Ante Zizic’s double-double sends Besiktas into Turkish Super League semifinals

Game recap

Besiktas edged out Galatasaray 71-68 at home in a tense Game 3 to clinch their Turkish Super League quarterfinal series. The win sends Dusan Alimpijevic’s side into the semifinals, where they’ll meet Bahcesehir under coach Marko Barac. The other semifinal will pit Anadolu Efes against Fenerbahce.

The hosts had trouble finding the basket for much of the night, but Ante Zizic made an early impact and Besiktas kept getting to the free-throw line, building a 25-17 lead after the first quarter. Tensions flared on the sideline — both coaches picked up technical fouls — and Galatasaray tightened up defensively to climb back into the game. Still, a few easy scores allowed Besiktas to take a 39-32 lead into halftime.

Fourth-quarter drama and key stats

Besiktas held a slim advantage through the third despite continued shooting woes, and James Palmer Jr. kept Galatasaray in it with timely inside and outside buckets. Free throws were decisive late on: Brynton Lemar repeatedly drew fouls and converted at the line, while Galatasaray clawed back behind clutch plays from Errick McCollum.

The finish was chaotic. Jonah Mathews committed a turnover then missed a late three, but Yigit Arslan grabbed the offensive rebound and scored to make it 70-67. After intentional fouling and some split free throws, Galatasaray had one last chance. A controversial ruling on what looked like a three-point foul was initially given as three free throws, then changed to two, which effectively ended the visitors’ comeback hopes.

Final contributors: Brynton Lemar led Besiktas with 14 points, Ante Zizic posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. For Galatasaray, James Palmer Jr. scored 19 and Jerome Robinson added 12. Besiktas advances but will need to clean up its shooting to make a deeper run.