Galatasaray wins to grab second in Group D

Galatasaray Doga Sigorta finished second in Group D by downing Asseco Arka Gdynia 92-73 at home on Wednesday. Galatasaray marched on to the Top 16 with a 6-4 record. Arka, which had already been eliminated from Top 16 contention, finished with a 3-7 record. Aaron Harrison led the winners with 20 points, Alex Poythress added 16 and Zach Auguste and Goksenin Koksal each scored 11 for Galatasaray. Armani Moore paced Arka with 15 points, Leyton Hammonds added 12 and Josh Bostic had 10 for the visitors. Harrison, Tai Webster and Greg Whittington fueled a 15-0 run which allowed Galatasaray to take a double-digit lead, 29-16, after 10 minutes. Harrison and Webster kept pushing Galatasaray in the second quarter and got help from Marko Arapovic and Poythress to break the game open, 56-33, at halftime. Nothing changed after the break as Galatasaray kept a very safe margin until the final buzzer.

Bostic got Arka going with a backdoor layup that Hammonds followed with consecutive triples for a 2-8 lead. Poythress answered from downtown and Harrison bettered DeVonte Upson's alley-oop dunk with a three-pointer to bring Galatasaray within 8-10. A layup by Auguste soon gave the hosts their first lead, 12-10. Bartlomeij Woloszyn struck from beyond the arc, but Harrison had the opening 5 points in a 15-0 run in which Whittington, Koksal and Poythress scored around the basket to give Galatasaray a 27-13 margin. Ben Emelogu downed a three-pointer, and a driving layup by Webster fixed the score at 29-16 after 10 minutes. Whittington and Adam Hrycaniuk traded close baskets early in the second quarter. Moore struck from downtown to give Arka hope at 31-21. Whittington and Webster each sank triples, but so did Bostic for a 37-24 score. Arapovic sank a jumper before Upson answered with a put-back slam and Krzysztof Szubarga added a layup that made it 40-28. Harrison stepped up with back-to-back three-pointers and got help from Arapovic and Poythress to make it a 20-point game. Yigit Arslan hit a floater and Auguste added an alley-oop slam to help the hosts lead 56-33 at halftime.

Bostic downed a triple soon after the break and Upson added a jumper to make it 56-38. Harrison beat the shot clock with a step-back jumper that Moore matched with a driving layup. Auguste dunked again, igniting a 6-0 run that Koksal capped with a layup for a 64-40 Galatasaray lead. Woloszyn buried consecutive three-pointers, getting help from Moore and Emeloglu to bring Arka within 70-52. Caner Erdeniz struck from beyond the arc for a 73-52 Galatasaray lead after 30 minutes. Arslan buried a triple early in the fourth quarter, as Galatasaray started to use longer possessions to run the game clock down. That allowed Arka to get closer, 76-58, behind an inspired Hrycaniuk. Nothing changed in the final 6 minutes, however, as even though Arka kept getting closer, Galatasaray had already locked up a well-deserved win.

Pivotal performer

Aaron Harrison was a constant source of points for Galatasaray, stepping up every time his team needed him. He finished the game with 20 points on 3-of-6 two-point shooting, 4-of-6 three-pointers and 2-of-2 free throws. He added 2 assists, a steal and a block for a PIR of 15 in less than 24 minutes.

Game-changing moment

A three-pointer by Bartlomeij Woloszyn gave Arka its last lead, 12-13. Aaron Harrison stepped up with a driving layup and a three-pointer, igniting a 15-0 run which Greg Whittington erased with consecutive layups. Galatasaray got a 27-13 margin and never looked back.

Stellar stat

Galatasaray recorded 11 steals - a new season-high for the Turkish powerhouse - and forced Arka into 18 turnovers. Galatasaray also dominated the boards, outrebounding Arka 42-35.

Did you notice?

Tai Webster flirted with a triple-double. He tallied 7 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. His 10 defensive rebounds are the most by a Galatasaray guard in competition history. Boni Ndong has the club record with 12 defensive rebounds against UNICS Kazan on February 13, 2013.

What's next?

Galatasaray is set to start the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16 in early January. Arka has been eliminated from the competition.