Iverson’s late layup lifts Laboral

Colton Iverson scored a game-winning layup with 2.9 seconds to go for Laboral Kutxa Vitoria to edge visiting Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 91-90 in thrilling come-from-behind fashion on Friday night. The game featured 24 lead changes and 13 ties. Galatasaray built 8-point margins in the third and fourth quarters, but Laboral rallied to pull out an important victory. The first half alone had 19 lead changes, and nine ties, with neither team making separation. Galatasaray built a 51-59 lead in the third quarter, but it was only appropriate that the teams enter the final period tied at 70-70. Zoran Erceg sank a pair of triples, his fifth and sixth, in the first three minutes of the fourth to make it 72-80, but Laboral stormed back behind Davis Bertans and Thomas Heurtel, fueling a 10-0 run to go back in front 88-84. Carlos Arroyo had Galatasaray back with the lead in the final minute, but Laboral first made a defensive stand, then Heurtel fed Iverson for an easy layup and - it turned out - game-winner. Iverson and Heurtel paced Laboral with 17 points apiece. Iverson pulled down 6 rebounds, and Heurtel dished 8 assists. Sasha Vujacic, in his first game with the team, scored 13 of his 14 points in the first half, while Bertans hit 9 of his 12 in the crucial fourth quarter run. Erceg was fantastic for the visitors, scoring 24 points on 6-for-9 from three-point range. Vladimir Micov scored 20, Furkan Aldemir collected 14 points and 9 boards, while Arroyo had 11 points and 8 assists in defeat.

First quarter: Teams get it going offensively from the start

The offenses clicked right from the tip-off, converting on the first seven possessions of the game, and did it with style. Iverson opened the scoring from close range, and Sinan Guler answered with a corner triple for Galatasaray. After Fabien Causeur made a runner, Aldemir made alley-oop dunks on consecutive possessions, both after passes from Arroyo. But in between those alley-oops, Bertans scored a basket-plus-foul for the hosts, and Heurtel fed Iverson for an easy dunk, 9-7. Erceg quickly answered, scoring a fastbreak dunk after a long pass from Micov to tie the game at 9-9 after less than three minutes of play. Iverson made another one from close range, but Guler had a fastbreak layup before Micov nailed back-to-back three-pointers from the right corner, 11-17. After a timeout, Causeur knocked down a three, and Vujacic came off the bench to hit one, too, tying the game with his first baskets for Laboral. Guler scored on a fastbreak, before Heurtel also hit from long range, 20-19. Arroyo and Lamont Hamilton traded triples, joining in on the fun, before Erceg made an easy layup to put Galatasaray in front at the end of the first quarter, 23-24.

Second quarter: Teams trade leads, Galatasaray holds slim halftime margin

Erceg hit a triple to start the quarter, but Shengelia countered with a put-back. Vujacic knocked down another triple to make it 28-27, before Vougioukas scored a put-back right after coming off the bench. Fernando San Emeterio and Erceg exchanged more three-pointers, and after a basket from Micov, a three-pointer from Vujacic, Laboral’s seventh, made it 36-34. Vougioukas scored inside again, but Vujacic made a driving layup and a jumper to keep Laboral ahead, and Shengelia scored a driving layup to make it 42-38. Iverson also scored from close range, but Galatasaray players kept finding their way to the foul line. After not shooting a single free throw in the first 15 minutes, the visitors scored 11 of 12 from the foul line in the next five minutes. Meanwhile, Aldemir and Arroyo connected on another alley-oop dunk, cutting it to 44-43, and after a triple from Doron Perkins for Laboral, Arroyo and Aldemir each scored a couple from the stripe, making it 47-49 at halftime.

Third quarter: Galatasaray pulls away, Laboral catches up

Erceg opened the third quarter like he did the second, with a three-pointer, this time from the left corner. After Iverson made one from close range, Erceg sank another triple from the same spot for a 49-55 lead. Shengelia dished a pass for an easy Causeur easy layup, but Micov replied on the other end, before Arroyo fed Aldemir once again for a 51-59 lead – the biggest of the night. Micov drove the lane, before Heurtel nailed a jumper and Iverson muscled his way inside to get within 57-62. Heurtel sank another jumper before Kim Tillie had a steal and a fastbreak dunk. Laboral tied it at 64-64 with a pair of free throws from San Emeterio. Both teams made a few trips to the free throw line before Hamilton and Kerem Gonlum traded dunks, and Heurtel nailed a three to tie it at 70-70.

Fourth quarter: Laboral rallies again, Iverson hits a game-winner

Heurtel went coast-to-coast for a layup, but Erceg hit another three from the left corner, and after Arroyo made a pair from the foul line, Erceg knocked down his sixth triple for a 72-80 advantage. However, Bertans answered with a three and went 3 for 3 from the foul line to quickly cut the deficit to 2. Guler and Aldemir converted fastbreak layups to keep the visitors ahead, 78-84. Coming out of a timeout, Bertans hit his third three-pointer for Laboral, and Heurtel knocked down a jumper with a foot on the line to get within 83-84. San Emeterio drove coast-to-coast to put the hosts back in front, and Heurtel ran on a fastbreak, pulling up and making a mid-range jumper for an 88-84 edge. After a timeout, Micov made an improbable tip-in, and Arroyo nailed a three-pointer to even the score, 89-89. Arroyo split free throws as the visitors re-gained their lead with 55 seconds to go. After a miss from San Emeterio, Laboral forced the visitors into a turnover, before Iverson scored an easy layup after an assist from Heurtel with 2.9 seconds left on the clock. Galatasaray had the final possession, and the ball went to Micov, who missed a tough three-point attempt that would have given the visitors victory at the buzzer.