Derek Needham made an excellent entrance into the third quarter, stringing together several three-pointers and maintaining his team’s lead. However, it didn’t last long, mostly due to two quick fouls by Mathews and some subpar defense by Marko Simonovic, who allowed several baskets with fouls against Maksim Salash.
With their roster depleted, the team from Istanbul began to falter more and more, and Bourg’s lead consistently flirted with double digits. However, some hope remained for Besiktas as they entered the final 10 minutes trailing by just six points.
In the fourth quarter, Mathews received his fifth personal foul, leaving Alimpijevic’s team without strength. The Serbian coach was subsequently ejected due to his frustration with the referee’s decisions. In the end, Bourg secured a convincing win, thus ensuring a French final, their first in history. Besiktas’ lackluster performance was evident as they scored only four points in the fourth quarter, a kind of record.
The top scorers for Bourg were Maksim Salash with 19 points and Axel Julien with 11, while Derek Needham led the guests with 18 points.ย