 In a game that was no less thrilling for having no affect in the standings, Besiktas Cola Turca beat BC Goettingen 91-86 in overtime on Tuesday in Istanbul to give the home fans a thrill before their team left the Eurocup eliminated. Besiktas finished with a 2-4, last in Group B, where Goettingen had already clinched first place and a Last 16 berth by beating Besiktas last week. The hosts put their pride on the line for the home fans, however, and showed that they learned how to win close games after having dropped three others by a total of 7 points. The game went down to the wire after a miraculous Michael Meeks three-pointer at the buzzer tied it 79-79 for Goettingen. In the extra period, the hosts came through for the victory, led by Cevher Ozher's 27 points and 6 boards, Mire Chatman's 22 and 9 assists, and Bekir Yarangume's 20 points. Goettingen, whose record fell to 4-2, was led by Meeks, with 17 points. Other strong performances came from Jermain Raffington, who scored 15, Mike Scott with 14 and 8 rebounds, Robert Kulawick with 10, and Adam Walekowski with 10 rebounds.
Besiktas had a nice start as Yarangume exploded for 15 points in the first quarter - a point more than his total for the 5 previous games. The forward scored in a variety of ways and sparked a 24-18 lead after a first quarter that saw Goettingen living dangerously from the perimeter and hitting 3 triples. The visitors went to big man Jason Boone in the second quarter and Trenton Meacham's jumper made it 26-23 score. To the relief of Besiktas fans, Meacham never got really going in the game after having torched Besiktas last week for 31 points. As the hosts cut off their nemesis on defense, they were able to bury some three-pointers and would have broken away if not for Meeks's marksmanship from beyond the arc. The forward traded triples with Ismael Cevik as Goettingen got the lead at 33-34, but Cevik hit from long range again in the midst of a Besiktas 11-5 run that left things at 44-39 for halftime.
After the break, Chatman heated up with a three-pointer and pushed the Besiktas lead into double digits. Goettingen tried locking down on defense and freed up Jermain Raffington to help close the gap to 48-43. Yarangume got going and Chatman kept stroking home his jumpers, but Besiktas was held to 12 points in 10 minutes as a Raffington's long-range bomb to close the quarter allowed the visitors to close within single digits, 60-51. Scott quickly showed Besiktas that the group leaders would not go down without a fight. he started the last quarter with a dunk that Raffington followed with a driving layup to make it 60-55. Kulawick then found his shooting touch with a triple and added 4 more points by the end of the quarter, dueling with Yarangume, whose triple kept Besiktas ahead, 69-66, with 4 minutes to go. But Meeks then hit form beyond the arc for the his first impact triple to tie it and Boone and Chatman split free throws before a red-hot Meeks again put Goettingen in front with a layup at 70-72. The forward would not be denied even after Ozer converted a three to put Besiktas in front and Chatman kept the 79-76 advantage from the line Now, Meeks draining a buzzer-beater to send the game into the extra period and put a knot in the hearts of the home crowd. But Besiktas was determined to get its revenge and went to money man Chatman to start the overtime. The guard quickly got to the line and hit a three-pointer that fueled a definitive 7-0 run, after which the hosts held up defensively, not allowing Goettingen to score a field goal as they cruised the rest of the way.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Eurocupbasketball.com
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