The Wolves, in the context of the fourth round of the Eurocup, defeated Besiktas after a suspenseful finish with a score of 90:88.
The Wolves started the match magnificently, led by the in-form Tre’Shawn Thurman, who gave his team an early lead of 15:6. With a mini-series of 8:2, Besiktas clawed their way back into the game thanks to Angel Delgado and Matt Mitchell. However, the home team managed to regain a two-possession lead in the final moments of the first quarter, making it 22:18.
With strong sequences led by Rasheem Sulaimon, the Wolves established their first double-digit lead in the match, prompting Dusan Alimpijevic to call a timeout. The guests from Istanbul managed to somewhat slow down the home team’s surge, and they went into halftime with a “manageable” seven-point deficit, 44:37.
In the second half, the brilliant Mitchell initiated a 9:3 run in favor of Besiktas, finally bringing about an equal score (50:50). The momentum shifted back in favor of the home team thanks to Vaidas Kariniauskas, allowing the Wolves to enter the final 10 minutes with a two-point lead (67:65).
Early in the fourth quarter, Mitchell and Delgado orchestrated a 13:2 run in favor of Besiktas, foreshadowing their win. Things got complicated with 12 seconds left in the game when the Wolves, with the efforts of Zukauskas and Thurman, managed a 7:1 run (88:87) and then completed the comeback after a steal by TreShawn. Besiktas missed a game-winning shot, sparking a grand celebration among the Wolves’ players.
The most prolific player in the Wolves’ lineup was Tre’Shawn Thurman with 31 points, while for Besiktas, Matt Mitchell contributed 12.
Besiktas suffered their first defeat of the new Eurocup season in Lithuania (3-1), while the Wolves secured their first win in the club’s history in the second most prestigious European basketball competition (1-2).
In the next round, the Wolves will be visiting Cedevita Olimpija, while Besiktas will face Venezia.
WOLVES – BESIKTAS 90:88 (22:18, 22:19, 23:28, 23:23)
Venue: Avia Solutions Group Arena
Referees: Joseph Bissang, Ioannis Foufis, Amit Balak
Wolves: Sulaimon 13, Mekowulu 5, Juskevicius 5, Zukauskas 7, Kariniauskas 6, Minotas 4, Zemaitis 17, Thurman 31, Kozys, Berucka, Mockevicius 2.
Besiktas: Mathews 20, Hammonds 5, Aksu, Needham 10, Ugurlu 2, Arslan 2, Durmaz 8, Mitchell 21, Konan, Yigitoglu 2, Ozbek, Delgado 18.