Galatasaray Ekmas defeats Beşiktaş Emlakjet away from home!

The excitement of the 28th week in the Turkish Basketball Super League concluded with a massive derby. Beşiktaş Emlakjet suffered their first home defeat of the season in front of their own fans, losing 77-76 to Galatasaray Ekmas. 

The derby, held in front of a capacity crowd at the BJK Emlakjet Sports Complex in Akatlar, began with baskets traded on both ends. Both teams played with high tempo and solid defense in the opening minutes. Galatasaray took a 6-4 lead at the start of the 4th minute. The black-and-whites, finding success through Mathews and Delgado, went on a 9-0 run to establish a 13-6 lead late in the 6th minute. Following that, the first quarter, in which both teams had periods of dominance, ended with Beşiktaş leading 21-19.

The yellow-reds started the second period with a 4-0 run, taking a 23-21 lead in the 12th minute. Allowing their opponent only 1 point in the first 5 minutes of the second quarter, Galatasaray Ekmas scored through Bost, Yeboah, and Karahan to finish the 15th minute ahead 29-22. Although Beşiktaş was effective in the final 2.5 minutes of the half and managed to tie the game twice, Galatasaray entered the halftime break with a 40-35 lead.

Starting the second half strongly, the yellow-red team extended their lead to 14 points (54-40) in the 26th minute. In the tightly contested match, Beşiktaş's efforts to close the gap proved unsuccessful. Maintaining a double-digit lead, Galatasaray finished the third quarter ahead 60-50.

Displaying a great fight to make a comeback in the final quarter, Beşiktaş Emlakjet narrowed the gap to 2 points (72-74) in the 37th minute. Galatasaray did not allow their opponent to take the lead. The home team cut the deficit to 1 point (76-77) with 31 seconds remaining. Beşiktaş Emlakjet, using their possession with 5.9 seconds left, found a shooting opportunity but could not convert. When Mathews, who stole the ball with 1 second remaining, failed to score, the derby ended with a 77-76 victory for the yellow-reds.

With this win, Galatasaray Ekmas climbed to 6th place, gaining a significant advantage in securing a spot in the play-offs. Beşiktaş Emlakjet, which has had a strong season, remained in 3rd place.

News Source: 12punto