guests’ lead grew to 8-23. Zukauskas had 5 points at the other end and Trento trailed 17-30 after 10 minutes.

Trento scored the first 4 points of the second quarter to trim the gap to nine points. Joventut knocked down 3 triples and the cushion grew to 25-41. The hosts responded in strong fashion with an 18-5 run to finish the first half down just 43-46 thanks to 2 more three-pointers from Zukauskas and 5 points from Lamb.

Both teams struggled to execute offensively in the first 5 minutes of the third quarter and Joventut led 47-53. Ford started heating up a bit with four points for Trento but Artem Pustovyi netted up back-to-back scores to keep the visitors ahead 55-62. Ford’s first triple made it 60-62 only to see Joventut lead 60-66 after 30 minutes.

Joventut continued the momentum from the end of the third quarter, especially defensively in holding Trento to 2 points in the first 4 minutes and the visitors were up 62-75. Trento suddenly woke up and scored the next 11 points to bring it within 73-75. Dotson punched back with two baskets in the span of 8 seconds and Joventut had a bit of breathing room again at 73-79.

An unsportsmanlike foul on Tomic resulted in 3 points and then Lamb made a triple and the Joventut lead was just 81-82 with 61 seconds to go. Tomic turned the ball over trying to pass to Hanga with Pecchia snatching the ball and making the layup for Trento’s first lead. Tomic committed an offensive foul on the very next possession after which Joventut coach Daniel Miret was charged with technical and Lamb made the free throw. Dotson missed a chance to tie the game as he split foul shots before Lamb and Tomic swapped made free throws. Ford also split foul shots to make it 87-85 with 10 seconds to go and Keye Van der Vuurst missed the potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. 

The Italian side improved to 3-4, with the visitors dropping to 2-5

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul ultimately made light work of its 79-100 win at Trefl Sopot after setting a club record of 32 points in the first quarter, before holding the Polish team to a mere 5 in the fourth to keep its postseason bid going strong.

High-scoring Besiktas fired on all cylinders against hapless Trefl

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul ultimately made light work of its 79-100 win at Trefl Sopot after setting a club record of 32 points in the first quarter, before holding the Polish team to a mere 5 in the fourth to keep its postseason bid going strong.

Besiktas was lethal from deep in the first half and made 8 of 13 shots from downtown, finishing on 14-of-29 shooting as the Turkish side also sank 21 of 37 from two-point territory and 16 of 17 from the foul line.

The visiting team’s utter dominance in all departments was also illustrated by 26 assists and 11 offensive boards, 8 of which came in the second half as Besiktas romped away in the fourth quarter when it held the home team to a mere 5 points.

Alongside four visiting players scoring in double figures, led by Jonah Mathews who poured a game-high 21 points, big man Emanuel Terry stuffed the stat sheet with 8 points and as many rebounds to go with 5 assists.

His contribution underlined a flowing team effort which left Besiktas head Dusan Alimpijevic coach purring with delight: “I am very happy because we kept them down to only 28 points in the second half, when we also improved our desire to go for offensive rebounds,” Alimpijevic said in his post-game comments. “We totally changed our defensive approach while the offense was already there. It was a good game."

In contrast, it was another difficult evening for Sopot’s Croatian head coach Zan Tabak, who faces the formidable task of turning around his team’s fortunes.

“We played against a stronger team but towards the end of the game, we just gave up,” he said. “We now have to try to lift the team in the next few days for the upcoming games.”

In the next round, Besiktas is at home to the competition’s 2023 winner Dreamland Gran Canaria while Trefl entertains Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv in an effort to chalk up its first EuroCup win of the season. 

The Turkish side broke its first-quarter scoring record in the EuroCup and then closed shop in the fourth

Trefl Sopot v Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul (2024-11-05T18:00:00.000Z)