By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After being sanctioned by FIBA due to the horrible scenes that occurred on its stands before the game against Reggio Emilia, AEK had to play against Tofas Bursa behind closed doors.
However, they got the 73-70 win in Game 1 of their best-of-three BCL Play-in series thanks to the umpteenth great performance by Akil Mitchell, who scored 16 with 7 rebounds.
The American center was followed by the veteran Janis Strelnieks, who had 16 points and 5 assists with 4/6 from deep. Isaiah Miles added 12 while grabbing 5 rebounds.
Rob Gray, who scored more than 25 points in three of his previous six BCL games, was Tofas Bursa’s highest scorer of the night with 18 points but registered 7 turnovers as well and missed the three-pointer to tie the game.
Bouba Toure went close to a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds. Berk Ugurlu, who started next to them, had 16 points with 3/4 from beyond the arc. Tyler Ennis added 10.
Overall, it was a very balanced match, with 8 lead changes. However, AEK prevailed sharing the ball (21 assists vs 14) and shooting better from two (59.09% vs 45.45%) than its opponents.
The winner of this series (G2 on 10/01) will end up in Group K of the Round of 16, with Galatasaray NEF, Unicaja Malaga, and the winner of the series between Ludwigsburg and Limoges CSP. In Game 1, the German team prevailed 85-81.
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League