Bayern eliminated as Darussafaka dazzles from deep

FC Bayern Munich saw its playoffs challenge come to an end with a dramatic 92-87 loss at Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul. Bayern made a fast start and held double-digit leads on several occasions, but club record three-point shooting repeatedly brought the home team back, and a series of free throws completed Darussafaka’s victory in the dying seconds. Toney Douglas scored 26 points on 5-of-9 three point shooting as the host claimed its second consecutive home win, and Jeremy Evans provided 20 points and 7 rebounds. Kartal Ozmizrak also shone with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Petteri Koponen led Bayern with 23 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting, Nihad Dedovic scored 20 with 4-of-5 triples, and Stefan Jovic had 10 points and 7 assists.

A low-scoring start saw both teams only score one field goal in the opening 4 minutes, before Dedovic netted 5 quick points to spark Bayern. Jovic also scored twice for a 6-13 lead, which was stretched to double digits by Leon Radosevic and Danilo Barthel. Triples from Derrick Williams and Dedovic helped Bayern take full control, 14-27, at the end of the first. But Evans, Jon Diebler, Ozmizrak and Diebler again all netted triples in a 12-0 run early in the second, before Vladimir Lucic and Devin Booker restarted Bayern from close range. Koponen’s first three-pointer and Radosevic’s lay-up restored Bayern’s double-digit lead, but Ozdemiroglu struck three times from deep in a 9-0 personal run, and Ozmizrak netted another triple before free throws made it 44-50 at the break. Dedovic started the second half with a three-pointer, a lay-up and another triple in a 0-8 personal run, before deep strikes from Evans and Douglas, twice, pulled the host closer, and a pair of Evans dunks made it 62-61. Koponen converted two triples to make it 65-67 at the end of the third, but Evans scored twice from close-range to tie it up. The game stayed close into the final four minutes, when Stanton Kidd’s corner triple made it 79-77. A fifth three-pointer from Douglas sent the hosts up 84-79, but Koponen responded with a deep three, then made a crucial block and scored free throws, making it 86-84 with 39 seconds left. Kidd scored a lay-up, Koponen struck from deep, Douglas split free throws but Darussfaka grabbed an offensive rebound from the miss. Douglas again split free throws, Koponen missed a hopeful triple and the home team held on.

Darussafaka sets three-point record

Darussafaka had problems scoring early, but then exploded with a flurry of three-pointers. The home side was 10-of-12 from long-range after mounting 12-0 and 9-0 runs midway through the second quarter, and although that pace couldn’t be maintained Darrusafaka finished with 18-of-32 three-pointers – blowing away the previous club record of 14 recorded against Baskonia and Galatasaray in the 2016-17 season.

Career night for Ozmizrak

Toney Douglas was the star man, scoring 23 of his 26 points in the second half to inspire the victory. But there was also a career night for fellow guard Kartal Ozmizrak, who tied his career high of 13 points and also set new personal bests with 6 rebounds and 7 assists in 29:52 on the floor, another record mark.

Sharing the ball boosts Darussafaka

Ozmizrak led the way in another strong aspect of Darussafaka’s performance, with his 7 assists contributing towards a total of 23 – the team’s second highest of the season. Nine different players registered at least 1 assist for the home team.

Dozen up for Douglas

Another key statistic was the 12 fouls drawn by Douglas – the joint-highest in the EuroLeague this season alongside Brandon Davies for Zalgiris against Khimki Moscow in November. Remarkably, five of those fouls against Douglas came in the last minute and they proved crucial, as the final 4 points of the game were all his free throws.

Next round

The regular season comes to an end for Darussafaka with a trip to playoffs-chasing Olympiacos Piraeus, while Bayern will be at home against Herbalife Gran Canaria.