Regular Season Game 8 - December 13, 2006 CET: 17:00 Local time: 18:00 - ABDI IPEKÇI SPORTS HALL

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
0-0 Regular Season 0-0
2-5 Overall 3-4

Referees

Crew Chief
AMOROS, XAVIER, Spain
Referee
HIERREZUELO, DANI, Spain
Umpire
CHAMBON, DAVID, France

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
72.6 Points 67.9
31.4 Rebounds 35.9
7.4 O. Rebounds 10.4
24.0 D. Rebounds 25.4
9.0 Assists 8.3
9.6 Steals 13.6
1.7 Blocks 1.9
14.4 Turnovers 12.9
52.0 % 2PT 42.6 %
33.5 % 3PT 29.4 %
73.8 % FT 75.7 %
69.6 Index 70.0

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
15.6 / KAMBALA, K. Points 15.7 / SCALES, A.
11.1 / TURKCAN, MIRSAD Rebounds 9.3 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
2.6 / TURKCAN, MIRSAD OR 2.7 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
8.6 / TURKCAN, MIRSAD DR 6.6 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH
4.3 / SOLOMON, WILLIE Assists 2.3 / CASTLE, T.
1.4 / TURKCAN, MIRSAD Steals 2.6 / WILKINSON, MIKE
0.7 / TURKCAN, MIRSAD Blocks 1.0 / WILKINSON, MIKE
4.5 / SOLOMON, WILLIE Turnovers 2.4 / CASTLE, T.
64.3 % / MRSIC, DAMIR 2PT 55.8 % / WILKINSON, MIKE
100.0 % / KAMBALA, K. 3PT 46.2 % / Serapinas
100.0 % / Savas FT 100.0 % / FLETCHER, KEVIN
18.0 / TURKCAN, MIRSAD Index 19.3 / MASSEY, JEREMIAH

THE TAKE

Fenerbahce Ulker will try to get back into the running for the Top 16 when it hosts Aris TT Bank in what's already a near-decisive Group C game for both teams on Wednesday. Fenerbahce (2-5) needs to start winning right away in order to advance, while Aris (3-4) will look to break its four-game losing streak on the road in Group C. Aris travels to Istanbul with center Giannis Giannoulis, who is expected to see some playing time for the first time in two weeks, but without point guard Spyros Panteliadis, who is nursing a knee problem. Meanwhile, Fenerbahce might be without center Kaspars Kambala (15.6 ppg.), who did not play this weekend in a Turkish League game due to an injury. Former Aris player Will Solomon (11.5 ppg., 4.3 apg.), having missed the last three Euroleague games, did not play this weekend either and he might not be ready to face his former team. Even with Kambala in doubt, Fenerbahce still counts on a battery of big men featuring Semih Erden (5.7 ppg.), Ira Clark (3.3 rpg.), Oguz Savas (3.3 ppg.) and above all Mirsad Turkcan (9.6 ppg., 11.1 rpg.), the Euroleague all-time top rebounder. Turkcan leads that category again this season, but will have to battle the third-best rebounder so far, Jeremiah Massey (12.7 ppg., 9.3 rpg.) of Aris, who gets plenty help from Mike Wilkinson (11.9 ppg., 6 rpg.), not to mention Giannoulis and Kevin Fletcher. Two of the best scorers in Group C will go against each other, too, as Ibrahim Kutluay (13.1 ppg.) of Fenerbahce will test his shooting skills against Alex Scales (15.7 ppg.) of Aris. Kutluay has enough help around with Damir Mrsic (11.3 ppg.), newcomer Eddie Basdem (8 ppg., 2.5 spg.) and combo guard Omer Onan (4.3 ppg.), while Scales is not alone either. Simonas Serapinas (3.6 ppg.), slasher Savvas Iliadis (6.2 ppg.) or veteran Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (6.5 ppg.) are able to change any game. The point guard battle will be interesting, especially if Solomon is not 100 percent. Hakan Demirel, Basdem, Mrsic and even Onan will have to share the point guard duties in that case, while Aris counts on pure playmakers like Terrell Castle (9.3 ppg.) and Giorgos Kalaitzis (40% 3FG). Expect Giorgios Sigalas (2.9 rpg., 1.1 spg.) to test his legendary defensive skills against Kutluay, in an exciting matchup in which both players know each other well. Last but not least, Aris beat Fenerbahce 66-58 in Game 1, so that could have an impact in the outcome for the game for tie-breaking purposes.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Euroleague.net, Gokhan Ture (Istanbul), Christos Lazarou (Thessaloniki)

Quotes Head Coaches

ORS, AYDIN
Fenerbahce Ulker
"We are going to play one of the key games of the season at home against Aris TT Bank. We lost the first game to them in Thessaloniki, which we could have won. But we are better now than at the beginning of the season. We will try to play more aggressive on defense. That’s what we are trying to do in the last few games, although we haven't been able to rely on it for the whole 40 minutes. If we are able to stay resistant during the whole game, I think we can get what we need. We also need extra support from our fans in this game, too."
MAZZON, ANDREA
Aris TT Bank
"This group is crazy. It's common to say that we need at least a win on the road to increase our possibilities to qualify but this is the truth of the regular season of the Euroleague. Fenerbahce Ulker have improved their game at home late in the first round. They seem to put more pressure on the visitors through their transition game and their shooting abilities beyond the three-point line. Moreover, the main danger in the paint is Kaspars Kambala, whose performance is getting better at home, where Damir Mrsic has also been playing at a high level lately. Undoubtedly, we know that it's going to be a tough game between a Turkish and a Greek team but there is no fear among my players. What is necessary is to put in an extra effort on the court and stay focused during the whole game, despite our fatigue because of our heavy schedule."

Players

BASAK, RASIM
Fenerbahce Ulker
"From now on, every upcoming game is like a final for us. Aris TT Bank is trying to get a good place in the group, and that’s what we are trying for, too. When you look at the number of the wins of both teams, you can see how dangerous is the situation we have. So we will try to use the home advantage well. It’s a little bit early to say it, but this is one of the do-or-die games of the season for us. I hope we play better than in the other matches and win this. That’s what we will try for with all our aim."
ABDUL-RAUF, MAHMOUD
Aris TT Bank
"Fortunately, we beat Fenerbahce in the first round but now there is a new difficult challenge in Turkey. After two losses on the road, there is no result for us other than to win on the road against a skillful and well-experienced team. In my opinion, our defense will be the key for the tempo of the offensive game. We should be aggressive from the beginning and take smart decisions to steal the ball. What is more, we should be patient in the offense without thinking us as robots. There is always a simple way to score: if you have the shot, take it."
Mike Wilkinson - Aris TT Bank Aris TT Bank started the second half of the regular season with its all-important first road win in Group C by outlasting Fenerbahce Ulker 80-86 in Istanbul on Thursday. Aris evened its record at 4-4 and could share a tie for third place before the week is over. Fenerbahce fell to 2-6 and must start winning consistently to survive now. Mike Wilkinson dominated inside from start to finish, collecting 24 points on 9-for-11 two-point shooting plus 4 rebounds and 5 assists to lead Aris. The teams were locked in a close game until midway through the third quarter when Terrell Castle hit the first 2 of 5 Aris triples in as many minutes to break the game open. Jeremiah Massey followed with 15 points for the winners, while Savvas Iliadis scored all 12 of his in the final quarter. Castle and Alex Scales added 10 apiece for Aris. Fenerbahce got 22 points from Ibrahim Kutluay, 16 from Willie Solomon, who returned from injury, and 12 from Damir Mrsic.

Both teams started by looking to anchor their games in the paint. Wilkinson and Massey combined for all the visitors' points as Aris shot ahead 6-11. Kambala was doing all of Fenerbahce's scoring by himself until Kutluay raised up from the arc on consecutive possessions and landed both shots to vault the hosts to their first lead, 12-11. Kambala boosted that to 14-11 before Scales buried a first triple for Aris, which sparked a 0-7 run including a dunk by Massey and a jumper by Wilkinson. Scales would end the quarter with another jumper as Aris established a 19-23 edge after 10 minutes.

Solomon, back after three games injured, joinded with Omer Onan to quickly tie the score, 23-23, for Fenerbahce in the second quarter. Then, Solomon's three-pointer took back the lead at 26-25. Scales replied with a high-flying baseline dunk came to put Aris ahead again, but otherwise the defenses were not allowing any easy points now. Kutluay found a three-point layup-plus-free throw to which Ira Clark added a jumper as Fenerbahce went up 31-27. Mrsic soon added 5 points in a row for the high lead of the hosts, 34-29, before Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Simonas Serapinas helped Aris recover. Their 6 points combined and a dunk by Massey got the guests within 36-35. Even though Kutluay buried a triple for Fenerbahce then, Abdul-Rauf and Serapinas - split the last 4 points before halftime to forge a 39-39 tie at the break.

Ibrahim Kutluay - Fenerbahce UlkerWilkinson and Massey again got things going for Aris after halftime, but they were matched by Mirsad Turkcan, Mrsic and Kambala as the defenses dominated and the score remained tied 45-45 after 25 minutes. There was no indication that shots were about to fall. Castle broke the standoff with a huge triple, and when Mrsic answered immediately from the other arc, Castle blasted another. He was copied by Scales from the corner a couple of possessions later and suddenly Aris was in charge at 48-54. Kutluay tried to stop the bleeding for Fenerbahce, but Giorgos Sigalas joined the Aris three-point shooting binge to make it 50-57. Kutluay and Solomon fought back for Fenerbahce, but suddenly it was Wilkinson setting up on the arc to land the fifth triple in as many minutes for the visitors. When Massey dropped a hook to finish the quarter off, Aris was in front 56-62 after 30 minutes.

As they did in previous quarters, Wilkinson and Massey got Aris started in the fourth, combining for 6 points and a lead of 61-68. Now, however, they were joined by Iliadis, who buried a jump shot and then returned for a triple and 2 free throws to make Aris soar ahead 63-75, the game's first double-digit lead. Fenerbahce turned to zone defense and a small lineup, but were only able to chip at the lead for a few minutes until another Iliadis layup made it 69-79. Big man Oguz Savas came off the bench trying to inspire Fenerbahce with a pair of late baskets. He made the free throw that came with the second of them, and then Mrsic added 2 more from the line, cutting the Aris edge to 78-83. But that was as close as Fenerbahce would get as Castle and Iliadis made 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch to preserve their team's first Euroleague road victory!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Gokhan Ture, Istanbul
Referees: AMOROS, XAVIER (ESP), HIERREZUELO, DANI (ESP), CHAMBON, DAVID (FRA)
Attendance: 4500
By Quarter1234
Fenerbahce Ulker19201724
Aris TT Bank23162324
End of Quarter1234
Fenerbahce Ulker19395680
Aris TT Bank23396286
Head coach: ORS, AYDIN
Fenerbahce Ulker
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
3FG
M-A
FT
M-A
Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 DEMIREL, HAKAN 0:30                              
6 TURKCAN, MIRSAD 17:30 3 1/2 0/2 1/2   6 6 2   1     2 1 5
7 ONAN, OMER 12:00 3 1/1 0/1 1/2   2 2   2       3 2 4
8 BASAK, RASIM 4:45   0/1             1 1     1   -2
9 ERDEN, SEMIH DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10 KUTLUAY, IBRAHIM 36:30 22 5/6 3/9 3/3   3 3 2   1     1 4 22
11 SAVAS, OGUZ 18:30 7 3/4   1/1 6 1 7 1 2 1     3 1 13
12 MRSIC, DAMIR 26:45 12 1/5 2/4 4/4       4         1 3 12
13 CLARK, IRA 11:30 5 2/3   1/3   3 3   1 2     3 3 4
15 KAMBALA, KASPARS 21:30 9 4/8   1/2 4 2 6 1   4   1 1 3 8
23 BASDEN, EDDIE 26:30 3 0/2 0/1 3/4 1 2 3 4 2 1 1   1 3 10
52 SOLOMON, WILLIE 24:00 16 3/4 2/6 4/4   1 1 3 1 2   1 4 3 12
Team             1 1               1
Totals 200:00 80 20/36 7/23 19/25 11 21 32 17 9 13 1 2 20 23 89
55.6% 30.4% 76%
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Head coach: MAZZON, ANDREA
Aris TT Bank
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
3FG
M-A
FT
M-A
Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 CASTLE, TERREL 28:15 10 0/3 2/4 4/4 1 2 3 5 1 4     4 4 10
5 SIGALAS, GIORGOS 4:45 3 0/1 1/1     1 1   1 1         3
7 SERAPINAS, SIMONAS 16:00 4 1/1 0/2 2/3 1 2 3 1         1 1 5
8 SCALES, ALEX 30:45 10 2/5 2/6   2 2 4 3 1 3   1 2 3 8
9 KALAITZIS, GEORGIOS 27:15   0/1 0/1     3 3   2 2     5 1 -3
10 ILIADIS, SAVVAS 10:00 12 3/4 1/1 3/4 1 3 4   1         2 17
11 WILKINSON, MIKE 35:45 24 9/11 1/1 3/3 1 3 4 5 1 2     2 5 33
12 FLETCHER, KEVIN 6:00 2 1/1 0/1                   1    
14 MASSEY, JEREMIAH 32:30 15 7/10   1/3 1 2 3 2 2 1 2   5 4 17
15 GIANNOULIS, YANNIS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
16 TSALDARIS, DIMITRIOS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 ABDUL-RAUF, MAHMOUD 8:45 6 3/3 0/1     1 1 1   1     3   3
Team                                
Totals 200:00 86 26/40 7/18 13/17 7 19 26 17 9 14 2 1 23 20 93
65% 38.9% 76.5%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

ORS, AYDIN
Fenerbahce Ulker
"We lost a very important game for us. This is one of the games that we had to win for sure. We prepared very well but we weren't able to make a good start. When we lost the way in offense, we also lost control in defense. We conceded 39 points in the first half and scored the same amount without having any support from our inside players. This was success for us. But despite our handicap inside, we did everything to win the game in the second half. But the easy mistakes keep us away from the winning mood. Anyway, we will try to do everything we can in the rest of our group games."
MAZZON, ANDREA
Aris TT Bank
"First of all compliments to Fenerbahce Ulker, who always play hard. We really took the game in the right moment and made the right choices to win. And there was a very good crowd in Istanbul and it's really nice to play here. From our side, we had five players in double digits and at the end of the third quarter, we really did what we were supposed to. Everybody with the ball, everybody in the possesion. We never turned the ball over. Of course, it's a very important win for us because it's our first win on the road since many years. Our group is really hard and it's not easy to qualify for the next stage. So we need three more wins for the Top 16."

Players

KUTLUAY, IBRAHIM
Fenerbahce Ulker
"Aris played better than us and they deserved to win the game with the way they played, especially in the second half. We struggled to stop their weapons like Massey and Wilkinson. We are not well organized in offense and because of that reason, they got an easier win than they expected. We were favorites of this game but they got an easy victory. I think they were surprised about the way they won, too. Now we need extra wins for the Top 16."
MASSEY, JEREMIAH
Aris TT Bank
"It was a good win for us. We tried, and had to win against a very good team. We practiced hard and got ready for the game and challenged well. I think both games in Thessaloniki and in Istanbul were very hard for us to win. It's not necessary to see the future of the group now but the only thing we should make is to win the rest of the matches for a good place on the standings."
ABDUL-RAUF, MAHMOUD
Aris TT Bank
"It was a great game. We weren't able to win away for a long time. It was a big game from Michael Wilkinson. He was able to nail some shots. We made little but important things defensively. We could lose the game tonight because we let them for easy shots. If they had made it, it could have been trouble for us."
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