Galatasaray runs away late for an important road win

Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul made a big step towards a place in the eighthfinals, using a huge fourth quarter en route to 54-74 road win against Szolnoki Olaj on Wednesday. It’s the first road win for any team in Group N, which improved Galatasaray to 3-1 record in at least a share of the first place. Szolnoki dropped to 1-3. Galatasaray led for the better part of the first half, but never more than 8 points. The visitors had 32-35 at halftime, but Szolnoki took a slim lead several times in the third quarter before a three-pointer from Curtis Jerrells late in the third started a 6-21 spurt, with Jerrells, Blake Schilb and Vladimir Micov in main roles breaking the game open. Micov shot 5-for-8 from three-point land, netting 25 points. Jerrells scored 12, Schilb collected 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, while Joey Dorsey amassed 10 points and 15 boards. Stanley Burrell had 13 points as the only double-digit scorer for Szolnoki, and Krisztian Wittmann chipped in with 8 points and 5 assists in defeat.

Micov scored 6 of 8 points to start the game for the visitors. Sinan Guler’s basket opened a 0-7 run, and a triple from Jerrells capped it to open 7-15 lead. Szolnoki ended its three-minute draught through Jarron Jones, and after Micov’s triple, Burrell beat the first-quarter buzzer to make it 13-18 after 10 minutes. Burrell scored twice more early in the second, then assisted Jones who tied the game at 21-21. Micov hit his second triple, but Burrell scored another pair of baskets, and a three-pointer from Wittmann gave the hosts their first lead, 28-25. However, Schilb buried one from downtown for Galatasaray, and Micov hit another one of his to end the second quarter, giving the visitors 32-35 halftime edge.

Dorsey scored a put-back, before Wittmann and Micov traded threes, 35-40. Peter Kovacs nailed one behind 6.75 arc for the hosts, before 3-for-3 free throws by David Vojvoda put Szolnoki back in front, 43-42. Baskets were few and far between, as neither team scored a field goal for more than 4 minutes before Goran Vrbanc ended a draught for the hosts, but a triple from Jerrells made it 45-47. Neither team scored in the final 1:50 of the third quarter, before Dorsey’s put-back opened the scoring after 40 seconds of the fourth. Jerrells hit another three-pointer, then Schilb hit back-to-back from long range, opening 48-58 margin. Micov added to the tally, capping a 2-13 run, before trading triples with Milos Borisov. Another basket from Micov extended it to 51-65, as Galatasaray assumed complete control on the floor. After a Szolnoki timeout, Kovacs scored for the hosts, but Stephane Lasme had four points to make it a 16-point contest and Galatasary cruised the rest of the way.