Fenerbahçe Beko defeated Pınar Karşıyaka on the road 67-62 in the third match of the ING Basketball Super League play-off semi-final series. After the match, head coach Igor Kokoskov and team captain Melih Mahmutoğlu made a statement to the broadcaster.
Fenerbahçe Beko defeated Pınar Karşıyaka on the road 67-62 in the third match of the ING Basketball Super League play-off semi-final series. After the match, head coach Igor Kokoskov and team captain Melih Mahmutoğlu made a statement to the broadcaster.
Commenting on the match, Kokoskov said, “It is really difficult to play here. There is also such a fact historically. A physical and strong team. We expected it to be like this. Nando De Colo, we had to play without Dyshawn Pierre. We had to play without our two best players. Nando returned, found himself. It wasn’t easy. We played a physical match against a physical team. There are no surprises after three matches in the playoffs. You have a game plan and you need to understand your game, understand your player. Everything was fine, especially with the 3-point line, we could do a little better in rebounding. We have to work on this subject. We are happy to win. Tomorrow we will rest and find ourselves, and then we will meet again. ” said.
Melih Mahmutoğlu: It was important to put character
Melih Mahmutoğlu, who was selected as the man of the match with 18 points, said, “It was obvious that the match would be tough. In the end, Pınar Karşıyaka is a very qualified team. Whenever we play a match with them, it is always contentious. We are currently playing the play off. Both teams are strong enough to beat each other inside and outside. It was important to put in character after the game we lost inside. Today, we put this character in the game from the beginning to the end. Now the series is only 2-1. We want to win another match and reach the final before leaving this job to Istanbul. I also congratulate Karşıyaka. The two teams do not train each other, they struggle to the end. I am happy and proud to be on the field. I hope we will be the team that makes it to the finals, thanks to the efforts of all my teammates. (Individual performance) I’m doing what I have to do. I always say, I always try to give as much as I can for Fenerbahçe on the field. There will be good days and bad days. Fenerbahçe is important here. Fenerbahçe is always unique. I always play with this awareness. The important thing was to leave victorious. He did not score much today either. Which will be where the defenders stand out. Both teams are getting tired. Normal, end of season. The important thing here is to finish the season in the best place in a healthy way. “
