The big man scored 9 fourth-quarter points in Wednesday’s win
Unsung Marko Simonovic stepped up with big fourth quarter for Bahcesehir
Article
3 Mins read
Bahcesehir College Istanbul has been taking the BKT EuroCup by storm this season with a roster stacked with EuroLeague-level players receiving loads of attention. Marko Simonovic hasn’t been talked about much despite a strong season, and he stepped up big in the fourth quarter of a hard-fought victory.
Bahcesehir never was able to put away ratiopharm Ulm but used a solid fourth quarter to keep the hosts at bay in a 72-80 road win for a fifth straight victory and a 7-1 record atop Group A.
"In the fourth quarter, we really played smart. Throughout the game, we had some good moments but then we had terrible moments,” said Mateusz Ponitka, who tallied 12 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
Game Videos
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ratiopharm Ulm-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
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Odiase hammers it home! Magic Moment
- 01:37
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Toko Shengelia: 'The whole team should be standing here'
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Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
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Zizic with a big dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Gabriel with a audacious alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
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What a solo effort by Cordinier! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Monster dunk by Rivero! Motorola Magic Moment
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Buducnost VOLI Podgorica-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:09
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Essengue drops the bounce back dime! Magic Moment
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Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:35
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Odiase slams it down! Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:15
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Smith assists, Simonovic slams! Magic Moment
- 00:19
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Ponitka drives for high-flying slam! Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/69d9d31a-a625-46bd-b7bf-eff881d9ed56.jpg]()
ratiopharm Ulm-Dolomiti Energia Trento | Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Trefl Sopot | Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
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Teenage hookup: Saraf to Essengue for big alley-oop! Magic Moment
- 00:09
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Odiase's big block! Magic Moment
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Buducnost VOLI Podgorica-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:13
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Hazer beats the buzzer! Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Big swat by Odiase! Magic Moment
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Dreamland Gran Canaria-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:21
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Jensen's monster dunk! Magic Moment of the Night
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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
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Odiase hammers it home! Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/17fac900-fe26-4306-ad51-1afdc4da65d6.jpg]()
Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 03:28
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Dreamland Gran Canaria-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 03:50
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/08/Rxm2AEGTwFJ51aYLfxsl5VaIWAawOccM-1728413713081.jpg]()
Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
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Essengue skies for the block! Magic Moment
- 03:53
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ratiopharm Ulm-Joventut Badalona | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 03:51
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Bahcesehir College Istanbul-Besiktas Fibabank Istanbul | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:09
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Magic Moment: Roby with a one-handed dunk!
- 00:09
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Magic Moment: Smith with an audacious layup!
- 04:04
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d5136ad3-cee1-4480-8cd9-c07708002078.jpg]()
Trefl Sopot-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:32
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/70bab75f-b6f9-49e8-9281-6fcb08f95958.jpg]()
Magic Moment of the Night: Jessup for the win!
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/53b28aa1-5f33-456c-a904-c27b1a526504.jpg]()
Magic Moment: Essengue throws down poster dunk!
- 03:41
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Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/323ae3d6-1150-4cb7-8cff-4a9b3eacd8a9.jpg?crop=1228%3A691%3Anowe%3A45%3A47]()
Magic Moment: Saraf feeds Roby for the dunk!
- 00:15
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Magic Moment: Smith & Odiase combine for a big alley-top dunk!
- 03:48
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ratiopharm Ulm-Joventut Badalona | Eighthfinals Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e8bba4c9-90dc-4031-afb6-5efa64ddf7a0.jpg?crop=853%3A479%3Anowe%3A27%3A52]()
Magic Moment: Nunez with the smart assist!
- 00:13
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Magic Moment: Williams' bullet pass finds Jallow for an easy score!
- 03:45
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/02/06/jHe32OECOO0uZMjyPrFnZ1gghNUrgRqf-1707252679143.jpg]()
Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 18 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup
- 00:12
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Magic Moment: Dadiet with another dunk!
- 00:11
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Magic Moment: Dadiet races through to dunk!
- 00:06
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Magic Moment: Karim Jallow dunks on a fastbreak!
- 03:44
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ratiopharm Ulm-Aris Midea Thessaloniki | Round 17 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup
- 00:11
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Magic Moment: Bretzel's alley-oop dunk
- 03:26
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Buducnost VOLI Podgorica-ratiopharm Ulm | Round 16 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup
Ponitka was one of four players to score in double figures. Sehmus Hazer poured in 20 points and Tai Odiase added 14 points including a couple of massive dunks.
Still, it was the unsung Simonovic who led the team in scoring in the fourth quarter with 9 of his 11 points. He started with 2 free throws and then knocked down a triple, which turned a tie game into a 7-point lead. The 25-year-old added a push shot in the lane and a reverse layup to keep Bahcesehir up 66-71.
The Montenegro big man then showed up on defense, grabbing big defensive rebounds with 105 and 67 seconds remaining - both times after Ulm had snatched offensive rebounds but failed to convert. He finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds.
Simonovic played the first half of last season in the EuroLeague with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade before moving to the EuroCup in January 2024 and joining Besiktas Istanbul.
The 2.13-meter center also stood out for the Montenegro national team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 and FIBA EuroBasket 2022. Still, he has not been noticed much this season with all the other star talent on Bahcesehir’s roster.
But Simonovic definitely deserves some love as he has now scored in double figures in seven of the team’s eight EuroCup games, averaging 11.6 points per game. He is also shooting 43.5% on three-pointers to go with 82.9% from the foul line as well as 4.6 rebounds.