Beşiktaş GAİN defeated its host Bahçeşehir College 82-79 in the first match of the Turkish Insurance Basketball Super League play-off semi-final series.
With this result, the black-whites took a 1-0 lead in the series.
The second match of the series, in which the team that will achieve three wins will advance to the final, will be played on Thursday, June 4, at Beşiktaş GAİN Sports Complex, also hosted by Beşiktaş.
Completing the first quarter of the match with a 21-20 lead against Bahçeşehir College, Beşiktaş GAİN entered the locker room with a 35-32 advantage.
While the second half of the match started balancedly, the last quarter was entered with a 53-53 draw.
The last period started with mutual baskets scored under the basket. While both teams were scoring with their short players in this period, Beşiktaş was ahead 71-70 in the last 3 minutes with consecutive points scored by Morgan. Although Bahçeşehir College responded to Dotson’s points with Flynn, the black-whites gained a 77-73 advantage in the last minute. Beşiktaş maintained its scoring advantage in the remaining time and won the match 82-79.
Conor Morgan played an important role in Beşiktaş GAİN’s victory with 13 points, Jonah Mathews and Yiğit Arslan with 12 points each, Brynton Lemar with 11 points and Devon Doston with 10 points.
For Bahçeşehir College, Malachi Flynn’s 23 points and Mateusz Ponitka and Trevion Williams’ 11 points each were not enough to win.
Hall: Beşiktaş GAİN Sports Complex
Referees: Alper Altuğ Köselerli, Kaan Büyükçil, Özge Şentürk Bayraktar
Beşiktaş GAIN: Berk Uğurlu 7, Mathews 12, Anthony Brown 4, Morgan 13, Zizic 4, Dotson 10, Sertaç Şanlı 9, Yiğit Arslan 12, Lemar 11
Bahçeşehir College: Flynn 23, İsmet Akpınar 6, Homesley 4, Cavanaugh 7, Williams 11, Mitchell 4, Furkan Haltalı 8, Ponitka 11, Hale 5
1st Period: 21-20
Half time: 35-32
3rd Period: 53-53