Frutti Extra Bursaspor lived another magic night on the road when it defeated Cedevita Olimpija Ljubjlana 83-85 at Arena Stozice on Wednesday night to claim a ticket to the 7Days EuroCup Semifinals, where it will meet Morabanc Andorra.
Bursaspor outlasts Cedevita, 83-85, to reach semis
The visitors were up 36-50 at halftime but saw Cedevita rally back and get within 66-67 early in the fourth quarter. The hosts even had the last possession to win the game, but Jacob Pullen’s three-pointer came after the final buzzer sounded and the visitors were able to celebrate. Derek Needham had 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to pace the winners. John Holland posted 16 and 7 boards, Onuralp Bitim chipped in 14 points and Andrew Andrews followed with 12. Yogi Ferrell was Cedevita’s top scorer with 20 points, while Jacob Pullen, Zach Auguste, Edo Muric and Jaka Blazic netted 15, 13, 12 and 10, respectively, in the losing effort.
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A strong fastbreak dunk and a three-pointer by Bitim fueled an early 5-9 advantage for the visitors. Ferrell and Blazic combined to put Cedevita ahead 10-9, but the hosts went no further as they missed 8 three-pointers in the first 5 minutes. Andrews hit from deep and Needham provided 5 points in a row to bring the lead back to Bursaspor, 11-17. Alen Omic took over inside and Pullen did so outside to push Cedevita, which led 21-20, after an alley-oop dunk by Auguste. Holland came to the rescue with a deep three for a 21-23 Bursaspor lead at the end of the first quarter.
Three-point shooting kept helping Bursaspor early in the second, as David Dudzinski and Holland provided one three each to allow the visitors to stay ahead, 25-31. Both teams set a wild pace to their offenses, but no one was able to get a good scoring momentum. Pullen and Kevarrius Hayes swapped baskets, but those were the only field goals for almost 4 minutes. Holland showed up again with a three and a corner jumper to make it a double-digit edge, 27-38, which Bursaspor didn’t waste. Holland and Bitim became a dominant force on the perimeter and combined for 12 points that created a 36-50 difference at halftime.
Cedevita came out at full throttle after the intermission and went on a 6-0 run behind points by Ferrell, Blazic and Omic that brought the home crowd to its feet and reduced the margin to 42-50. Andrews stopped the rally from the line, as Metin Turen and Hayes restored a 15-point edge, 42-57, to Bursaspor. The hosts didn’t step back, though, and counterattacked with a 9-0 run from the trio of Blazic, Muric and Auguste that tightened it to 51-57. Turen cooled it down with a corner three and Needham followed with 5 points in a row that seemed to calm Bursaspor, but the hosts kept rolling and made it a one-possession game, 64-67, entering the last stanza.
Pullen got Cedevita within 66-67 early in the fourth quarter as the visitors were unable to score for the first 3 minutes. Blazic missed a three that could have completed the rally and then turned the ball over, which Bursaspor exploited to recover its poise. Bitim, Needham and Andrews took over to end the scoring drought and help the visitors to a 68-74 edge. Needham kept rocking from the perimeter and provided a nice jumper and a three that solidified Bursaspor's lead at 72-80, with less than 3 minutes remaining. Needham added two more triples, but Ferrell accepted the challenge and led his team’s offense with 11 points in a row that helped the home team get within 83-85 with 27 seconds to go. Andrews was called for a charge on the next possession, but Pullen’s buzzer-beating three came after the final buzzer and Bursapor was able to celebrate another magical night on the road.