The Spanish team improved its playoff hopes by notching its second straight victory.
Joventut grabs impressive road win at Besiktas, 81-85

Joventut Badalona secured its second win in a row by downing Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul 81-85 at BJK Emlakjet Sports & Event Hall in Round 10 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season on Wednesday evening. As a result of this triumph, Joventut improved to a 5-5 record in Group A, while Besiktas dropped to 6-4.
Andres Feliz led the way for Joventut with a team-high 21 points, with Andrew Andrews and Pep Busquets adding 11 points apiece. Tyler Cook had 10 points, too. For Besiktas, Jonah Mathews exploded for a game-high 28 points, hitting 6 three-pointers, but it came in a defeat. Derek Needham was the only other Besiktas player to hit double figures, netting 22 points.
Not much to separate the teams at first
In what was a well-fought first quarter, it became a back-and-forth affair. Joventut managed to take an early 5-point lead thanks to 5 straight points from Busquets, 4-9, but Mathews started to find his groove to ensure Besiktas trailed by just 1 point, 14-15, after the opening 10 minutes.
Joventut responded after a Besiktas push
Besiktas took the lead for the second time in the game when Mathews knocked down a three, 17-15, to open the second quarter. Just like in the first quarter, neither side backed down and that resulted in the scoreline swinging from one team to the other. However, with 2:50 remaining, Joventut set a game-high lead, 27-34, after going on a 0-10 run. Besiktas ended up pulling it close, 33-34, but 3 free throws by Pau Ribas with 1 second left meant it was a 33-37 ballgame at halftime.
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The battle continued in the third
Despite some heroics from both Mathews for Besiktas and Feliz for Joventut, there was nothing to separate the two teams, 44-44, with 6:47 to go. Feliz then began to get some help from Andrews, 51-54, before the Dominican Republic international made it 51-56. Kerem Konan and Berk Ugurlu cut it to 55-58, but a dunk by Cook and then two successive 1-of-2 trips to the line ensured Joventut led by 7 points, 55-62, after 30 minutes.
Joventut saw the win over the line
Cook started the fourth quarter in a similar manner to how he finished the third: by scoring a dunk, which set the biggest lead of the game, 55-64. Kenny Chery, who had a quiet point up until this point, then emerged with back-to-back threes to make it an 11-point game, 60-71, with 7:44 to go. But, Besiktas kept fighting back through Needham, Egehan Arna and Mathews, before Matthew Mitchell cut it to a 2-point contest, 75-77, with 2:37 remaining. Down the stretch, Andrews and Feliz stepped up to the plate, making it 75-81, but Mathews gave Besiktas hope, 78-81, with a triple to move to 28 points. With 20 seconds to go, Ribas showed his experience from the line by going 2-for-2, before Needham’s three made it 81-83. But Ribas once again stayed focused by knocking down 2 free throws as Joventut came away with an 81-85 win.