By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Overpowering the hosts inside the paint, Surne Bilbao blew out Bahcesehir Koleji, 92-60, in Ulker Sports Arena Wednesday.
Jaume Ponsarnau’s side improving to 4-1 in Group D secured the top seed, thus a direct path to the Round of 16 of the 2022-23 Basketball Champions League Regular Season.
Emir Sulejmanovic set his season-high at 16 points, pulled down five rebounds and dished out three assists, in just 19 minutes. Extending the solid showing in the paint, the former NBA center Jeff Withey went for 13 points, eight rebounds, three rebounds, and one block on Gameday 5.
Besides holding the hosts to ten assists, boosting the league-low 14.0 assists per contest, the Men in Black outscored the Istanbul outfit 32-16 in the paint at the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter shaped a friendlier image for Bahcesehir but with the distance to cover already over 20 points. More one-side traffic with 23 points off 13 turnovers.
Despite missing long-term injured players, Andrew Goudelock and Tomeu Rigo throughout the Regular Season, Bilbao topped the four-team group with one game in hand, a home fixture opposite ERA Nymburk. Until the Round of 16, the Basque Country club will look to improve the current W-L tally of 6-5 in Spain’s Liga Endesa.
At 3-7 in Turkey’s BSL, the Red Dragons fell to 2-3 in the BCL group. In contrast to Bilbao, the 2022 FIBA Europe Cup champions will be tasked in Gameday 6, seeking an away win against Igokea m:tel in Gameday 6 to earn home-court advantage in the best-of-three Play-In series to be contested in January.
Back in action after a couple of weeks on the sidelines, Jamar Smith put up 13 points for the team coached by Erhan Ernak in the home loss to Bilbao.
Postgame press conference:
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League