The French club will seek a spot in the finals when it visits Besiktas for Game 2 on Friday
Bourg beats Besiktas 86-74 in semifinals opener

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse opened the EuroCup Playoffs with an 86-74 victory over Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul at Ekinox. The hosts never trailed after the opening minutes and led by as many as 18.
Isiaha Mike scored 16 points and to lead a balanced Bourg attack that featured seven players with at least 8 points. Jequan Lewis added 14 points, 5 assists and 3 steals for the winners. Axel Julien contributed 11 points and Bodian Massa and Bryce Brown had 10 each.
Angel Delgado was Besiktas’s top performer with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Marko Simonovic netted 14 before fouling out, Derek Needham tallied 13 points and 5 assists and Matthew Mitchell scored 10. Besiktas will host Game 2 of the best-of-three series on Friday.
Bourg noses ahead in defense-minded opening quarter
Jonah Mathews opened the scoring for the visitors thanks to Kerem Konan’s offensive rebound and assist, while Jeremy Morgan turned the ball over on Bourg’s first two possessions. Morgan made up for that with a go-ahead triple. Bourg made an impact on defense to lead 9-7 midway through the opening quarter. A series of fouls and free throws grinded the pace to a halt. Massa heated up for the hosts, who led 16-13 after 10 minutes.
11-0 run puts hosts in charge
While Besiktas struggled to make shots, Angel Delgado remained a force inside with rebounds and drawing fouls. A Julien coast-to-coast layup prompted a Besiktas timeout at 20-13. It was to no avail as Bourg stretched its run to 11 unanswered points, while keeping Besiktas scoreless for nearly 4 minutes before Kyle Allman’s free throw made it 27-14. Brown further extended the margin to 16 before Konan scored for the visitors on consecutive possessions. Julien took over with a great assist to Mike and a pair of layups to make it 44-26. Simonovic narrowed the gap to 44-30 at the break.
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Delgado inspires a comeback
Delgado continued to shine for Besiktas as he scored twice more while controlling the glass. A triple by Needham made it 50-39. Massa provided answers for Bourg before Lewis drilled a three. Delgado and Simonovic rallied the visitors and a triple by Yigit Arslan made it 60-54. Simonovic scored again, capping a 0-8 run, before Salash stopped the bleeding for Bourg to end the quarter at 62-56.
Risacher helps put the game away
Massa and Mike combined to score the first 5 points of the fourth quarter, which reestablished a double-digit Bourg lead. A tough bucket by Brown put Bourg up by 13 before Simonovic scored Besiktas’s first points of the quarter from the line. Needham stepped up to bring Besiktas within 71-63 only to see Zaccharie Risacher respond from deep, twice. Lewis helped keep Bourg in control and, despite a late flurry, the hosts held on to take the series opener.