Ante Zizic shines with 26 points as Besiktas completes season sweep over Bourg
Besiktas edges Bourg to close the gap in Group B race
Rungtynių ataskaitos
3 Minutė skaityti
Regular Season
Round 14 of 18
Regular Season
group b
Cosea JL Bourg-en-BresseJLB
99103
Besiktas GAIN IstanbulBJK
group b
Overview
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It was a highly-anticipated game between the top two teams in Group B and when the dust settled, Besiktas GAIN Istanbul beat Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse 99-103 in an extraordinary game. It was Besiktas's second victory over Bourg twice this season after thrashing Coach Frederic Fauthoux's team 90-60 in Round 5. Bourg is 11-1 against every other team in Group B.
It was a back-and-forth detail in which small details made the difference. Besiktas handled the ball better, finishing the game with 20 assists and just 8 turnovers. It had a turnover-free fourth quarter, too. Bourg committed 4 of its 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter and only dished 12 assists. Bourg set new BKT EuroCup club records for free throws made (32) and attempted (45).
In the fourth quarter, however, Bourg took 12 free throw attempts, 2 more than Bourg. None of them were more important than the ones Brynton Lemar and Anthony Brown attempted in the final 12.3 seconds of the game. Lemar and Brown hit 2 free throws apiece to put Besiktas's victory on ice.
Before that, it was Ante Zizic who allowed Besiktas to stay in the game through thick and thin, putting together another great performance.
Zizic played a near-perfect first half, helping Besiktas to a 50-52 lead. At halftime, he had 20 points on 8-of-8 two-point shooting and 4-of-5 on free throws. Zizic finished the game with 26 points. Bourg center Kevin Kokila had averaged 7.3 rebounds and a PIR of 21.0 in the previous three games. Against Zizic, Kokila was limited to 4 rebounds and a PIR of 10.
Zizic has been forcing his name into the EuroCup MVP conversation since the beginning of the season. He has averaged 13.8 points on 72.4% two-point shooting and 7.5 rebounds for a PIR of 23.1. Over his last six games, however, Zizic has been worth 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds for a PIR of 29.3. he has made 39 of 50 two-point shots (78.0% 2FG) in that time.
"It was a very physical game and a huge win for us. We showed our character tonight. We gave it all. Offensively, we did a great job. We shared the ball and scored [over] 100 points, so what else can we say? But defensively, this is a talented team that plays very tough. Great job from my guys and coaching staff tonight," Zizic said. "We have to keep going. We have to keep winning. We have a good schedule and I'm looking forward to it."
Besiktas managed to win the game despite a stellar performance from playmaker Darius McGhee, who got out of a shooting slump in the competition. In his last three games, McGhee had made just 1 of 7 two-pointers (14.7% 2FG) and 5 of 23 three-pointers (21.7% 3FG). Against Besiktas, McGhee had 25 points on 6 of 9 two-pointers and 4 of 6 three-pointers, including an 11-meter prayer right at the end of the third quarter to tie things up at 76-76. However, McGhee also committed a pair of costly turnovers in the closing minutes.
Besiktas coach Dusan Alimpijevic praised Bourg after a fun-to-watch game, and stressed the importance of his team's win.
"There was more intensity offensively because both teams were in good offensive shape. Both teams scored some, let's say, tough shots under pressure. This was a game with almost 200 points, but I cannot say that these two teams didn't fight. Really, congratulations to Bourg for everything they are doing so far, to their coach. It means a lot or us, for our confidence in the future," Coach Alimpijevic said.
"This is very important for us. They were up by, if I'm right, around 10-12 points. I'm very happy that I have this group of people who never give up. We came back and found a way to win. I'm very, very happy for this."
