Trabzonspor rallies past Banvit, gets third win in Group D

In an All-Turkish showdown in Group D, Trabzonspor Medical Park registered its third win by downing Banvit Bandirma 96-88 at home on Wednesday. Trabzonspor improved to 3-1 in Group D while Banvit dropped to 1-3. Andrija Stipanovic led the winners with 18 points. Tarence Kinsey added 17, Dwight Hardy and Darius Johnson-Odom each had 14 while Damian Kulig got 10 for Trabzonspor. Courtney Fortson led Banvit with 20 points. Adrien Moerman added 19, Dominique Johnson and A.J. Slaughter each had 13 while Gasper Vidmar got 11 for the guests, which led 23-28 after 10 minutes and extended their margin to 42-48 behind an outstanding Fortson. Banvit led 62-71 early in the fourth quarter but Hardy struck three times from downtown in a 15-0 run which put Trabzonspor ahead for good, 77-71. Banvit managed to get within 83-80 but 6 critical points by Johnson-Odom and free throws by Kinsey allowed the hosts to seal a big home win.

Moerman got Banvit going with free throws which Sertac Sanli erased with a layup. Fortson shined with a driving layup and Tolga Gecim added a jumper but an unstoppable Sanli and Hardy gave the hosts their first lead, 8-6. Moerman stepped up with back-to-back baskets but a three-pointer by Nerkay Candan put Trabzonspor back ahead, 11-10. Johnson, Sanli and Fortson made free throws and a jumper by Candan put the hosts back in charge, 15-13. Vidmar scored down low and Moerman swished a three-pointer in transition for a 15-18 Banvit lead. Stipanovic and Johnson traded baskets and free throws by Kulig kept Trabzonspor within 19-20. Slaughter shined with a three-point play and an outstanding Fortson boosted Banvit's lead to 23-28 after 10 minutes. Vidmar and Kinsey exchanged baskets early in the second quarter but Fortson struck again from downtown for a 25-33 score. Novica Velickovic downed a corner triple - his first points in this Eurocup season -, Keith Simmons answered from beyond the arc and Kinsey kept his team within 30-36. Vidmar shocked the crowd with a big slam and DeShawn Stephens kept Banvit way ahead, 32-40. Kinsey hit a baseline jumper and Stipanovic followed a dunk with a layup to give Trabzonspor hope at 38-40. Moerman and Slaughter stepped up for Banvit and a layup by Fortson gave his team a 40-46 lead. Kulig and Johnson exchanged layups to fix the halftime score at 42-48.

Both teams struggled to score after the break until Velickovic and Fortson made free throws. Vidmar scored again and Fortson soon made it an eight-point game, 46-54. Stipanovic stepped up with a basket which Johnson-Odom followed with a three-pointer for a 51-54 Trabzonspor deficit. Slaughter followed a triple with a basket and free throws by Fortson restored a 53-61 Banvit lead. Kinsey made free throws and Johnson-Odom insisted from downtown to keep the hosts as close as 58-61. Johnson and Kinsey exchanged baskets and Kulig made it a one-point game, 62-63, before Moerman hit 4-of-4 free throws for a 62-67 Banvit lead after 30 minutes. Moerman and Johnson boosted the guests' lead to 62-71 early in the fourth quarter. Hardy became the man of the moment with three bombs from downtown in a game-changing 15-0 run which Kulig capped to give the hosts a 77-71 lead with over 4 minutes left. Stipanovic made free throws and Kulig forced Banvit to call timeout at 81-73. Hardy made free throws and Trabzonspor found a go-to guy in Johnson-Odom, who struck from downtown and erased Slaughter's three-pointer with a layup-plus-foul which seemed to seal the outcome, 89-83, with 37 seconds left. Fortson joined the three-point shootout but free throws by Hardy, Canday and Kinsey allowed all Trabzonsport fans to celebrate a very important win.