Depth, defense, and deadly threes power Besiktas past Turk Telekom 93–84 on the road
Besiktas shoots the lights out in derby win over Turk Telekom
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 8 of 18
Regular Season
group b
Turk Telekom AnkaraTTA
8493
Besiktas GAIN IstanbulBJK
group b
Overview
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Besiktas GAIN Istanbul owned the Turkish derby, staying in control from start to finish to beat Turk Telekom Ankara 93–84 on the road.
With a strong Besiktas fan presence at Ankara Sports Hall on Wednesday night and both teams starting with the same record in Group B, the visitors leaned on their depth and timely three-point shooting. Contributions came from all over the roster as Besiktas powered its way to 6–2.
Devon Dotson led the charge with 20 points, knocking down big shots to keep Besiktas in command throughout.
‘‘This game felt like an ultimate home game,’’ Dotson said at the end. ‘‘We knew what we needed to do, and my teammates helped me out, and they brought the energy from day one. We got the win, I’m very proud.’’
Besiktas leaned on its most potent weapon, its sharp shooting from beyond the arc, to power the win. Every time Turk Telekom tried to swing momentum their way, timely threes broke the resistance.
On the defensive end, Besiktas forced 14 turnovers, further disrupting Turk Telekom's rhythm. The deep roster delivered across the board, with every player hitting the scoreboard. Dotson led the charge in the third quarter, and Jonah Matthews added 18 points, including key threes in the fourth, to seal the victory. Another critical contributor was Brynton Lemar, who hit crucial threes and added 15 points, while Ismael Kamagate dominated the paint on both ends.
Coach Dusan Alimpijevic praised the team’s approach and the fans’ impact: ‘‘They risked with these three-point shots, they let us shoot. So, we took our opportunity. I have to say that I am incredibly proud of my fans to create this atmosphere, I had a feeling like I played at home. This is amazing what the Besiktas club is doing. This is something very special for me.’’
Turk Telekom couldn’t keep up with Besiktas from beyond the arc. The visitors knocked down 45.2% of their threes, while the Ankara side hit just 4-of-22, struggling to create alternative scoring opportunities. Turk Telekom ended up allowing its highest point total in the last five games.
‘‘This game is one of the worst defensive efforts that we've had since the beginning of the season,’’ Coach Erdem Can said after the game.
‘‘We've played bad games, but this kind of defensive effort against this level of team, it's not possible to win the game. We couldn’t contain one-on-one. Also, offensively we lost our pace, so we need to get our lesson from this game... We have many other tough games. We need to prepare ourselves.’’
In Round 9, Besiktas will take on Panionios Cosmorama Travel Athens, while Turk Telekom heads to Germany for a road clash against NINERS Chemnitz.
