Perkins's late heroics lift Laboral past Galatasaray

Laboral Kutxa Vitoria recorded its first road win in the 2014-15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague by edging Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 82-89 in Group D on Friday. Laboral improved to 4-4, while Galatasaray dropped to 3-5. Fernando San Emeterio paced the winners with 25 points, tying his personal career-high. Thomas Heurtel added 12 with 9 assists, while Kim Tillie and Davis Bertans each had 11 for Laboral. Tillie also collected 10 rebounds. Carlos Arroyo led Galatasaray with 22 points. Zoran Erceg added 17, Sinan Guler had 14 while Kerem Gonlum got 11 for the hosts. Laboral grabbed a 38-39 lead at halftime and led for the better part of the second half. Arroyo and an outstanding Erceg helped Galatasaray to an 80-79 edge with under three minutes left. Doron Perkins, who had been scoreless until then, had his team's final 9 points, allowing Laboral to return home with a very important road triumph.

First quarter: Galatasaray erases early deficit

Fabien Causeur got Laboral going with a driving layup, which Sinan Guler immediately erased with a quick basket. San Emeterio struck from downtown, however Guler kept pushing Galatasaray with a reverse layup and a triple by Thomas Heurtel gave the guests a 4-8 edge. Zoran Erceg made free throws and a five-meter jumper by Ian Vougioukas tied it at 8-8. San Emeterio hit a turnaround jumper which Carlos Arroyo erased at the other end. An unstoppable San Emeterio made free throws and a layup by Colton Iverson gave Laboral a 10-14 edge. San Emeterio shined with a coast-to-coast layup, but Marty Pocius did better with a three-point play and free throws by Ender Arslan and Kerem Gonlum tied it at 16-16, after a 6-0 run. Mirza Begic split foul shots and banked in a close shot, but Arslan beat the buzzer with a wild rainbow triple that fixed the score at 19-19 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Tillie puts Laboral ahead

Sasha Vujacic split free throws early in the second quarter and a five-meter jumper by Arroyo gave Galatasaray its first lead, 21-20. Davis Bertans answered from downtown, but Erceg also hit one from beyond the arc and Arroyo added another jumper for a 26-23 Galatasaray edge. Vujacic downed a three-pointer from the top of the key, but Arroyo put the hosts back ahead, 27-26. Erceg and Heurtel exchanged one-handed floaters and a wild off-balance jumper by Arroyo made it a three-point game, 31-28. San Emeterio shined with a reverse layup and bettered Erceg's six-meter jumper with a three-pointer which tied the game at 33-33. After Guler shined with a driving layup, Kim Tillie dunked and Arroyo struck from downtown to give Galatasaray the lead, 38-35. Tillie kept pushing Laboral with a put-back slam and a jumper from the elbow to give the guests a 38-39 edge at halftime.

Third quarter: San Emeterio shined, Laboral leads

Gonlum split free throws right after the break. Iverson scored around the basket and a six-meter jumper by Bertans boosted the guests' lead to 39-44. Pocius nailed a corner triple and Arroyo bettered Shengelia's layup with his own shot from downtown to make it 45-46. Iverson scored again, but Gonlum stepped up with a backdoor slam. A layup by Shengelia gave Laboral fresh air at 47-50. Pocius and Gonlum hit free throws, but Bertans shocked the crowd with a huge catch-and-shoot triple and San Emeterio gave his team a 51-55 lead. San Emeterio scored again and improved on Erceg's foul shots with a three-point play. Erceg answered from downtown, but Tillie sank an off-balance shot. A layup by Guler gave Galatasaray hope at 58-62. Causeur hit a running hook, but Guler and Gonlum brought the hosts within 64-65. Arslan split free throws and a driving layup by San Emeterio gave Laboral a 65-67 edge.

Fourth quarter: Perkins becomes the game hero!

San Emeterio remained unstoppable with his trademark one-handed floater in the lane. Galatasaray kept struggling to score, as Laboral controlled the game tempo through an outstanding Heurtel. Pocius scored in penetration and Arroyo nailed a jumper off the dribble, but Heurtel matched that with free throws and a huge coast-to-coast layup. Guler and Heurtel exchanged close baskets and a free throw by Gonlum brought Galatasaray within 72-75. Arroyo struck from downtown and Erceg bettered Bertans's off-balance jumper with a triple that put Galatasaray back ahead, 78-77, with four minutes left. Tillie hit a jump hook, which Erceg matched with a wild turnaround jumper. Perkins, who had been scoreless until this point, nailed a critical three-pointer and added free throws for an 80-84 Laboral edge in the next-to-last minute. Another jumper by Perkins sealed the outcome, 80-86, with 53 seconds remaining. Arroyo scored in penetration, but a free throw by Tillie allowed Laboral to celebrate a good-as-gold road win.