Having won all seven matches in the FIBA Europe Cup, Bahçeşehir College hosted the Danish representative Bakken Bears at the Metro Energy Sports Hall in the second match of the second round. The Red Dragons, who left the match with a 90-76 victory from the beginning to the end, retained their undefeated title in the FIBA Europe Cup.
Bahçeşehir College spades Langston Hall, Jamar Smith, Jamal Jones, Berkay Candan, Oğuz Savaş; guest team Bakken Bears started with five of Michel Diouf, Ryan Evans, Darko Jukic, Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson and Tylor Ogwae.
The Red Dragons started the fight with Oğuz’s back-turned games, leading the first three minutes by 7-6. Bahçeşehir College took control of the game and the score in the middle of the quarter and forced the Bakken Bears to take a time-out with 4 minutes and 21 seconds left in the period (15-9). Extending the lead to double digits in the last part of the quarter, the Red Dragons were ahead 25-16 in the first quarter of the match.
Bahçeşehir College started the second quarter well with Hall’s effective play, leading 34-22 in the first three and a half minutes. When the score was 38-24 with Dekker’s successive baskets, the guest team took a time-out with 5 minutes and 33 seconds before the end of the first half. When the score came to 41-30 with the 4-0 series captured by the Danish representative, this time Bahçeşehir College was the side that took the time-out with 3 minutes and 31 seconds left at the end of the half. The Red Dragons, who managed to maintain a double-digit difference in the last part of the half, went ahead 47-36 to the locker room.
The Bakken Bears started the second half with a 6-2 run as the score came to 49-42 in the first three minutes. The visiting team continued to dissolve the gap in the middle of the quarter and entered the last four and a half minutes with 51-46. With 2 minutes and 14 seconds remaining in the quarter, Bahçeşehir College took a time-out when the score was 57-55. 59-55 Bahçeşehir College dominated the last quarter of the match.
The Red Dragons entered the final quarter with a 6-0 lead, leading 65-55 in the first two minutes. When the score came to 67-55, the opposing team applied for a time-out with 7 minutes and 26 seconds left before the end of the match. When the Bears caught a 10-4 series in the middle of the quarter and brought the score to 71-65 with 5 minutes before the end of the match, Bahçeşehir College took the time-out this time. Returning from the break with Smith and Erkan’s three-pointers, the Red Dragons were leading 79-68 in the last three minutes. Bahçeşehir College, which maintained its score advantage in the last part of the match, left the fight with a 90-76 victory and retained its undefeated title in the FIBA Europe Cup.
After the struggle, Bahçeşehir College Head Coach Erhan Ernak made the following statements: “We definitely do not want to lose in our own home. We caught a bit of complacency when we caught the difference in numbers early. I think we always controlled the match, but we shouldn’t have given so many opportunities. We’ve never played a period. I hope we will learn a lesson here and we will not make the same mistakes on the road.”
