BC Khimki tops Besiktas on the road in Top 16 opener

BC Khimki Moscow Region opened the action in Top 16 Group F just as it hoped to by downing Besiktas JK Istanbul 75-80 at Abdi Ipekci Sports Hall on Thursday night. Besiktas held a 26-14 lead early in the second quarter, but Khimki went on a 6-22 run that put the visitors up 34-41 and gave them lead for good. Khimki took its biggest lead of the game in the third quarter when Vitaly Fridzon needed only 80 second to sink three triples for a 53-65 edge, and the visitors managed to hang on for a big win. Fridzon shot made 4 of 5 three-pointers and scored 12 of his team-high 20 points in the third quarter. Paul Davis added 17, and Zoran Planinic had 13 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds in victory. Patrick Christopher scored 20 for Besiktas, while Daniel Ewing netted 15 and Curtis Jerrells chipped in with 12 in defeat.

First quarter: Besiktas grabs early lead

Khimki went inside early and often, as Kresimir Loncar made a reverse layup to score the first points of the Top 16. Gasper Vidmar answered with a layup of his own before James Augustine drove the baseline for a big dunk. Besiktas went in front 8-6 with back-to-back triples from Serhat Cetin and Jerrells, before a fastbreak layup from Damir Markota and a jumper from Cetin made it 14-8. As Planinic orchestrated Khimki’s offense, Davis scored twice - from mid-range and from close range - to snap a 9-2 run, but Jerrells and the defense that forced 6 early turnovers kept Besiktas ahead 20-14 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Planinic and Monya guide Khimki in a big run

Christopher and Muractan Guler sank back-to-back triples to open the second quarter and extend the margin to 26-14. After a timeout, Sergey Monya hit the first Khimki three-pointer, which got the visitors rolling. After Davis went inside, Fridzon scored a three from the right corner making it 28-22. Ewing hit his first two jump shot attempts, but Davis scored twice inside, including a basket-plus foul to continue Khimki’s surge and cut it to 30-27. The visitors took the lead with Planinic assisting K.C. Rivers for couple of easy layups, before Fridzon made a layup and Monya hit a triple for 33-39. The hosts were held without a field goal for more than five minutes as Planinic’s crafty layup made it 34-41. Ewing answered with a three-pointer to end Besiktas’s drought from the field, but Planinic sank a jumper in the final seconds of the quarter to give Khimki a 39-45 halftime lead.

Third quarter: Fridzon triples put Khimki in control

A pair of free throws from Christopher represented the only points in the first three minutes of the third quarter. After both teams failed to produce a field-goal in that span, Fridzon made a layup-plus-foul and Planinic scored inside, but Christopher hit a jumper and made a dunk to keep Besiktas within striking range. However, another driving layup from Planinic and a triple from Fridzon extended the advantage to 48-57. After Christopher scored an uncontested dunk, Loncar answered from close range. And after Christopher sank a triple, Fridzon answered with two of his own, 53-65. Before the quarter ended, Guler and Markota scored inside, but only managed to cut it to 57-67 with 10 minutes to go.

Fourth quarter: Besiktas threatens, but the visitors hang on for victory

Christopher opened the fourth quarter for the hosts with a jumper, and Planinic on the other side committed his fourth personal foul, which sent him to the bench. Besiktas used the momentum, and Guler’s triple cut it to 64-67. Khimki needed more than four minutes to score a field goal, but stayed in front with a tough defense, while a fastbreak triple from Rivers extended the margin back to 7. The hosts struggled to put points on the scoreboard and Davis made it 64-74. After Ewing ended the drought with a three-pointer, Monya answered from downtown before Christopher and Rivers traded layups that made it 69-79. Jerrells stole a ball from Planinic and raced for a layup to present Besiktas with some hope, cutting the lead to 6 points. However, they could not get any closer as the visitors ran out a major portion of the clock with some hustle rebounding from Fridzon and Loncar, while split free throws from Planinic made it 73-80 and sealed the deal.