Beşiktaş Cola Turka Men’s Basketball Team edges Banvit 85-81 at Akatlar Cola Turka Arena and surges 2-0 ahead in quarterfinal playoff series.

After Sinan Güler opened the scoring with a dunk, the Black and White took advantage of Banvit’s sloppy ball handling and poor shooting to claim an early 6-0 lead. Meanwhile, Beşitaş Cola Turka put forth a solid defensive effort and kept the visitors away from the basket. But Umit came off the bench to whittle the deficit down to 2 points at 11-9 that climbed up to as high as 7 at one time. Then the visitors went on take their first lead of the game at 13-11 midway through the first frame on consecutive buckets by Umit and Adekele. Teams traded baskets and score remained close rest of the way, but Shumpert capped a late Black and White run with a three to put Beşiktaş Cola Turka ahead, 21-16, by the end of the opening quarter.
Banvit continued to turn the ball over early in the second and allowed Beşiktaş Cola Turka to pad its lead. The Black and White tried to pull away, but a series fast-break points kept the visitors in the game. Nonetheless, Apodaca and Shumpert teamed to give their club a 31-22 cushion with 7:00 showing on the clock. But Banvit answered right back with a 6-0 run and brought the deficit down to 3 points at 31-28 halfway through the quarter. As the game progressed, Beşiktaş Cola Turka began to dominate the painted area with a string of lay-ups by Erkan and managed to rebuild its lead back to 8 points. Thanks to an aggressive Beşiktaş defense, Banvit’s late comeback bid fell short, and the Black and White were up 45-33 heading into the locker room at the half.
But Banvit came out storming into the second half and started chipping away at the deficit with a barrage of unanswered points. The visitors also stiffened their defense to prevent the home team from penetrating inside. But our boys in Black and White regained control at the halfway mark and began to stretch the margin once again on Kaya Peker’s short jumpers. Meantime, Banvit kept firing blanks and saw its deficit grow into double digits. Beşiktaş Cola Turka entered the final 2 minutes with a 62-51 advantage and went on to take a 66-55 cushion at the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter turned out to be real nail-biter for both teams. Refusing to go away, Banvit took advantage of its opponent’s early turnovers and climbed its way back into game with a 6-0 run that cut the margin down to 5 points. Unable to find its previous offensive rhythm, the Black and White managed to score only 5 points over a 5-minute span. Nailing shots from all over the place, the visitors sliced the deficit to 2 points, 71-69 and pulled to within striking distance with just over 4 minutes left to play. Beşiktaş Cola Turka got a fresh breath of air when Erkan drilled a three from downtown, but Banvit hit back even harder with Umit who reeled of 5 consecutive points to tie the game at 74. Despite blowing a double-digit lead, the Black and White sprung back to life down the stretch, as Dalmau sparked a late rally with a three to put Beşiktaş Cola Turka ahead, 81-74, entering the final minute. Then Shumpert sank a pair of clutch technical free-throws in dying seconds to lead the Black and White to a close but satisfying, 85-81, victory over their formidable visitors.
The win gave Beşiktaş Cola Turka a 2-0 advantage in the series. If our team in Black and White wins the next game, which is scheduled to be played at Banvit’s home court, Kara Ali Acarlar Sports Hall on Wednesday, May 7th at 19:00, they will advance to semifinals with a 3-0 record.