Arroyo and Carter lift Galatasaray to its first road victory

In the third meeting between them, Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul picked up its first road victory of the season, a 65-74 decision over Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade on Friday night. The win improved Galatasaray to 2-1 and a share of second place in Group E, while Zvezda remains winless in the Top 16. No team had more than a six-point advantage for 35 minutes during which the teams kept trading leads. As usual, Boban Marjanovic was a force inside for the hosts, and a 7-0 run at the end of the second quarter put Zvezda in front 35-33 at halftime. But Vladimir Micov was hot for Galatasaray, and Martynas Pocius fueled a late 2-12 run in the third quarter as the visitors took control, 45-51. Zvezda never gave up, but Galatasaray scored on six consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter to pull away to a 10-point lead. Carlos Arroyo buried a three-pointer with 2 minutes to make it 59-69, and Justin Carter drove for a three-point play with 38 seconds to go to seal the outcome. Micov paced the winners with 12 points, Arroyo and Pocius each finished with 11, while Carter scored all of his 10 points in the final 5 minutes. For Zvezda, Marjanovic collected 18 points plus 7 rebounds, and Marcus Williams scored 9 of his 12 in the fourth quarter. Maik Zirbes contributed with 9 points and 7 boards, while Nikola Kalinic also scored 9 in defeat.

First quarter: Glatasaray grabs slim lead with 0-8 run

Marjanovic and Patric Young traded baskets from close range on each team’s opening possession, and Luka Mitrovic made a layup for 4-2. Offenses were clicking in the early going, as Micov banked in a mid-range jumper, before Marjanovic strung together 6 points, which included a fastbreak dunk, as Zvezda were in front 10-6. But Micov answered with a long jumper, and Sinan Guler followed it with a steal and a fastbreak put-back to tie the game, before a pair of layups from Aleks Maric gave the visitors their first lead, 10-14. Kalinic snapped a 0-8 run with a three-pointer, and after Pocius made a jumper, Marjanovic had a big dunk for 15-16. After Micov and Kalinic traded jumpers, there was a brief scoring drought until the final 30 seconds of the quarter when Kalinic banked in a runner, only for Ender Arslan to nail a triple just before the buzzer for 19-21 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Zvezda finishes strong, takes lead into halftime

A fastbreak dunk from Zirbes got things going in the second quarter, and Marko Tejic put the hosts in front splitting free throws. Charles Jenkins drove for a layup through the crowd to give Zvezda 24-21, before Pocius buried three-pointers on consecutive possessions for 24-27. Zvezda countered with a drive from Jaka Blazic, before Kerem Gonlum and Zirbes exchanged baskets from close range for 28-29. But Arroyo knocked down a three to make it a 4-point contest, and Galatasaray kept the hosts scoreless for more than 3 minutes. However, the visitors did not put more points on the scoreboard, and Zvezda fished the quarter strong. First, Kalinic fed Mitrovic for a dunk, then Jenkins added a basket with a strong move to the hoop, before Williams buried a three-pointer, his first points of the night, giving Zvezda 35-33 halftime lead.

Third quarter: Galatasaray goes in front with 2-10 run

Micov opened the third quarter with another one of his jumpers, and a put-back dunk from Young put the visitors back in front, 35-37. Micov added a basket from close range to extend the lead and make the hosts call a timeout. Zvezda did not score for more than 3 minutes, but after a timeout Marjanovic scored on back-to-back possessions to tie the game. Zoran Erceg raced for a fastbreak dunk for Galatasaray, but Blazic drove for a layup and Dangubic made a big dunk for 43-41 halfway through the quarter. Pocius made a floater, and Arslan knocked down a three-pointer for another lead change. Erceg drove the lane for a big slam and 43-48, and after Marjanovic scored second-chance basket, a three point play from Pocius gave Galatasaray the biggest margin of the night, 45-51. In the final second of the quarter, Jenkins sank a pair of free throws that made it 47-51 going into the fourth quarter.

Fourth quarter: Arroyo and Carter lead Galatasaray to victory

Arslan’s floater restored a 6-point lead to start the fourth, but Zirbes threw down a big dunk-plus-free throw, and Williams added a jumper for 53-53. But Gonlum muscled his way for a pair of layups in the crowd to keep Galatasaray in front, and Arroyo buried an off-balance jumper for 52-59 with 5 minutes to go in the game. After a timeout, Justin Carter nailed a corner triple – his frist points of the game - for a double-digit lead, 52-62. Kalinic scored a layup on the other end, but Carter hit a jumper to keep the advantage in double figures. Williams made couple of free throws, but Micov replied with a jumper for 56-66. A three-pointer from Williams sparked some hope for Zvezda, but Arroyo answered right back from downtown, keep the lead at 10 points with 2 minutes to go. Marjanovic and Williams each hit a pair of free throws, but Carter drove for a layup-plus-foul to seal the deal, 63-72. Carter added another layup to the tally, before Zirbes rounded out the scoring with a dunk.