By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
In the first big official showdown of the season in Turkey, Galatasaray beat Fenerbahce/Ulker 74-69 in a game for the group stage of their domestic cup. David Hawkins (photo) dominated the game, scoring 30 points. For Fener, center Oguz Savas had 21 points, Bo McCalleb added 18, former Panathinaikos‘ star Mike Batiste didn’t played and Australian center David Andersen was used just for 8 minutes and had 3 points. After this result Galata is on top of Group D standings with 3-0 record and Fener follows with 2-1.
For group A, Anadolu Efes started its games with a win against Gaziantep (89-72). Five players of the winning team scored in double digits with former NBA center Semih Erden being the top scorer with 19 points.
Ιn Greek cup’s quarterfinals Olympiacos beat Nea Kifisia, a team from second division (A2) 94-43. Giorgos Printezis had 17 points in 18 minutes in a very easy game for the Euroleague champions.
Panathinaikos was good enough, but not impressive in the 82-61 win against Panionios. Sofoklis Shortsanitis once again was a force in the paint with 14 points in a balance Green offense with six players scoring at least nine points. Panionios, a Eurocup team, was in the game until the last quarter which had a partial score 26-13 for the host team. Panathinaikos played without injured Derwin Kitchen and Stephane Lasme who is expected to arrive in Athens on Friday. The other two teams which have qualified for the semifinals are Kavala and KAO Dramas, after wins against Rethymno (77-74) and Kolossos Rhodes (79-60) respectively and the game couples will be decided by a draw.