EuroCup roundup: Turk Telekom clinch playoffs, Trento shocks Besiktas, Buducnost cruises
Turk Telekom lock up a playoff spot with win over Lietkabelis
Turk Telekom made it 11-5 in the EuroCup with an 85-75 victory over Lietkabelis, officially securing a place in the postseason. The visitors fought hard early and kept things competitive in the first half, but the Turkish side controlled most of the second half and kept responding to every challenge.
Dogus Ozdemiroglu led the way with a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Justas Furmanavicius was Lietkabelis’ top scorer with 14. Turk Telekom now look ahead to hosting Besiktas in the next round, and Lietkabelis will be back at home to face Panionios.
Trento stuns Besiktas
Trento handed Besiktas a surprise 87-74 loss, taking advantage of a disastrous second quarter from the Turkish team. Besiktas started well and led 24-17 after the first period, but Trento flipped the game with a 25-9 second quarter to go into halftime up 42-33.
The Italian side dominated the glass and shot exceptionally from deep, knocking down 12 of 21 three-pointers while Besiktas managed only 7 of 27 from long range. Besiktas were also without veteran big man Ante Zizic, which showed in the rebounding battle. D.J. Steward paced Trento with 19 points, Matas Jogela added 17 including four triples, and Aleksandar Jakimovski finished with 14 and nine rebounds. Connor Morgan led Besiktas with 17 points. Trento improved to 10-6 and will travel to face Chemnitz next, while Besiktas head to Turk Telekom.
Buducnost roll past Chemnitz
Buducnost put together a dominant second quarter and beat Chemnitz 97-81 on the road. Chemnitz started okay, but Buducnost exploded in the second period, outscoring their hosts 31-14 and posting a 15-0 run that put the game out of reach. The win moved Buducnost to 10-6 while Chemnitz fell to 8-8.
Skylar Mays was outstanding, hitting all four of his three-point attempts on his way to 22 points. Jerry Boutsiele added 17 for Buducnost, and Kostja Mushidi led Chemnitz with 19. Buducnost will stay at home for their next game against Ulm, and Chemnitz will travel to take on Trento.
