By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
ALBA Berlin lost to Frutti Extra Bursaspor, 89-75, on Wednesday.
The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague side of the prep game was highlighted by Luke Sikma. The experienced forward scored a team-high 17 points and also grabbed six rebounds in Day 1 of the Frutti Extra Cup held in Bursa, Turkey. Marcus Eriksson connecting four times from beyond the arc added 14 points in the losing effort.
Allerik Freeman packing a game-high 26 points behind 10/15 field goals was the top performer for the tournament hosts preparing for the 2021-22 edition of the 7DAYS EuroCup. His side was in the lead for nearly the entire 40 minutes but saw a comfortable lead cut to one point in the fourth quarter.
ALBA missed injured players Johannes Thiemann, Ben Lammers, Christ Koumadje, and Kresimir Nikic. Newcomers Yovel Zoosman and Tamir Blatt also sat out due to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in Judaism.
In the tournament opener, Darussafaka Tekfen defeated Aliaga Petkim, 72-64. Dogus Ozdemiroglu led the way with 14 points to his name.
The EuroLeague team will be back in action against Yukatel Merkezefendi on Friday and will move on to the classification game on Saturday. Bursaspor will face the fellow Turkish team tomorrow, Friday.
The official games of the 2021-22 season are just around the corner for ALBA. The team coached by Israel Gonzalez is scheduled to host Telekom Baskets Bonn on September 23 and the Fraport Skyliners on September 29 to start its easyCredit BBL campaign before visiting FC Barcelona in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague opening week on October 1.