The home team’s big man dominated throughout and came up big in the home stretch
Tai Odiase shines as Bahcesehir edges Ulm, 85-81
Bahcesehir College Istanbul ground out a hard-fought 85-81 home win over ratiopharm Ulm in Round 17 of the BKT EuroCup and improved to 14-3 in Group A, while the German side slipped to 9-8 after a fourth successive loss.
Bahcesehir had already secured the top spot in the group but the result could turn out to be damaging for Ulm, which now needs other results to go its way if it is to clinch a playoff berth.
The towering Tai Odiase carried Bahcesehir with a game-high 22 points, shooting 7 of 9 from the floor and 8 of 9 from the line. Jaleen Smith added 15 points and Axel Bouteille chipped in with 14 for the home team, which blew a 15-point lead in the second half before it forced the final twist.
At the other end, Nelson Weidemann racked up 18 points and 5 boards for Ulm, while Justinian Jessup added 17 points and 7 boards. Noa Essengue contributed 13 points and Isaiah Roby chipped in with 11 for the visitors, who committed 17 turnovers and managed as many assists.
Game Videos
Both teams made a flying start from downtown early on as Bahcesehir sank 5 of 9 in the first quarter while Ulm made 4 of 6, with Odiase netting 9 points for the hosts in the opening quarter. His effort was countered at the other end by Jessup, who scored 11.
Having carved out a slender 24-23 lead, Bahcesehir hit top gear in the second quarter as the home side ramped up its defense and kept shooting the lights out from long range. Bahcesehir took better care of the ball in the first half as the Turkish side dished out 13 assists while Ulm amassed only 5, allowing the home team to take a comfortable 44-34 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Ulm looked out for the count early in the third quarter as Bahcesehir raced clear 51-36, but the German outfit then found another gear and slashed the deficit to 63-55 ahead of the final 10 minutes of the contest. Searching for an unlikely win that would have sealed its playoff berth with a game to spare, Ulm headed into the fourth quarter with all guns blazing and sank a barrage of three-pointers.
Having closed in on the hosts with a 5-12 run, Ulm went on to turn the tide and nose ahead 75-76 with a few minutes remaining, but Bahcesehir showed its steel in the home straight and wrestled the game away from Ulm to keep its perfect home record intact.