By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
It all came down to the last possession in the 7DAYS EuroCup semifinal, as D.J. Stepehens’ game-winning attempt was blocked in the last second to push Turk Telekom to the final with a 76-74 win over Prometey Slobozhanske.
Crazy ending in Riga, as Turk Telekom dropped a seven-point lead with 01:17 minutes on the clock but managed to regain it over Tony Taylor. Caleb Agada missed with 10 seconds to go with 75-74 on the scoreboard, and Tyrique Jones hit just one free throw on the other end for 76-74.
Prometey had a chance to win the game, but Turk Telekom decided to defend and blocked Stephens’ three-point attempt. The hosts’ forward grabbed the ball again and tried to tie the score but missed the off-balanced shot, and Erdem Can’s team started celebrating.
.@TT_Basketbol claimed a WIN in the semifinals and reaches the 7DAYS EuroCup final⚡️#RoadToGreatness pic.twitter.com/EllfE4aoxL
— 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) April 26, 2023
Jerian Grant was the top scorer of the winning side with 19 points, as an experienced guard played the whole 40 minutes. Axel Bouteille had the highest PIR for Turk Telekom with 22, as the French shooter finished the match with 16 points and eight rebounds.
“I am just excited we got the win, and I am good. I am good to go! It was a total team effort. You see, down the stretch, different guys made different plays, and we came out on top. One more game! We have 40 more minutes! Forty more minutes,” Grant said after the match.
Tyrique Jones was a menace under the rims, as he collected 14 rebounds and had a double-double with 11 points, while Tony Taylor added 15 points and played the crucial role in the final moments.
At first, it seemed that Taylor blocked Stephens for the win, but the decisive play was made by Erkan Yilmaz, who finished the match with eight points.
For Prometey, who lost after 13 straight wins in the EuroCup, Gian Clavell scored 19 points, Ondrej Balvin was a rebound shy of a double-double with 14 points, while Stephens added 10 points. Caleb Agada had eight points and rebounds for Ronen Ginzburg’s team.
“We wanted to isolate on Bouteille [in the final play] and didn’t make the shot. That’s life in basketball. I think all the respect goes to the players, they made a great job with all the problems that we had. We played against great teams, they made some big shots, we played good defense, and then they made them. That’s life, we played a great season and I hope next season, we will continue like this,” Ginzburg said after a tremendous run of his team came to an end.
Erdem Can: “This is for the people we lost in the big earthquake”
The architect of Turk Telekom’s great success, coach Erdem Can, said the victory in the EuroCup semifinal is for the victims of the catastrophic earthquakes that struck Turkey in February.
“I mean, it is very difficult to explain. I am proud of my players, my team, my organization. Turkish people came over here and supported us, but I would really like to give this win to the people that we lost in the big earthquake. Whoever we lost, I don’t know, it seems like more than 50,000 people that we lost for their honor. We tried to honor them, and this is for their memory. That is all I am going to say,” Can said.
He insisted it was a team win.
“Again, I am proud of my players. They did it, they won and succeeded. They need to get all the credit, I love them. Of course, Prometey is one of the toughest teams in the EuroCup competition. They haven’t lost in 30 games, I believe, and 13 in the EuroCup. So it is obvious how tough it was, and we played on the road. We were locked in, and every single possession mattered to us. We took care [of the game] in the right way. Again, this is only one game, and we need to win the next one. We want to focus on the next one. As I said from the beginning, I am not naming one player, we are a team, so every single one needs to give everything, whatever is needed. It is not one name because the whole season, it has been teamwork.”
Photo: euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup