By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In the only domestic matchup of the Basketball Champions League Round of 16, Turk Telekom logged an 89-78 home win over Besiktas Sompo Sigorta.
TJ Campbell led the way with 27 points on 9-14 shooting including 6-9 from deep while also dishing eight assists. Moustapha Fall missed only one of his shots on the way to 17 points and Nick Johnson scored 16.
For Besiktas, Toddrick Gotcher scored 16 in addition to Nemanja Djurisic’s 15 and Burak Yildizli’s 14 points. Oguz Savas notched a double-double with 12 points and ten boards.
It was a balanced clash early on but Campbell banked 12 points in the first quarter to push Turk Telekom ahead 28-23. Nick Johnson helped out with 11 points and the hosts found themselves up by ten (38-28) but Oguz Savas and Nemanja Djurisic combined for 21 for Besiktas to keep them close at halftime (45-42).
Besiktas couldn’t keep up, however, with a short a rotation and after the break, Turk Telekom fairly quickly got back up by double-digits (59-49). That push was enough for the hosts to keep their distance and hold off Besiktas until the end.
The battle in the paint was fairly even and Besiktas might have won it slightly with good offensive rebounding, however, Turk Telekom broke them with excellent three-point shooting. They banked 11-24 compared to the guests 7-22, and the difference was bigger early on in the game as the winning team banked timely shots from deep to go on a crucial run.
Everything feels easier at home
Turk Telekom now leads 1-0 in the best-of-three series and the next clash between the two Turkish teams is scheduled for March 11.
“We fought hard this season for the home-court advantage and it helped us a lot. We’re happy to get the win, they’re a tough team, very difficult to play against them. We can’t take them lightly, we have to come in focused and play hard,” Campbell said after the game.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League