Besiktas IF blasts Zenit to cinch Last 32 spot


Besiktas Integral Forex Istanbul cinched a Last 32 spot on Wednesday with an 87-73 victory over Zenit St. Petersburg. JaJuan Johnson scored 25 points and Chris Lofton added 16 on 4-of-6 three-point shooting for Besiktas, which improved to 6-1 in Group D with the victory. Zenit dropped to 3-4, but still remains in control of its destiny for a Last 32 ticket. The visitors used a 0-11 run that straddled halftime to tie the game early in the third quarter, however Besiktas later reeled off 12 straight points to make it 60-49 and never looked back. Hilton Armstrong added 14 points and Engin Atsur tallied 10 points and 6 assists for the winners. Cameron Jones paced Zenit with 14 points and Dejan Borovnjak, Walter Hodge and Ivan Lazerav netted 10 each scored 10.

Armstrong and Johnson helped Besiktas to a 4-0 start, Johnson extended the lead to 10-2 before Jones heated up with 5 points for the visitors. Zenit had no answer for the duo of Johnson and Armstrong, who continued to score and keep Besiktas with a small lead. Lazerav brought Zenit within 21-15 after 10 minutes and then added 2 free throws to start the second quarter. The Besiktas second string came in and continued the effective scoring. After Kenan Bajramovic and Johnson scored from mid-range, a Lofton triple made it 32-19. Artem Komolov and Artem Vikhrov responded with back-to-back triples and Jones added a layup for a 0-8 run. Three pointers started to be the shot of choice; Bajramovic and Ryan Broekhoff each hit for Besiktas, Dmitrii Gordeev responded for Zenit and then Broekhoff scored another as the hosts enjoyed a 41-30 advantage. Hodge and Lazarev closed the gap to 41-34 at halftime.

Kyle Landry and Borovnjak scored inside before a Gordeev triple tied the game at 41-41, capping a 0-11 charge that straddled both sides of the half. Hodge gave Zenit a 43-45 lead from the line. After the lead changed hands several times, Besiktas pulled away with 12 straight points to make it 60-49; Lofton and Atsur each hit threes and Bajramovic dished 3 assists in the run. The lead hit 14 before Vikhrov ended the third quarter at 65-53. Zenit got within 10 only to see Atsur bury another three. Johnson extended the difference to 74-59 as Besiktas looked to end the game early. The lead peaked at 17 as the hosts held on for a big win.