Turk Telekom survived a big thriller and improved to 5-1 in the Group A standings by edging Siauliai 102-99 in overtime on Tuesday. Turk Telekom got closer to made it to the elimination rounds while Siauliai dropped to 2-4 to stay fourth in the Group A standings. Michael Wright led the winners with 30 points on 12-for-14 two-pointers and 8 rebounds. Erwin Dudley added 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting and also grabbed 8 rebounds, Khalid El-Amin had 7 of his 15 points in overtime while Chris Williams got 12 for Turk Telekom. Jose Olivero led Siauliai with 23 points. Donatas Zavackas added 19, Saulius Kuzminskas barely missed a double-double with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting and 9 rebounds while Antonio Grant and Gediminas Maceina each had 13 points for the guests, who led 21-27 after 10 minutes. Dudley and Wright combined for 31 points on 13-for-14 two-pointers in the first half, allowing Turk Telekom to get a 49-45 halftime edge. The hosts boosted their margin to 74-68 after 30 minutes and then again to 86-79 with 4 minutes to go. Siauliai was not done, however, as Zavackas and Olivero stroke from downtown in a 4-11 run that took the game to overtime, 90-90. El-Amin shined in the extra period to lead Turk Telekom to a big overtime home win.
Arturas Masiulis got Siauliai going with consecutive baskets while Maceina gave the guests a 2-6 lead. Dudley and Wright scored inside to get the hosts within 10-11. Olivero followed a triple with a basket, Kuzminskas added a layup while Maceina scored again to give Siauliai a 15-22 margin. Even when Haluk Yildirim fed Dudley for an easy basket and soon added his trademark triple, Olivero kept Siaulai ahead, 21-27, after 10 minutes. Grant scored from downtown to give the guests their biggest margin, 22-30. Dudley and Tutky Acik fueled a 13-2 run that gave Turk Telekom its first lead, 35-32. Another three-pointer by Yildirim and a layup-plus-foul by Wright extended the hosts' lead to 41-34. Marius Prekevicius, Olivero and a layup by Kuzminskas helped Siauliai to tie the game, 43-43. A triple by Baris Ozcan and a three-point play by Dudley made Turk Telekom regain the lead, 49-45, at halftime. Dudley kept pacing Turk Telekom after the break, but free throws by Zavackas, a close basket by Kuzminskas and a three-pointer by Olivero got Siauliai within 57-55. Chris Williams answered from downtown but an unstoppable Kuzminskas and another three-pointer by Olivero completed Siauliai's comeback, 65-66. Williams and Wright fueled a 9-0 run that made Turk Telekom regain the lead, 74-68, after 30 minutes. A 7-0 run that Ozcan capped with a triple gave Turk Telekom a 86-79 margin with 4 minutes to go. Kuzminskas and Grant stepped up with consecutive baskets, while Zavackas scored from downtown for a 88-86 deficit. Wright hit free throws but a foul shot by Zavackas and a triple by the ever-present Olivero took the game to overtime, 90-90, as Prekevicius had a block on Dudley in the final play of regulation.
Siauliai did not lead in the extra period, but Prekevicius scored off a steal while Zavackas added free throws for a 94-94 tie. El-Amin followed a basket with a key three-pointer to put Turk Telekom ahead for good, 99-96. Grant made 1-for-2 free throws and Dudley copied him for a 100-97 score already in the final 45 seconds. Grant had a critical turnovers while El-Amin sealed the outcome from the foul line, 102-97, as the final free throws by Zavackas were too little, too late for Siauliai.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
ULEBCup.com
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