Do-or-die BasketballCL moments: Besiktas vs. Neptunas
In Round 13 of Basketball Champions League, Besiktas receive the visit of Neptunas in a very important game for both teams. If Besiktas win, they almost secure the tickets to the next round and Neptunas loss any chance to go further. But, if Neptunas win, the next round will be very tough for the last qualification place. In their last meeting, the Lithuanian team came out victorious 86-80 after a very good third quarter won by 19 points, 24-5. Now Besiktas must get the win here and overcome that deficit to have the edge in case they finish with the same record.
It seems that Besiktas dark-days are over and now they won 5 of their last 6 games, including three in a row in BCL against Bonn, Brindisi and Szombathely away in the last round. In Hungary, Besiktas had a slow start and after the first quarter they were trailed by 4 points, but they managed to get a comeback in the next quarter and at halftime, they had a 2 points lead. Everything was settled in the last quarter when the Turkish team had more nerves and won the game 83-79. The main contributors were: Samet Geyik (18 points and 6 rebounds), Ismet Akpinar (17 points and 3 rebounds) and Shaquielle McKissic (12 points and 5 rebounds). Despite the departures of several American players, Besiktas still plays very well and if they manage to qualify for the next round of BCL will be a huge achievement for them, taking into considerations their financial problems.
For Neptunas everything depends on this game because if they lose, they will be eliminated from European competitions, something that wasn’t expected so soon to happen. They lost 4 games in a row, 2 in BCL and two in the Lithuanian league, but in their last game, they managed to regroup and take a very important victory over Bonn, 93-68 thanks to very good and smart teamwork. The game was without history because Neptunas lead the entire game and won all fourth quarters by at least 5 points each. The main contributors were: Deividas Gailius (25 points and 6 rebounds), Osvaldas Olisevicius (25 points and 4 rebounds) and Zygimantas Janavicius (16 points and 10 assists).
With the victory over Bonn, Neptunas remain with solid chances to qualify, but it will be very hard for them to get a victory in Turkey, especially if we look at Besiktas form. The Turkish team has some problems with the depth of the squad, but their 8-9 men rotation played excellent lately and I expect the same in this game. Besiktas to win.
Photo: Basketball Champions League
Bogdan Vasile Tirc
