Bursaspor clinches playoff berth with 72-86 win at Ulm

Frutti Extra Bursaspor punched its ticket to the 7DAYS EuroCup Eighthfinals by downing ratiopharm Ulm 72-86 on the road on Tuesday.

Regular Season

Round 17 of 18

game Frutti Extra Bursaspor vs ratiopharm Ulm

Regular Season

group b

ratiopharm UlmULM

7286

Frutti Extra BursasporFEB

group b

Overview

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Bursaspor improved to 8-9 in Group B with its fourth straight win. Ulm dropped to 7-10, though it could still qualify for the playoffs this week if Buducnost VOLI Podgorica beats Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse on Wednesday. Kevarrius Hayes led the winners with 25 points and 11 rebounds, David Dudzinski added 14 points, Derek Needham 13, Onuralp Bitim 12 and Andrew Andrews scored 11 for Bursaspor. Semaj Christon paced Ulm with 20 points, Jaron Blossomgame added 14, Karim Jallow 12 and Nicolas Bretzel 10. Hayes scored 11 first-quarter points as Bursaspor took control early, led 15-32 after 10 minutes and held on the rest of the way.

Dudzinski got Bursaspor going with a jump hook and a fastbreak slam. Hayes dunked and Needham bettered Nicolas Bretzel's alley-oop tip-in with a triple that boosted the visitors' lead to 3-9. Andrews sank a jumper and found Hayes for a three-point play that made it a double-digit game. Hayes kept pushing Bursaspor and Dudzinski made another jump hook for a 7-20 score. Christon stepped up with a couple of jumpers and a driving layup. Hayes downed a baseline jumper and Bitim knocked down back-to-back triples for a 13-30 Bursaspor lead. Needham matched Karim Jallow's dunk with a buzzer-beating jumper that fixed the score at 15-32 after 10 minutes.

John Holland buried a jumper early in the second quarter. Christon banked in a close shot and got help from Jaron Blossomgame and Per Guenther to bring Ulm a bit closer, 20-36. Bretzel took over with a second-chance layup and a one-handed dunk. Needham answered from beyond the arc and Bitim scored in penetration for a 24-41 Bursaspor lead. Blossomgame scored in the low post and Jallow added a running hook to bring the hosts within 28-41. Dudzinski buried a corner triple and Hayes erased Christon's rainbow jumper with an alley-oop slam that restored a 32-47 Bursaspor margin. Hayes scored again and Metin Turen helped the visitors boost their margin to 34-53 at halftime.

Andrews stepped up with an off-balance three-point play right after the break. The visitors kept running their offense through Hayes, whose alley-oop slam made it 36-60. Christon and an unstoppable Hayes traded baskets before Jallow made it 40-62. Guenther buried a step-back jumper that Dudzinski improved on with a three-pointer. Hayes added a put-back layup to give the guests a 42-68 margin. Blossomgame struck three times from downtown and got help from Christon to bring the hosts closer, 54-71, after 30 minutes.

Moritz Krimmer buried a jump hook early in the fourth quarter and Blossomgame copied him right after that to give Ulm hope, 60-73, with over 7 minutes left. Needham rescued Bursaspor with a three-pointer and Andrews also struck from beyond the arc to restore a 62-79 margin. Turen joined the three-point shootout to seal the outcome, 62-82, midway through the fourth quarter. Little changed in the final 5 minutes, as Bursaspor maintained a safe margin all the way and had plenty of time to celebrate.