Besiktas defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv in Lithuania by 94:89 in the EuroCup quarterfinals, thus setting up a matchup with Bourg in the semifinals.
The Israeli team started this match brilliantly and quickly gained a double-digit lead of 19:8. They were led by Will Cummings, who scored 9 points in the first quarter alone. The most the team of Dusan Alimpijevic managed to do was to reduce the lead of the nominal home team to 25:15.
Hapoel Tel Aviv continued their excellent play in the second quarter, reaching a maximum 21 point lead (47:26) at one point. The Turkish team managed to cut the deficit to 49-38, but Hapoel Tel Aviv thwarted their attack, leading 57:39 at halftime. Only Jonah Mathews showed good form for the home team, which was not enough to offer serious resistance to Danny Franco’s team.
Besiktas started the third quarter fantastically with a 14:1 run, completely getting back into the game. The Turkish side faced significant foul trouble early in the third quarter as Derek Needham and Matthew Mitchell both picked up their fourth fouls. Cummings thwarted that run with eight straight points and already had 25 points by the middle of the third quarter. However, the outstanding Mathews scored 13 points to keep Besiktas within reach at 76:68.
Needham and Mitchell were superb upon their return to the court, leading a scoring run that brought about a comeback and gave Istanbul’s team the lead. After Angel Delgado’s three-point play, Besiktas took a lead of 89-85. The team from Tel Aviv couldn’t fully recover, and in the end, Besiktas advanced to the semifinals after a fantastic comeback.
Will Cummings was the top scorer for Hapoel Tel Aviv with 28 points, followed by Jaylen Hoard with 16. Jonah Mathews led Dusan Alimpijevic’s team with 28 points, and Matthew Mitchell also had a strong performance with 22 points.
WHAT A COMEBACK! ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) March 13, 2024
Besiktas managed to overcome an 18-point deficit!
Dusan Alimpijevic once again makes history in the Eurocup! pic.twitter.com/8laSt1uUSg