The Turkish side snapped the Israeli club’s 11-game winning streak
Malachi Flynn sparks Bahcesehir comeback in statement win at Jerusalem
Informes de partidos
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 15 of 18
Regular Season
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Hapoel Midtown JerusalemJLM
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Bahcesehir College IstanbulBKS
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Overview
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Things looked bleak for Bahcesehir College Istanbul – and for Malachi Flynn – after the opening quarter Tuesday night at Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem.
Jerusalem sprinted to a 29-19 lead behind nine points from Justin Smith and six from Khadeen Carrington. Flynn managed just two points, one assist and two turnovers in the period, leaving him with a PIR of -2.
The slow start was all the more concerning given Bahcesehir’s recent form: a 92-96 home loss to BAXI Manresa last week sandwiched between back-to-back defeats in the Turkish League. But Flynn flipped the game on its head, scoring 20 points over the final three quarters as Bahcesehir outscored the hosts 75-53 the rest of the way to claim an 84-94 road win, ending Jerusalem’s 11-game winning streak in the BKT EuroCup.
“Just coming out aggressive was the key,” Flynn said afterward. “We had just dropped three games in a row, and we knew this was going to be a big one. They’re the top seed. It was a team effort – one through 12, everybody did something. That’s how we’ve got to play moving forward.”
Thirteen of Flynn’s 22 points came in a dominant second quarter, as Bahcesehir won the period 30-20 to pull even at 49-49 by halftime. A 21-9 third quarter Bahcesehir put the visitors in a commanding position (58-70) before the two teams netted 24 points apiece in the fourth, as Jerusalem had given itself too much to do.
Flynn had seven points after the break, while Caleb Homesley chipped in 12 of his own in the second half to finish with 16. Hunter Hale, scoreless at halftime, finished with 8 points. Tyler Cavanaugh contributed 11, and Mateusz Ponitka added 11 points and 9 rebounds.
Jerusalem, which had been unbeaten in EuroCup play since Round 3 in mid-October, remains atop the Group A standings. However, Bahcesehir now holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, having won by 12 points Tuesday night after losing by eight in Round 6.
Just as important for Bahcesehir, the victory keeps it second in the group, ahead of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, a team it has already beaten twice this season. With three games remaining in the regular season, winning at Jerusalem – the toughest matchup left on its schedule based on the standings – means Marko Barac’s team controls its own destiny.
Both clubs harbor ambitions of winning the EuroCup and securing a spot in next season’s EuroLeague. Jerusalem has been the more consistent side in recent months, but how Yonatan Alon’s group responds to this setback will be telling. Bahcesehir, meanwhile, will look to use its final three quarters in Jerusalem as both a blueprint for the final stretch of the regular season and a reminder of its ceiling heading into the EuroCup Playoffs.
