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Galatasaray Cafe Crown beat Beşiktaş Cola Turka in Sunday’s Beko Basketball League match to claim its second derby victory in just four days.
Beşiktaş’ Polish center Michal Ignierski missed two late free throws to deny his team a chance to tie the game, with Galatasaray beating its archrival 73-71.
Galatasaray center Ermal Kurtoğlu was highest scorer for the match with 22 points and was the only player on the winning team to score double digits, while Ignierski finished the game on 20 points and his teammate AJ Ogilvy claimed 18.
Galatasaray emerged victorious from another derby match last Wednesday, beating Fenerbahçe Ülker 67-56.
The Lions are leading the standings with 11 wins in 13 games, bettering second-placed Banvit, also on an 11-2 record, with a superior point ratio.
Fenerbahçe Ülker and Efes Pilsen, last year’s champion and runner-up respectively, are currently third and fourth.
Galatasaray Cafe Crown coach Oktay Mahmuti said that Sunday’s was a well-deserved victory for his side.
“My players performed the way they should in an away game,” he said. “They controlled the game from the start and did not allow easy baskets.”
“During the third period we had a couple of missed shots and helped Beşiktaş come back. But at the end we got a victory we deserved – even if we got it the hard way.
“It’s great to end a difficult week like that,” he said.
Galatasaray’s highest scoring Kurtoğlu agreed with his coach that the team “loosened a bit in the third quarter,” after streaking out a 15-point advantage.
“We are really happy with the win. Now we are leading the league and we want to maintain it,” he said.
Starting the season with great expectations, especially after the purchase of former NBA star Allen Iverson, Beşiktaş Cola Turka is sixth in league standings with a 7-5 record.
On the other hand, Beşiktaş’ much-criticized coach Burak Bıyıktay rued his squad’s shallow depth and big expectations the team faced.
“We had no rotation with injuries and point guard Mire Chatman [who was left out of the squad for skipping training midweek] was not playing. We had a point guard who was not actually a point guard, and we had a rookie center. We still did well under the circumstances,” Bıyıktay said.
“We still had the chance to win the game. We conceded an easy basket from Radoslav Rancik, and a foul by Allen Iverson while the game was still tied cost us dearly. We still had the chance to tie the match, but Ignierski missed an easy shot and two free throws. We wanted to win, but it didn’t happen.”
“I’ve been saying this all along: we need additions to our squad. They become more important with the increasing expectations people have of our squad,” he said.
“We have a team with a $3 million budget. If that were enough, Fenerbahçe Ülker would be spending $15 million in vain.”
When asked if he would quit, Bıyıktay said he would not abandon his team. “I don’t have such a plan in mind. I won’t run away when the season’s in progress. But I will respect any decision made by the board.”
Beşiktaş’ Polish center Michal Ignierski missed two late free throws to deny his team a chance to tie the game, with Galatasaray beating its archrival 73-71.
Galatasaray center Ermal Kurtoğlu was highest scorer for the match with 22 points and was the only player on the winning team to score double digits, while Ignierski finished the game on 20 points and his teammate AJ Ogilvy claimed 18.
Galatasaray emerged victorious from another derby match last Wednesday, beating Fenerbahçe Ülker 67-56.
The Lions are leading the standings with 11 wins in 13 games, bettering second-placed Banvit, also on an 11-2 record, with a superior point ratio.
Fenerbahçe Ülker and Efes Pilsen, last year’s champion and runner-up respectively, are currently third and fourth.
Galatasaray Cafe Crown coach Oktay Mahmuti said that Sunday’s was a well-deserved victory for his side.
“My players performed the way they should in an away game,” he said. “They controlled the game from the start and did not allow easy baskets.”
“During the third period we had a couple of missed shots and helped Beşiktaş come back. But at the end we got a victory we deserved – even if we got it the hard way.
“It’s great to end a difficult week like that,” he said.
Galatasaray’s highest scoring Kurtoğlu agreed with his coach that the team “loosened a bit in the third quarter,” after streaking out a 15-point advantage.
“We are really happy with the win. Now we are leading the league and we want to maintain it,” he said.
Starting the season with great expectations, especially after the purchase of former NBA star Allen Iverson, Beşiktaş Cola Turka is sixth in league standings with a 7-5 record.
On the other hand, Beşiktaş’ much-criticized coach Burak Bıyıktay rued his squad’s shallow depth and big expectations the team faced.
“We had no rotation with injuries and point guard Mire Chatman [who was left out of the squad for skipping training midweek] was not playing. We had a point guard who was not actually a point guard, and we had a rookie center. We still did well under the circumstances,” Bıyıktay said.
“We still had the chance to win the game. We conceded an easy basket from Radoslav Rancik, and a foul by Allen Iverson while the game was still tied cost us dearly. We still had the chance to tie the match, but Ignierski missed an easy shot and two free throws. We wanted to win, but it didn’t happen.”
“I’ve been saying this all along: we need additions to our squad. They become more important with the increasing expectations people have of our squad,” he said.
“We have a team with a $3 million budget. If that were enough, Fenerbahçe Ülker would be spending $15 million in vain.”
When asked if he would quit, Bıyıktay said he would not abandon his team. “I don’t have such a plan in mind. I won’t run away when the season’s in progress. But I will respect any decision made by the board.”
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