Reyer tops Bahcesehir in OT

Umana Reyer Venice bounced back from recent losses in the 7DAYS EuroCup by downing Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul 88-82 in overtime in Group A at Palasport Taliercio on Wednesday. Reyer improved to 2-2, while Bahcesehir dropped to 0-5. Michael Bramos led the winners with 15 points and 9 rebounds, Julyan Stone and Isaac Fotu each added 14, Mitchell Watt scored 11 and Jeremy Chappell had 10 for Reyer. Erick Green paced Bahcesehir with 22 points and Alex Perez added 19 for the visitors, who led 4-15 early in the game. Reyer rallied to take a 53-38 advantage after the break. Bahcesehir came back and a layup by Perez forced overtime, 78-78. Fotu, Watt and Chappell each scored down low and Andrea De Nicolao buried a key triple that gave Reyer the win down the stretch.

Burak Yildizli got Bahcesehir going with a floater and Green added three consecutive bombs from downtown for a 4-11 lead. Yildizli buried a five-meter jumper and Ridvan Oncel scored in penetration to make it a double-digit game, 4-15. Stefano Tonut and Stone combined for 7 points in a 9-1 run that Fotu capped with a backdoor layup that made it 13-16. Ismet Akpinar rescued Bahcesehir and got help from Deniz Kilicli to keep the visitors ahead, 20-23, after 10 minutes. Erkan Yilmaz stepped up with a tip-in early in the second quarter. Bramos and Valerio Mazzola each connected from beyond the arc, but Perez scored twice in penetration and fed Josh Owens for a huge alley-oop dunk for a 26-31 Bahcesehir lead. Stone followed a three-pointer with a driving layup, igniting a 13-0 run in which Fotu added a put-back layup and a jump hook to give Reyer a 39-32 lead. Green tried to change things for Bahcesehir, but Stone struck from downtown to establish a 42-36 Reyer edge at halftime.

Chappell scored down low soon after the break, starting a 7-0 run that Fotu capped with a three-pointer. Owens quickly answered with an alley-oop slam. Fotu kept pushing Reyer and Watt scored down low to break the game open at 53-38. Bahcesehir found a go-to guy in Hadi Ozdemir, who had 5 points in a 0-11 run that Perez capped with a layup that brought the visitors within 53-49. Chappell rescued Reyer with a layup and Mazzola struck from downtown, but Green and Jamal Jones kept Bahcesehir in the hunt. Gasper Vidmar scored down low and three-pointers by Bramos, Perez, Mazzola and Green fixed the score at 66-60 after 30 minutes. Chappell took over with a put-back basket early in the fourth quarter, but Green matched that with a driving layup. Bramos followed a jumper with a triple but Ozdemir and Akpinar brought Bahcesehir within 73-68. Watt downed a jump hook, but Jones and Owens made it 76-74 with 3 minutes left. Perez tied the game with a driving layup, 78-78, already in the final minute. Both teams had the chance to win the game in regulation, but Mazzola, Green and Tonut missed respective shots in the final 30 seconds.

Fotu and Watt each scored around the basket, prompting Bahcesehir to call timeout at 83-78 with 2 minutes to go. Perez downed a jumper that Chappell erased with a put-back layup. Green scored off a steal and Chappell missed, but key offensive rebounds by Bramos allowed De Nicolao to bury a triple - his first and only points - to seal the outcome.

Pivotal performer

Fotu had accumulated 7 points and 7 rebounds in Reyer's previous three games. He did much better against Bahcesehir, finishing the game with 14 points on 4-of-6 two-point shooting, 8 rebounds - 5 of them on the offensive end and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 18. Fotu has found his rhythm and that makes Reyer even more dangerous.

Game-changing moment

Reyer read the game really well early in overtime, looking for its big men around the basket. Once Bramos split free throws and a defensive stop prevented Bahcesehir from taking the lead, Fotu and Watt found easy points to give Reyer an 83-78 margin with 2 minutes left. That allowed Reyer to control the game for good.

Stellar stat

Offensive rebounds made the difference in this game. Reyer pulled down a club-record 18 offensive boards; its previous best was 16 against Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar last season. On the other hand, Bahcesehir only had 3 offensive rebounds. Reyer committed just 9 turnovers and forced Bahcesehir into 15. Those 21 extra possessions made the difference.

Did you know?

Reyer remains undefeated at home against Turkish teams in European competitions with three wins against Karsiyaka, one against Banvit Bandirma. another against Tofas Bursa, and now another one against Bahcesehir. The last two were in EuroCup action.

Next game

Both teams return to EuroCup action next week. Bahcesehir visits JL Bourg en Bresse on Tuesday, November 3. A day later, Reyer plays on the road against UNICS Kazan.