A late 12-2 run capped the home team's comeback
Gran Canaria survives drama, edges Bahcesehir 66-63
In a defensive battle of two previously undefeated teams, Dreamland Gran Canaria edged Bahcesehir College Istanbul 66-63 on Wednesday night. Gran Canaria improved to 3-0, while Bahcesehir dropped to 2-1 in Group A. The hosts trailed 54-61 in the fourth quarter, but finished the game on a 12-2 run to pull out a big win to remain perfect on the new EuroCup season.
Nicolas Brussino netted 17 points for Gran Canaria, Caleb Homesley had 13 and Pierre Pelos 11 points in a victory, while Mike Tobey pulled down 11 rebounds. Marko Simonovic led Bahcesehir with 14 points and Jaleen Smith scored 13 in defeat.
Bahcesehir got off to a good start and opened an early 0-5 lead thanks to a layup by Axel Bouteille and a three-pointer by Marko Simonovic. Gran Canaria soon responded, however, and went 14-8 ahead following a 11-0 run, with Nicolas Brussino, Andrew Albicy, John Shurna and Caleb Homesley combining to put the hosts in control. After almost four and a half minutes without a basket, Simonovic got the scoreboard ticking for Bahcesehir again, 14-10. Gran Canaria led 16-10 at the end of the first quarter.
There were no baskets in the first 3 minutes of the second quarter. It meant that the visitors were held to a single basket over more than 10 minutes bridging two quarters before back-to-back triples from Jaleen Smith and Sehmus Hazer tied things up at 16-16. A layup apiece by, again, Smith and Hazer put Bahcesehir up 18-20. But Gran Canaria needed just a handful of possessions to take control back, with Albicy and Brussino hitting back-to-back triples in a 10-0 run that opened 28-20 margin. Bouteille scored 5 points, including a three-pointer, to give Bahcesehir an offensive spark, before Gran Canaria took a 32-27 lead into halftime.
Brussino opened the second half with a three-pointer while drawing a foul, which opened a 9-point margin. C.J. Massinburg, Bouteille and Smith cut into the deficit before Homesley's three-pointer made it 41-35. But Bahcesehir scored the next 9 points, including a three from Simonovic and another from Smith that made it 41-44. Joe Thomasson answered right back with a three and the teams traded baskets as Bahcesehir held 48-49 after 30 minutes.
A three from Pierre Pelos tied things at 51-51 early in the fourth, but Simonovic and Smith, later with a corner triple, opened a 51-56 visitors' lead. Brussino hit another triple for the hosts, but Mateusz Ponitka's step-back three-pointer opened a 54-61 margin. Gran Canaria responded, first defensively, then with Pelos, Tobey and Homseley all scoring layups on consecutive possessions, 60-61. Two more layups, one from Tobey and another from Pellos gave the hosts a 64-63 edge with 64 seconds left. Gran Canaria followed it up with a defensive stand and then fought for an offensive rebound before Homesley iced the game from the foul line.