Harangody leads Darussafaka to second win in Group E

Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul grabbed its second consecutive home win by downing Unicaja Malaga 78-55 in Group E at home on Thursday. Darussafaka improved to 2-6 and now has the same record as Unicaja, which suffered its fifth consecutive loss. Luke Harangody led the winners with 21 points and 8 rebounds, Mehmet Yagmur added 12 points and Marcus Slaughter scored 11 for Darussafaka. Fran Vazquez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas led Unicaja with 12 points apiece. Kuzminskas shined early and a jumper by Vazquez gave Unicaja a 7-11 lead. Semih Erden and Yagmur fueled an 8-0 run, which allowed Darussafaka to take a 19-16 lead after 10 minutes. The hosts improved their defense in the second quarter and found a new go-to guy in Harangody. A buzzer-beating layup by Scottie Wilbekin gave Darussafaka a 37-28 margin at halftime. Harangody and Yagmur kept pacing Darussafaka after the break and a tip-in by Slaughter made it a 14-point game at the end of the third quarter. Nothing changed after that, as Slaughter led a 9-0 run that sealed the outcome, 68-49, long before the final buzzer.

First quarter: Yagmur puts Darussafaka ahead

Mindaugas Kuzminskas needed just 3 seconds to get Unicaja going with a two-handed dunk, which Fran Vazquez followed with a six-meter jumper for a 0-4 lead. Mehmet Yagmur downed a three-pointer and matched Kuzminskas's reverse layup off the baseline with a jumper to keep Darussafaka within 5-6. Yagmur kept pacing Darussafaka with a driving layup, but a red-hot Kuzminskas did better with a bomb from downtown for a 7-9 Unicaja lead. Vazquez hit a one-handed jumper in the lane and Kuzminskas scored down low, but Reggie Redding kept Darussafaka within 11-13. Yagmur shined with a layup off a steal and a monster dunk by Semih Erden put the hosts back ahead, 15-13. Erden hit a jump hook to cap an 8-0 run before Richard Hendrix stepped up for the guests with free throws. Marcus Slaughter hit a close jumper and a free throw by Hendrix kept Unicaja within 19-16 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Superb defense keeps hosts in charge

Slaughter scored around the basket early in the quarter and soon split free throws to boost Darussafaka's lead to 22-16. DeMarcus Nelson tried to change things with a driving layup and Edwin Jackson added foul shots to bring Unicaja within 2. Darussafaka struggled to score until Manuchar Markoishvili stepped up with a six-meter jumper. Unicaja tried to rush its offense by using shorter possessions, but its shots did not fall. Redding and Alberto Diaz exchanged free throws and Luke Harangody hit a jump hook in the low post to boost the hosts' lead to 28-22. Diaz found Vazquez for a backdoor slam, but a free throw by Erden restored a 29-24 Darussafaka lead. Vazquez hit another mid-range jumper, but Harangody followed a close basket with foul shots for a 33-26 advantage. Will Thomas hit a jump hook before free throws by Jamon Gordon and a driving layup by Scottie Wilbekin gave Darussafaka a 37-28 cushion at halftime.

Third quarter: Darussafaka makes its move

Vazquez took over with an alley-oop slam immediately after the break, but Erden erased it with a catch-and-shoot layup and soon scored again in the low post to make it a double-digit game, 41-30. Nelson tried to change things with a driving basket, which Thomas followed with a fast break slam. Erden found Harangody for a backdoor layup, which Nelson matched with a stop-and-pop jumper. Yagmur buried a corner three and Harangody bettered Vazquez's jump hook with his own shot from downtown for a 49-38 Darussafaka advantage. Nelson finished a three-chance Unicaja offense with a tip-in, which Harangody matched with a layup. Kuzminskas buried a three-pointer, which Markoishvili matched with a layup-plus-foul. Thomas made free throws, but Wilbekin beat the guests' zone defense with a three-pointer and Slaughter added a second-chance tip-in to break the game open at 59-45.

Fourth quarter: Slaughter shines to seal outcome early

Dani Diez took over with a fast break layup off a steal early in the quarter. Hendrix soon added a backdoor layup to give Unicaja hope at 59-49 with eight minutes left. Darussafaka was held scoreless for almost four minutes and Unicaja missed a couple of shots that would have pushed the visitors back in the game. Slaughter rescued the hosts with a power layup and a three-pointer by Harangody boosted the lead to 64-49. Unicaja called timeout, but a two-handed dunk by Slaughter sealed the outcome at 66-49 with four minutes left. Markoishvili scored around the basket and Unicaja called another timeout after a 9-0 run. Carlos Suarez struck from downtown, but so did Wilbekin as Darussafaka cruised to a well-deserved home win.