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.
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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.