The center dominated in Round 7
Tai Odiase exploited Motley absence in big Bahcesehir win
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 7 of 18
Group A
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The headline news ahead of the Group A crunch clash between pace-setting Bahcesehir College Istanbul and Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv was the absence of the Israeli team’s star center Johnathan Motley.
The big man had continued his strong start to the season with a spectacular 30 points to help Hapoel overcome Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in Round 6, but that was quickly followed by intense speculation about a supposed big-money offer to return to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade.
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 and retain first place in the group.
Tai Odiase 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 also excelling as he recorded a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, without a miss from the field. Sehmus Hazer and Mateusz Ponitka 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.
Game Videos
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Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/58e07d09-0c8f-40cc-ae96-790c1d88ac96.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A103%3A129]()
Huge dunk from Odiase! Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/yVGF5gIElx4/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/85b872de-fc24-4774-8b73-72e93d79301a.jpg?crop=1087%3A612%3Anowe%3A231%3A104]()
Caboclo’s big block! Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b39256fd-538a-4136-afd2-733ce8e75349.jpg]()
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Joventut Badalona | Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/dX5-nZYNU6A/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius | Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:17
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0aca3bb8-a1b7-4da0-b61a-ce93d54755b2.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A86%3A128]()
Cavanaugh's fastbreak dunk! Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/pxzySVr1rZE/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/axItCLTuDzs/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Joventut Badalona| Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5369188b-632a-473d-9556-099a0165c8b1.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A112%3A71]()
Odiase flies in for the dunk! Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/VM0eoWS6Y5M/maxresdefault.jpg]()
ratiopharm Ulm-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a8f0cd49-22b9-4ef2-89f7-72bf9d4c59dc.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A74%3A47]()
Odiase hammers it home! Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d09730cb-df5f-43c6-950c-4ea376678b9c.jpg]()
Trefl Sopot-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bdacdbae-3add-4198-8b38-a61ef585c9dd.png?crop=750%3A422%3Anowe%3A0%3A76]()
Blayzer swats Schenk! Magic Moment
- 00:33
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/07/hxB3KFevjtktl4ZJafa4I88AhmMT1ySv-1731017568316.jpg]()
Schneider throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/7hThAlKfQY0/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:16
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/07/pnUpoLa9fCL0xcXICphSkw1f7Vy4sfQ5-1731013023365.jpg]()
Mike Daum: 'Our team is super resilient'
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4b368ec8-365d-4fd5-b1ad-4059dd50cbfd.jpg?crop=1205%3A678%3Anowe%3A94%3A33]()
Milos Magic! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6746673d-c81a-4e17-9bbf-ef05170b8f96.jpg?crop=1176%3A661%3Anowe%3A112%3A33]()
Procida's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/eHEcrEBgRps/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:35
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/05/u7aX9TCI0jWM2ZrObadAVE019dbhGoI6-1730843698351.jpg]()
Odiase slams it down! Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/980c81f9-40b4-41b1-82a7-726e1e042fa7.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A77%3A79]()
Smith assists, Simonovic slams! Magic Moment
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b106df96-d530-4919-8f17-43429e34bd29.jpg?crop=861%3A485%3Anowe%3A106%3A146]()
Ginat beats the buzzer! Magic Moment
- 00:19
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/467e615e-a0d1-47c6-8677-ab428ef16c0b.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A103%3A118]()
Ponitka drives for high-flying slam! Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/DlhnVbmqcpw/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Buducnost VOLI Podgorica | Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c133a94a-ae8b-4acd-997e-27bb960703ed.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A129%3A120]()
Motley assists Timor for the three-point play! Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/79fd6273-0efb-411f-b00e-b9134a50b2a6.jpg]()
Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Trefl Sopot | Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/99b25c07-25d4-4084-9880-dd51145b2c1c.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A94%3A56]()
Odiase's big block! Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d85ebaab-895d-4bf2-ad8e-5a57dda8b18d.jpg]()
Dolomiti Energia Trento-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/0eVGHOmE-Po/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/32844e58-3413-4c3e-9718-e5c3619c1fb1.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A147%3A97]()
Foster throws it down with emphasis! Magic Moment
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/8bac262e-9088-4d1d-85b8-2a72fb42796e.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A86%3A109]()
Hazer beats the buzzer! Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/99b25c07-25d4-4084-9880-dd51145b2c1c.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A59%3A44]()
Big swat by Odiase! Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/95385d0a-bcda-4bda-939c-ece3505ca5a1.png?crop=750%3A422%3Anowe%3A0%3A84]()
Wainright chases down Ford! Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/KlI1XxRxB_Q/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Dolomiti Energia Trento | Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f1a15b7a-888c-43f7-966b-2f997775f72e.jpg?crop=590%3A332%3Anowe%3A476%3A21]()
Odiase gives Bahcesehir 100 points in style! Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ebf1e19f-2546-40c8-b106-c0cfe2fd830a.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A126%3A39]()
Odiase hammers it home! Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/rMPGUMrA1RQ/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Dreamland Gran Canaria | Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:49
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/09/WVMm93EFjmqtfiEPmYbNnKXuT9BE7k3r-1728512448441.jpg]()
Johnathan Motley | Round 3 MVP | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup
- 03:28
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/09/neO9yjk2pVp8xn02MDGbD8heh6bz8DF1-1728510943007.jpg]()
Dreamland Gran Canaria-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 03:42
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/08/G80QyxGDewhBZqft4tpOpS3ezDRw0iNz-1728422241340.jpg]()
Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b0952681-5495-40df-b906-9c31033afbbc.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A97%3A54]()
Foster hammers it home! Magic Moment
- 03:45
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/01/iFYhVly88omBHfms0H97Uvh2gWh0aTpg-1727815454870.jpg]()
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/903db6af-904f-457f-b456-63dda909d1e0.jpg?crop=1276%3A717%3Anowe%3A53%3A33]()
Magic Moment: Pustovyi dunks with force!
- 03:51
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/01/zP6r23Kt6vWtm13UVtFAtUGFlUOoi6Io-1727806806488.jpg]()
Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4c093f5c-d4fd-473c-980c-d541777be617.jpg?crop=1179%3A663%3Anowe%3A41%3A141]()
Magic Moment: Smith with an audacious layup!
- 03:41
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/09/25/3z30f72ue4qqeS0twm5Iws0zlt6Ps9ci-1727297061138.jpg]()
Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f314230e-42d3-448c-9cfd-cac1347fea55.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A152%3A68]()
Magic Moment: Smith & Odiase combine for a big alley-top dunk!
- 03:37
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/180a0aea-f2a5-46c5-9a74-4e5c0dae279c.jpg]()
Joventut Badalona-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 03:56
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/03/13/eHnjyDJAh3opY5fhA2NSkfKbeSTZGYnQ-1710360756985.jpg]()
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul | Quarterfinals Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup
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, 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.
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.