Turkish League, Regular Season, Game 29: April 19-20, 2008
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Besiktas Cola Turka clinched first place in the Turkish League one week before the end of the regular season by defeating TTNet Beykoz 75-86 on the road. Besiktas has a 23-6 record, two victories ahead of second-place Efes Pilsen, with a game remaining. The clash was a disappointment for the relegation-threatened home team and its 3,000 noisy fans at Recep Sahin Kokturk Arena because Besiktas controlled the game from the beginning until the end. Kaya Peker and Preston Shumpert shot Besiktas to a 19-25 lead after one quarter. Predrag Drobnjak and Rick Apodaca picked up the scoring pace as Besiktas lengthened its lead to 35-43 at halftime. Anthony Roberson and Christopher Burgess started working inside and outside for Beykoz but Besiktas still went into the last quarter ahead by 55-65. Soon, a 1-8 run by the visitors helped by Shumpert and Peker extended the lead to 17 points, 56-73, preventing a Beykoz comeback. Shumpert lead Besiktas with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Peker had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists. Roberson scored 22 points, Burgess had 18 and Curtis Withers ended by 11 points plus 10 boards for Beykoz. Even if Besiktas loses the last regular season game, it will win any tiebreaks with Efes Pilsen based on having won both regular season between them.
Fourth-place Turk Telekom took revenge of an earlier loss and threatened to make a last-second rise in the standings by defeating Fenerbahce Istanbul 84-72 at home in Ankara Ataturk Arena. The visitors lead the first quarter 22-25 with Oguz Savas's scoring inside, Tarence Kinsey and James White doing the same outside. Telekom responded with strong defense in the second quarter, holding Fener to just 4 points in 8 minutes to take a big 43-29 lead after 18 minutes. Fener answered back, however, with a 2-10 run before the half could end 45-39. Fener kept rallying after the break behind Willie Solomon to reduce the difference to 2 points, 64-62, at the end of the third period, but Khalid El Amin paired with Erwin Dudley inside to fire up Telekom for a 20-10 last-quarter blast to win the game 84-72. El Amin scored 23 points, Dudley had 12 points plus 14 boards, while Chris Williams had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals for Telekom. Kinsey scored 21, Savas had 15 and Dmir Kaan scored 10 for Fenerbahce.
Efes Pilsen struggled but beat relegation-threatened Darussafaka 102-100 but the victory was good enough to let the winners remain in second place behind Besiktas with a 22-7 record. Efes started impressively at 28-12 after a quarter in which Kerem Gonlum, Scoonie Penn and Dewarick Spencer starred on offense. Efes keep adding to the lead also as Ermal Kuqo, Craig Bradshaw and Spencer lifted their team ahead by 55-33 at halftime. Efes extended the lead to 24 points, 61-37, in the game's 23rd minute on a basket by Gonlum, but Darussafaka responded with a five-minute 21-9 run in which Eric Chatfield and Lamar Johnson helped close the gap to 12 points, 70-58, although Efes went into the last quarter 78-65 ahead. Thomas Guinn, Chatfield and Johnson kept scoring for Darussafaka as the visitors reduced the differance to a single point, 98-97, on Chatfield's free throws with 14 seconds left. Spencer made his own pair of foul shots before misses from the line by Chatfield helped Efes hold on until the last second for a 102-10 final score. Spencer lead Efes with 29 points, Kuqo had 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, while Mustafa Abi scored 12 and 4 assists. Chatfield and Johnson scored 26 points each and Guinn had 19 for Darussafaka.
Galatasaray Cafe Crown lost at Oyak Renault of Bursa 83-78 in overtime but held onto sixth place in the standings. The visitors led 16-21 after one quarter but hosts Renault used zone pressure in the second quarter and routed Galatasaray 21-12 behind Andre Woolridge and Richard Chaney to lead 37-33 at halftime. Renault keep the lead in hand with Woolridge and Omer Kahyaoglu supplying points in the third period, which ended 58-53. Dee Brown and Chris Owens got Galatasaray back in the game and Murat Kaya's layup seconds before the end tied it 72-72 at the end of the regular time. Monwell Randle's triple was followed by another from Kahyaoglu as the home team shocked visiting Galatasaray 83-78 in the overtime. Woolridge scored 28 points, Randle 15 and Kahyaoglu 12 for Renault, while Chaney had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Brown scored 19 for Galatasaray, Owens 17 and 12 rebounds, Charles Gaines 14 points and Kaya 10.
LAST GAME GAME 29
April 19-20, 2008 | | Day | Match | Result | | Apr. 20 | TTNet vs. Besiktas C. Turka | 75-86 | | Apr. 20 | Turk Telekom vs. FB Ulker | 84-72 | | Apr. 19 | Efes Pilsen vs.Darussafaka | 102-100 | | Apr. 20 | Oyak vs. Galatasaray CC | 83-78 | | Apr. 20 | Alpella vs. CASA TED | 64-71 | | Apr. 20 | Mutlu Aku vs. Kepez Bld. | 92-87 | | Apr. 20 | Banvit vs. Mersin BSB. | 99-97 | | Apr. 19 | Antalya BSB. vs. Pinar | 89-78 |
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NEXT GAME GAME 30
April 26-27, 2008 | | Day | Match | | Apr. 27 | CASA TED vs. Besiktas CT | | Apr. 27 | Pinar Karsiyaka vs. Alpella | | Apr. 26 | Galatasaray vs.Efes Pilsen | | Apr. 27 | TTNet vs. Turk Telekom | | Apr. 27 | Mersin BSB. vs. Antalya | | Apr. 26 | Kepez Bld. vs.Oyak Renault | | Apr. 27 | Darussafaka vs. Banvit | | Apr. 27 | Fenerbahce Ulker vs. Aku |
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| STANDINGS | TG | W | L | P+ | P- | | 1 | Beşiktaş Cola Turka | 29 | 23 | 6 | 2401 | 2144 | | 2 | Efes Pilsen | 29 | 22 | 7 | 2395 | 2117 | | 3 | Fenerbahçe Ülker | 29 | 20 | 9 | 2325 | 2161 | | 4 | TÜRK Telekom | 29 | 19 | 10 | 2590 | 2347 | | 5 | Antalya Bşb. | 29 | 18 | 11 | 2283 | 2256 | | 6 | Galatasaray Cafe Crown | 28 | 17 | 11 | 2138 | 2027 | | 7 | Pinar Karşiyaka | 29 | 16 | 13 | 2516 | 2459 | | 8 | Banvit | 29 | 13 | 16 | 2347 | 2325 | | 9 | Casa TED A. Kolejliler | 29 | 13 | 16 | 2194 | 2309 | | 10 | Oyak Renault | 29 | 12 | 17 | 1967 | 2101 | | 11 | Mersin Büyükşehir Bld. | 29 | 12 | 17 | 2226 | 2308 | | 12 | Kepez Belediye | 29 | 11 | 18 | 2234 | 2281 | | 13 | Darüşşafaka | 29 | 9 | 20 | 2195 | 2368 | | 14 | Mutlu Akü Selçuk Üniv. | 28 | 10 | 18 | 2249 | 2462 | | 15 | Alpella | 29 | 8 | 21 | 2081 | 2299 | | 16 | TTNet Beykoz | 29 | 8 | 21 | 2183 | 2360 |
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