Undefeated Darussafaka runs over Fiat Turin

Making a statement in a clash of undefeated teams in Group A, Darussafaka Istanbul led from start to finish to defeat Fiat Turin 60-89 on the road on Wednesday. The winners improved to a 4-0 record and took sole possession of first place, while Fiat drops to 3-1 record in second. Darussafaka opened the game with 9-28 lead behind Scottie Wilbekin and Will Cummings, and never let the hosts come closer than 5 points. The score was 42-48 at halftime, but the visitors held Fiat scoreless for the first 8 minutes of the third quarter, using a 0-11 run to pull away for good. JaJuan Johnson had 23 points, Will Cummings netted 21 in 19 minutes for Darussafaka. Scottie Wilbekin scored 14 on 4-for-5 three-point shooting with 6 assists, while Michael Eric finished with 12 points in victory. Diante Garrett scored 14 points for the hosts, Sasha Vujacic added 11, and Antonio Iannuzzi 10 in Fiat's first defeat of the season.

The visitors opened the game with Wilbekin on fire. The Darussafaka playmaker hit 3 three-pointers in the first 5 minutes, opening a 9-19 lead. Cummings continued the run, scoring the next 7 points, including a triple, helping to make it 9-28 after only 8 minutes. Garrett snapped a 0-14 visitors' run, but Darussafaka still held a 15-31 after 10 minutes. A couple of driving baskets from Garrett melted the deficit some more early in the second quarter. Iannuzzi provided sparked off the bench for the hosts by battling and scoring in the paint, while Giuseppe Poeta gave them defensive energy. A triple from Deron Washington ignited the crowd, and Vujacic’s jumper and a triple cut it to 39-44. Johnson scored a pair of baskets for the visitors, but Garrett’s triple ended the first half with Fiat staying as close as 42-48.

Johnson opened the scoring in the third quarter, then fed Eric for an easy basket. Eric scored 4 more points, and a driving layup by Cummings helped open a 17-point lead. Fiat was scoreless for exactly 8 minutes, until Trevor Mbakwe hit a mid-range jumper at 44-59. But Darussafaka allowed only 1 more basket in the third quarter, before Stanton Kidd's tip-in and a fastbreak layup by Cummings extended it to 48-69 early in the fourth. The visitors were not letting down defensively, while triples by Howard Sant-Roos and Wilbekin helped balloon the margin to 29 points at the finish.

In Round 5, Darussafaka plays at home against MoraBanc Andorra, while Fiat travels to face Unics Kazan.