Conor Morgan, Kyle Allman and Derek Needham combined for 46 points as Besiktas Istanbul prevailed 89-82, canceling out Tai Odiase’s massive effort for Bahcesehir as the big man dominated with 20 points and 8 boards.

Besiktas trio was too much for battling Odiase in Istanbul derby 

[Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/besiktas-istanbul/roster/bes/?season=2024-25) came out on top against visiting [Bahcesehir College Istanbul ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/bahcesehir-college-istanbul/roster/bah/?season=2024-25)in an absorbing Istanbul derby as the home team had too much firepower for the BTK EuroCup Group A leader, with the home team’s clutch trio delivering the goods.

[Conor Morgan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/conor-morgan/009680/), [Kyle Allman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/kyle-allman/011924/) and [Derek Needham](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/derek-needham/008945/) combined for 46 points as [Besiktas prevailed 89-82](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/besiktas-overpowers-bahcesehir-89-82-in-istanbul-derby/), canceling out [Tai Odiase](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tai-odiase/011823/)’s massive effort for the visitors as the big man dominated with 20 points and 8 boards.

Bahcesehir was left with too much work to do in the second half after trailing 58-43 at the interval, having fallen behind 49-29 late in the first half due to lethal three-point shooting from Besiktas.

Game Videos

The hosts were 10 of 17 from downtown at halftime while the visitors made only 2 of 9, as Besiktas played airtight defense on the perimeter and forced Bahcesehir to take a barrage of tough shots.

The visiting team turned the tables in the second half as Besiktas, which was 9 of 13 from long range at one point, finished on 13 from 28 but Bahcesehir was unable to capitalize down the stretch as it was contained to a shambolic 3 of 17 from deep.

Morgan, who went the extra mile to make light of big man [Emanuel Terry](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/emanuel-terry/010652/)’s absence, acknowledged Besiktas came out with all guns blazing before being forced to weather the storm down the stretch.  

“We came out and played super hard, we brought the energy and effort,” said Morgan, who posted 17 points, 7 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. “Bahcesehir at times struggled to match that and it’s a big win for us moving forward.”

Game News

Besiktas head coach Dusan Alimpijevic was also pleased with the outcome. “\[Bahcesehir\] is a good team and we surely didn’t expect it to be easy,” the Serbian tactician said after seeing his outfit get sweet revenge for a crushing 87-66 loss in the reverse fixture.

“They are top of our group and that means something. All credit to my team, we played a pretty good game and it’s our third win in a row without the injured big man,” he emphasized.  

In Round 12, Besiktas visits Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv while Bahcesehir is at home to second-placed Dreamland Gran Canaria, in what should be a pair of rip-roaring clashes in the top half of the table.   

Conor Morgan, Kyle Allman and Derek Needham forced the brilliant Tai Odiase into submission 

Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul v Bahcesehir College Istanbul (2024-12-11T18:00:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca is back to a winning record and just a win away from the second place in Group B after a dramatic 89-86 win over the visiting Cosea JL Bourg en Bresse. The Romanian team, which has opened the season with a 0-3 record, has now won six of its last eight games, including four straight on home floor.

Cluj overcame absences, turnovers to keep charging

[U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/roster/clu/?season=2024-25) is back to a winning record and just one win away from second place in Group B after [a dramatic 89-86 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/cluj-edges-bourg-in-a-thriller-89-86/) over visiting [Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/jl-bourg-en-bresse/roster/bou/?season=2024-25) on Wednesday. The Romanian champions, which opened the season with a 0-3 record, have now won six of their last eight games, including four straight at home.

It also did so despite some major absences.

Team leader and last season's All-EuroCup guard [Patrick Richard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/patrick-richard/011801/) is missing in action since Round 5, and will be out long term with a broken forearm. Meanwhile, [Adam Mokoka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/adam-mokoka/012698/) who has been averaging 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists of the bench, missed this game.

The problem turned out to be an extra motivation for Cluj.

"It's a really good \[victory\]," star guard [Zavier Simpson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/zavier-simpson/013302/) said after the win. "We held it down for the guys on the sideline, Pat \[Patrick Richard\] and Adam \[Mokoka\] who are not able to join us on the court."

What's more, Cluj had 23 turnovers in this game, and with Cluj clinging to a 84-79 lead, [Karel Guzman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/karel-guzman/011797/) fouled out with 1:45 to go as Bourg was threatening to come back.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THIS SEQUENCE 😱😮<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MagicMoments?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MagicMoments</a> <a href="https://t.co/s1lSvoIIMq">pic.twitter.com/s1lSvoIIMq</a></p>&mdash; BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1866924324105621567?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

The visitors did rally and took the lead on a four-point play by [Xavier Castaneda](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/xavier-castaneda/013266/), just 37 seconds before the final buzzer, but the man responsible for committing that foul, [DJ Seeley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/dennis-seeley/004862/), redeemed himself 15 seconds later. Seeley used all his calm and experience to knock down a corner three with 22 seconds to go, giving the hosts an 86-84 lead, which Cluj preserved.

"Being able to protect our home floor against a phenomenal team, it's good," Simpson added. "It's a team-effort win."

Simpson was a front and center of it, playing all but 87 seconds of this 40-minute contest, and scoring 27 points and dishing a club record 11 assists.

But alongside Simpson, there was big man [De'Shawn Stephens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/de-shawn-stephens/006618/) who was 7-for-7 on two-pointers, scoring 7 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. And there was Seeley, who also had 7 of his 14 points in the fourth.

All that helped Cluj overcome not only absences of key players on this night, but also 23 turnovers.

"I think it says a lot about our offense", Coach Mihai Silvasan explained after the game. "On 23 possessions we did not shoot the ball and we still scored 89 points."

"Hopefully we can use this win to keep us going with the same energy," Simpson concluded.

Indeed, that will be the goal for Cluj. Next week, in the final EuroCup game of this calendar year, the team will travel to face the unbeaten Valencia Basket, before trying to make a playoff push in the final six regular season games in January and early February.

The Romanian champs are back in business with their sixth win in the last eight games

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (2024-12-11T17:00:00.000Z)

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys earned a well-deserved road win at Samokov Arena in Bulgaria by downing second-placed Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem by 87-93 on Wednesday night. 

Lietkabelis surprises Jerusalem in Bulgaria, 87-93

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys earned a well-deserved road win at Samokov Arena in Bulgaria by downing second-placed Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem by 87-93 on Wednesday night. The visitors ruled 41-49 at halftime but had to wait till the last moments of the fourth quarter to secure the win thanks to a 4-10 run in which Martinas Rubstavicius scored 6 points. Jerusalem slipped to 7-4 and lost distance from first place, while Lietkabelis improved to 3-7 to stay alive in the playoff race.

Rubstavicius led the winners with 19 points in 22 minutes. Oleksandr Kovliar followed with career-high 18 points and 6 assists, Gabrielius Maldunas contributed 13 points, 7 boards and 5 steals, and Martynas Varnas and Vytenis Lipkevicius chipped in 11 and 10 respectively. Jared Harper was the game's top scorer with 24 points, Khadeen Carrington delivered 13 points and 7 rebounds, and Chris Johnson and Jeremy Morgan scored 13 apiece in the losing effort.

An erratic offense punished Jerusalem in the early going as Lietkabelis grabbed a 2-8 lead after 3 minutes. The visitors already had four different scorers, but the hosts stopped the game with a timeout and immediately found Morgan in the corner for a three that changed the trend. A three-point play by Carrington and an inside bucket by Derek Oegbide gave Jerusalem its first advantage of the night at 12-11. Maldunas came to the rescue, scoring 5 points in the blink of an eye to help the visitors recover the lead, 17-18, at the end of the first quarter.

Kovliar and Varnas joined Maldunas early in the second to extend it to 19-23, as Harper became the only one to produce in offense for Jerusalem at that moment. Even though Gabi Chachashvili showed up inside to improve the hosts scoring production, Kovliar kept rocking to swell the difference to 27-33 midway through the second period. Harper and Carrington managed to connect from downtown to give Jerusalem some rhythm, but Lietkabelis took advantage of the hosts' turnovers to hold on and keep ahead 38-42 entering the last minute of the quarter. A four-point play by Rubstavicius and a buzzer-beating triple by Lipkevicius made it even better for the Lithuanian side, 41-49, at halftime.

Johnson came up big after the break, as he opened fire with a three to start a 7-2 run that he also closed with an alley-oop, making it 49-51 early in the third quarter. Oegbide took over to make it all square twice and then turned the tables from the free throw line, 54-53. Lietkabelis didn’t panic, though, and used Briggs inside and Varlas outside to build a 54-60 advantage only a couple of minutes later. An 8-0 run launched by Chachashvili returned a 62-62 to the home team, starting a lead exchanging period that ended up in a 69-69 tie to enter the final stanza.

Yovel Zoosman and Lipkevicius swapped triples to keep it balanced, 74-74, right after the game resumed. Both teams increased intensity on defense, as the free-throw line turned into the only place where any team could score. With 3 minutes to go, Rubstavicius showed up from the corner and drew a foul that he converted into three points and punished again from long range with a three-point dagger soon after that turned on the alarm for the home side, 86-91, entering crunch time. Kovliar dug it deeper with a layup after two consecutive offensive rebounds, and even though Harper tried to reanimate his team in the last minute, he could only trim the difference to 87-93 at the end of the game.

It was the first road victory for Lietkabelis, which snapped a three-game losing streak

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem v 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2024-12-11T18:30:00.000Z)

Besiktas Fidabanka Istanbul held on for a hard-earned 89-82 home win over Bahcesehir College Istanbul in the BKT EuroCup Group A, prevailing in a thrilling city derby on the back of a strong first-half performance.

Besiktas overpowers Bahcesehir 89-82 in Istanbul derby 

Besiktas Fidabanka Istanbul held on for a hard-earned 89-82 home win over Bahcesehir College Istanbul in the BKT EuroCup Group A, prevailing in a thrilling city derby on the back of a strong first-half performance.

The result means Besiktas continued its good form and improved to 7-4 after its fourth win in the last five games, having also snapped Bahcesehir’s seven-game winning streak as the visitors, who top the group, dropped to 9-2.

Conor Morgan paced Besiktas with 17 points and 7 boards, Kyle Allman scored 16 points and Derek Needham chipped in with 13 points and 5 assists. Yigit Aslan netted 11 points for the hosts and Kelan Martin added 10 to underline a smooth team effort.

At the other end, Tai Odiase poured a game-high 20 points to go with 8 boards, Alex Bouteille scored 15 and CJ Massinburg netted 13, but the trio lacked support from the rest of the cast.

Following an even start, Besiktas closed out the first quarter with a 10-0 run to take a 27-18 lead and carried the momentum into the second, carving out a whopping 49-29 advantage late in the first half thanks to great three-point shooting.

At that point, the home team had sunk 9 of its opening 13 shots from deep as its players shared the ball superbly on offense while closing shop at the other end.

The second half produced a more rugged and physical battle as Bahcesehir beefed up its defense and made a purposeful start to the third quarter, slashing the deficit to 72-69 ahead of the final 10 minutes as the home team’s long artillery dried up.

A 5-point possession from Dustin Sleva, who was subdued for much of the contest and finished on a mere 9 points, gave Besiktas some breathing space early in the fourth, 78-72, after the visiting team had closed the gap to just one point.

Bahcesehir refused to roll over and missed several chances to turn the tide before a clutch three from Needham followed by a mid-range jumper from Allman off the dribble gave Besiktas an 87-80 lead in the home straight, effectively sealing the contest.

The hosts held on in a tight finish to snap the visiting team’s seven-game winning streak

Wolves Vilnius's 19 three-pointers against Hapoel Tel Aviv were 1 short of the EuroCup record

Three-point blitz helped Wolves to big win

After losing two consecutive games to end the momentum of a previous five-game winning streak, the opening stages of Wednesday’s home meeting with [Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/roster/hta/) suggested it would be another rough night for [Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-vilnius/roster/wol/?season=2024-25).

The visiting team’s offense was firing on all cylinders in the opening exchanges, as Hapoel scored 8 of its first 9 field goal attempts to hold a series of double-digit leads, with the highest difference reaching 13 points at 14-27.

Wolves, though, was shooting with incredible accuracy from long-range at the other end, keeping itself in the game by making 12 of its 19 three-point attempts in the first half – with multiple triples coming from the unstoppable [Anthony Cowan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/anthony-cowan-jr/012003/), [Andrew Andrews](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/andrew-andrews/011248/) and [Tre’Shawn Thurman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tre-shawn-thurman/012577/).

Tre'Shawn Thurman made 5 threes against Hapoel

Thanks to those long bombs a breathless first half ended with Hapoel leading by just 2 points (56-58), but if the fans were hoping for a similarly high-scoring second half they would be disappointed. As Wolves coach [Alessandro Magro](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/wolves-twinsbet-vilnius/wol/magro-alessandro/?season=U2024) told Euroleague TV before the second half got underway: “I think we should start to play some defense. Games like this are very interesting for the fans, but not the coaches.”

Magro got his wish. Wolves seriously tightened up its defense after the break, playing with much more physicality to pull back Hapoel’s powerful offense from 58 first-half points to 42 in the third and fourth quarters.

Meanwhile, the home team shooters kept on shooting. Wolves drained another 7 triples in the second half to finish with 19 conversions on 36 attempts, with Cowan (5-of-8), Thurman (5-of-8) and Andrews (4-of-6) accounting for 14 of those. [Arnoldas Kulboka ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/arnoldas-kulboka/006180/)also contributed with 3 triples on 6 attempts.

Those 19 three-pointers set a new club record in the BKT EuroCup and fell just one short of matching the competition’s all-time record, set by Valencia Basket earlier this season, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in 2017-18 and UNICS Kazan in 2009-10.

Three-point shooting wasn’t the only factor in deciding the outcome, with the home team grabbing more rebounds than Hapoel (28 to 26), including 12 at the offensive end, committing fewer turnovers (13 to 15) and showing good accuracy from the foul line to make 21 of 26 free throws.

But it’s clear that Wolves’s long-range excellence was the most important reason for the triumph, as coach Magro admitted: “We were able to make some crazy, crazy shots, which was very important to stay in the game.”

And his opposite number [Dimitris Itoudis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/hta/itoudis-dimitris/?season=U2024) agreed, ruefully noting: “They were very hot. We couldn’t manage to contain their drive and kick game, their isolation game. So they hit a lot of threes that we had to contain, but we didn’t.”

The Lithuanian team got back to winning ways after coming close to a competition record

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2024-12-11T16:30:00.000Z)

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius tightened up the Group A playoff picture by coming back to beat Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, 104-100. 

Wolves bounce back to down Hapoel, 104-100

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius tightened up the Group A playoff picture by coming back to beat Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, 104-100. Both teams are now tied at 6-5, with Hapoel narrowly claiming the head-to-head advantage after winning by 5 earlier in the season.

Hapoel enjoyed the better of a high-scoring first half that featured 19 three-pointers. The third quarter was back and forth, before a 12-0 run at the start of the fourth gave Wolves the lead for good. Anthony Cowan was the hero with a double-double of 28 points and 10 assists, while Andrew Andrews and Tre’Shawn Thurman combined for 9 triples as they totaled 20 and 23 respectively. Yam Madar powered Hapoel with 28 points and 7 assists, while Marcus Foster scored 17 and Marcus Bingham added 12.

Thurman’s triple opened the scoring, but Hapoel answered inside through Madar, Tomer Ginat and the returning Johnathan Motley. Foster and Ismail Wainright added deep strikes for a 5-13 lead. Uncontested scores for Foster and Ginat kept the visitor rolling, and Madar’s three made it 8-20. Cowan’s three-point play and Arnoldas Kulboka’s triple boosted Wolves before another Foster bomb kept a safe margin. Cowan and Andrews responded for Wolves from beyond the arc, and Garrison Brooks’ fierce slam made it 25-31 after 10 minutes.

Inside scores from Bingham and Joe Ragland opened the second quarter, before Kulboka and Kristupas Zemaitis replied from deep. Antonio Blakeney joined the three-point party, making it 31-41. Andrews hit another triple, before Bingham, Ragland and Blakeney finished well inside for a 38-47 lead. Andrews and Cowan nailed more threeballs for Wolves, as did Guy Palatin at the other end. Andrews stayed hot from deep, and Zemaitis added yet another triple before Thurman tied it from close-range after a 10-2 run. Motley finished the first half from the foul line, making it 56-58.

Thurman’s reverse layup and Cowan’s triple gave Wolves the lead early in the third, but Motley’s three-point play tied it up, 61-61. Thurman added another pair of threeballs, but Madar and Foster answered from deep at the other end for a 69-70 Hapoel lead. Thurman hit his fourth triple, before it became a game of free throws as defenses finally got on top. Thurman was again on target from long-range, but Foster responded with his own three and Madar added a layup for an 81-83 lead with 10 minutes left.

Wolves dominated the opening stages of the fourth, moving ahead 90-83 as Brooks scored twice inside and Cowan added his fifth triple. Kulboka made it a double-digit lead with another three, before Ragland finally snapped the 12-0 run. A fastbreak slam from Zemaitis gave Wolves another 95-85 edge with 4 minutes left, and another Andrews triple kept the hosts comfortable. Andrews went inside to take his team to three figures before Madar’s triple gave Hapoel hope. Foster pulled it back to 100-98 with 36 seconds left, but free throws from Andrews and Cowan sealed the win.

The Lithuanian team ended a two-game losing slide but the visitors just managed to hold on to the head-to-head advantage.

Ismet Akpinar and Olivier Hanlan stepped up big to lead Turk Telekom Ankara to a Round 11 win over Aris Midea Thessaloniki, 87-77 


Turk Telekom find new go-to guys in home win 

[Ismet Akpinar](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/ismet-akpinar/004056/) and [Olivier Hanlan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/olivier-hanlan/006598/) stepped up big to lead [Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/turk-telekom-ankara/roster/ttk/?season=2024-25) to [an 87-77 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/news/turk-telekom-stops-aris-87-77/) over [Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/teams/aris-thessaloniki/roster/ari/?season=2024-25) on Wednesday. 

Turk Telekom started slow and trailed 9-20 late in the first quarter. [Braian Angola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/braian-angola/010465/) dressed up for the game, but did play at all. Coach Erdem Can needed new go-to guys and a higher intensity to win the game and found that in the second half, in which Akpinar and Hanlan made the difference.

Akpinar finished the game with a season-high 19 points, having made 4 of 6 three-pointers and 7 of 8 free throws. He added 4 assists for a PIR of 26, his best mark in the competition since amassing a PIR of 30 for ratiopharm Ulm against Morabanc Andorra on [October 24, 2018](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/game-center/2018-19/morabanc-andorra-ratiopharm-ulm/U2018/38/#boxscore). Akpinar entered this game averaging 5.1 points, 0.6 assists and a PIR of 3.0.

Olivier Hanlan and Ismet Akpinar had season-high efforts for Turk Telekom Ankara against Aris Midea Thessaloniki.

Hanlan, Akpinar led Turk Telekom past Aris

"First of all, I am very happy that we won. Every game is important in the EuroCup, it is a tough group, a tough competition, every win and every game matters," said Akpinar, who scored 13 points in the final 12 minutes of the game. 

"Of course, I am also happy with my performance but also from the team, especially also from Olivier Hanlan, who stepped up today. Big props to him, also. We have to keep going."

Hanlan also had a season-high effort when his team needed him most. He needed less than 18 minutes to score 16 points on 2-of-2 three-point shooting and 4-of-4 on free throws. Hanlan added 4 assists for a PIR of 15. He had averaged 5.0 points on poor shooting (32.3% 2FG, 24.0% 3FG), 1.8 assists and a PIR of 2.6.

Turk Telekom put in the effort, especially in the second half. Aris outrebounded the hosts 16-18 in the first half, with 11 offensive rebounds. Turk Telekom won the battle of the rebounds in the second half by 26-17 and finished the game with 8 blocks to match a club record. It previously had 3 blocks three times: against Aris in 2008, Slask Wroclaw in 2021 and U-BT Cluj-Napoca in 2023.

"The possession advantage that we gave to Aris was crazy," Turk Telekom coach Erdem Can said. His team committed 16 turnovers and ended up allowing 18 offensive rebounds. 

"Braian \[Angola\] had an injury, but all other players stepped up. First of all, Olivier \[Hanlan\] and then Ismet Akpinar, they stepped up and helped us in our guard rotation. All of the players fought. We were a little bit panicking because we had played good games and had been losing. So I believe we will change it with the right mentality."

Turk Telekom is 6-5 in Group B and next week will face Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Round 12.

With one star injured, Turk Telekom was bailed out by big games from Ismet Akpinar and Olivier Hanlan 

Turk Telekom found new go-to guys to beat Aris

Turk Telekom Ankara v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2024-12-11T16:30:00.000Z)

Cluj edges Bourg in a thriller, 89-86

U-BT Cluj-Napoca battled hard to pull out a dramatic 89-86 win over visiting Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse on Wednesday night. This marks the fourth consecutive home win for Cluj, which improved to 6-5 in Group B, the same record as Bourg. However, Bourg has a tiebreaker advantage thanks to its 11-point win between the sides in Round 2.

The first half was a game of runs, but the second turned into a back-and-forth battle. The hosts had an 84-77 lead, but Bourg replied with an 0-8 run to take the lead with 37 seconds left. However, DJ Seeley hit a three-pointer and Zavier Simpson sealed the outcome from the free throw line in the waning seconds. Simpson starred with 27 points and 11 assists. De'Shawn Stephens stepped up with 17 points, DJ Seeley and Gediminas Orelik netted 14 apiece, and Karel Guzman scored 12 in a winning effort. Xavier Castaneda led Bourg with 17 points and 8 assists. Kevin Kokila had 10 of his 12 points in the first half, while Maksim Salash, Jordan Usher and Jean-Marc Pansa scored 10 apiece in a losing effort.

Guzman and Usher opened the scoring by trading triples before Bourg used the inside presence of Kokila and a second-chance triple from Castaneda to open a 5-14 lead. Cluj responded, with Orelik and Stephens scoring from close range, while Simpson hit one from long range. Simpson's three-point play and a fastbreak layup put the hosts in the lead, before Stephens strung together 6 points to make it 27-18. But a triple from Maxime Courby finished the first quarter at 27-21.

Hugo Benitez and Kokila combined to score the first 8 points of the quarter before Brandon Paul's triple made it 27-32. It was a 0-14 run bridging the first and second quarters, which Cluj snapped from the free-throw line before Guzman's triple and a dunk turned it into a 9-0 charge. A triple from DJ Seeley opened a 39-33 lead and Simpson's fastbreak layup increased the margin to 43-36. However, Kokila and Joel Ayayi sparked the final run of the second quarter, this one again by Bourg, with a layup apiece from Benitez and Castaneda making it 45-46 at halftime.

Orelik nailed a pair of three-pointers for the hosts early in the third quarter, but Salash scored twice inside, including a three-point play to tie the game at 56-56. Another basket from Salash and then 6 straight points from Pansa allowed the visitors to go up 58-64. However, Simpson cut the deficit at the end of the quarter, making a runner to set the score at 64-66 going into the fourth quarter.

A three-pointer from Salin and a three-point play from Stephens restored Cluj's lead, 70-68. Benitez hit a jumper to tie it, but Stephens had a dunk and Seeley scored twice from close range to open 76-72. Ayayi nailed a three-pointer on the other end, but Orelik from long range and Stephens from close range made it a 6-point margin, before a three-point play by Simpson opened 84-77. However, Castaneda and Salash kept the visitors alive, and Castaneda's four-point play with 37.3 to go put Bourg in front, 84-85. However, Seeley answered with a three-pointer on the other end to restore Cluj's lead and the hosts prevailed.

It marks Cluj's first win over Bourg in six games between two sides

Ismet Akpinar and Anthony Brown led Turk Telekom to its sixth victory. 


Turk Telekom stops Aris, 87-77! 

Turk Telekom Ankara took an important step towards qualifying for the eighthfinals by topping Aris Midea Thessaloniki 87-77 in the Turkish capital on Wednesday. Turk Telekom improved to 6-5 in Group B and now has a 2-0 record against Aris, which dropped to 2-9.

Ismet Akpinar led the winners with 19 points. Anthony Brown added 18 and Olivier Hanlan scored 16 for Turk Telekom. Sharife Cooper paced Aris with 20 points, Darral Willis netted 15, D'Moi Hodge 11 and Landers Nolley 10.

Emmanouil Chatzidakis got Aris going with a layup and Cooper added a three-pointer for a 0-5 lead. Speedy Smith and Hanlan stepped up for Turk Telekom before Nolley and Willis boosted the visitors' lead to 4-10. Berkan Durmaz scored in penetration and erased Hodge's triple with a shot from downtown. Hodge kept pacing Aris with a layup off a steal and found Joshua Roberts for a basket that made it a double-digit game, 9-20. Brown found his first points and then Yoan Makoundou bettered Willis's jump hook with a corner triple that made it 14-22 after 10 minutes.  

Brown struck from beyond the arc early in the second quarter. Willis made a jumper that Makoundou matched with a put-back slam. Akpinar buried a corner triple in transition that led to an Aris timeout at 22-24. Cooper stepped up with a baseline jumper and a three-pointer in a 0-7 run that restored a 22-31 Aris lead. Brown and Makoundou each had 5 points in a 12-0 run that gave Turk Telekom its first lead, 34-31. Tilemachos Vissariou, Akpinar and Nate Laszewski each made a triple to even the score at 37-37. Roberts dunked and Willis gave Aris fresh air at 37-41. After Hanlan struck twice from beyond the arc, Nolley answered with a fallaway jumper. Brown gave Turk Telekom a 45-43 lead at halftime.

Cooper scored in penetration soon after the break. Mahir Agva rescued Turk Telekom. Then Cooper and James Banks helped Aris regain the lead, 48-49. Kyle Alexander scored down low and Hanlan added a driving layup but Cooper hit a triple off the dribble to tie it at 52-52. Brown scored again and Alexander dunked to put the hosts back ahead. Willis kept pacing Aris and Nolley banked in a close shot to bring the visitors within 59-58. Akpinar struck from downtown and got help from downtown to boost Turk Telekom's lead to 63-60 through three quarters.

Willis took over with a wild three-point play early in the fourth quarter and Cooper added a reverse layup for a 63-66 Aris lead with over 7 minutes left. Cooper capped a 0-10 run with free throws, as Hanlan answered with a driving layup and Brown hit a triple that tied it at 68-68. Laszewski bettered Agva's layup with a triple. Akpinar answered from beyond the arc and added free throws for a 75-72 Turk Telekom edge. Hanlan beat the shot clock with a turnaround jumper and matched Nolley's floater from the foul line. Akpinar made it 83-74 with 46.3 seconds left, which was more than enough to seal the outcome.