Banvit Bandirma gets by Trabzonspor and into Last 32

Banvit Bandirma outlasted Trabzonspor Medical Park 71-67 and thanks to some help from Unics Kazan, which defeated Buducnost VOLI Podgorica earlier Wednesday, claimed a pass to the Last 32.Banvit improved to 5-4 to secure a top four finish in Group D. It also dropped Trabzonspor to the same record, though the visitors earned a head-to-head tiebreak advantage due to their 8-point win when the teams met in Round 4. Adrien Moerman paced the winners with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Courtney Forston tallied 19 points and 6 assists and A.J. Slaughter added 16 points for the victors, including a go-ahead triple in the final minute of action. The exciting game featured eight lead changes in the fourth quarter alone. Damian Kulig led Trabzonspor with 17 points and Darius Johnson-Odom scored 11.

Berkay Candan got Trabzonspor on the board first and Tolgay Gecim opened Banvit’s account. Gasper Vidmar gave the hosts their first lead at 4-2 after three minutes of action. The visitors kicked things into a higher gear in the last five minutes of the quarter; Dwight Hardy scored once and dished 3 assists in a 2-12 run that shot Trabzonspor to an 8-16 lead after one quarter. Forston scored twice as Banvit started the second quarter with 8 straight points to tie the game. Johnson-Odom put the visitors back ahead, but an 11-0 Banvit charge in which Moerman scored three times saw the hosts settle into a 29-23 cushion. Kulig came alive with the next 5 points and his three-pointer in the final minute of the half put Trabzonspor up 3, but Slaughter connected from downtown to tie the game at 35-35 at halftime.

Moerman’s steal and three-point play followed by a three-pointer gave Banvit a small lead. Then Slaughter and Moerman hit back-to-back triples to make it 47-39. But Novica Velickovic connected from downtown and Hakan Demirel scored on the offensive glass to close the gap to 50-49. Slaughter countered with 4 free throws, but Kulig drained a three to keep the difference minimal, 54-53, through three quarters. Things went the visitors’ way early in the fourth quarter as Velickovic put Trabzonspor ahead and even though he committed an unsportsmanlike foul on Jackie Carmichael, the latter missed the resulting free throws and Kulig rejected Vidmar. Then a Kulig three made it 54-58. Fortson soon tied it and the game would heat up and feature eight lead changes in an exciting fourth quarter alone. Hardy broke a 63-63 tie and then put Trabzonspor up 66-67 following a Moerman triple. But Slaughter gave Banvit the lead for good inside the final minute with his third three. Velickovic missed a three and Fortson scored at the other end to make it a two-possession game. After a Trabzonspor timeout, the visitors missed twice and Banvit celebrated a key win.