By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Following a high-scoring first quarter in which both teams combined for 60 points, AEK managed to take control of the clash against Galatasaray NEF, winning 92-78 and advancing to the 2022-23 Basketball Champions League Quarter-Finals.
In this second-ever Basketball Champions League game with AEK, Brynton Lemar was unstoppable for Ilias Kantzouris’ side by scoring 21 points with 5/5 fat the line. The February MVP Akil Mitchell, who was awarded before the start of the game, hasn’t delivered on offense and ended with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Janis Strelnieks and Vlado Jankovic came to the rescue with 29 points combined off the bench. The Latvian had to leave the court for the locker room with 3:20 left in the fourth quarter due to an injury.
Daron Russell, who arrived at Galatasaray to replace Dee Bost, had one of his best games with the Turkish team so far, ending with an explosive performance of 28 points and 6 rebounds, shooting 3/6 from downtown and 7/8 at the charity stripe.
The former Mornar Bar guard was followed by Dusan Ristic, who went close to a double-double with 12 points and 8 boards. Other than them, however, Andreas Pistiolis’ team didn’t have other impressive contributions except for Angelo Caloiaro’s 12 points and Tyrus McGee’s 10.
Before this game, Galatasaray was scoring 21.1 points per game in the fourth quarter, more than any other team in the last 10 minutes of the game in the BCL this season. In the last quarter against AEK, they had 17.
The Turkish side had also seven more turnovers (15 vs 8) than their opponents, while the Greek team dominated in points from the bench (45 vs 23).
After this defeat, Galatasaray will now wait for the result of the Unicaja-Limoges encounter to discover his fate. If the Spanish team wins, the Turkish side is eliminated as well. AEK, instead, has progressed to the next Basketball Champions League stage.
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League