Khimik takes small lead over Ankara in series opener

Khimik Yuzhne edged Aykon TED Ankara 75-71 in their Eurocup Eighthfinals on Wednesday at Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul. The game was played on a neutral court due to the political turmoil ongoing in Ukraine. Khimik escaped from a 10-point first-quarter deficit and held strong after Akara came back from 7 down in the fourth quarter to tie it with two minutes remaining. Romeo Travis came through the game’s final two scores to give Khimik a narrow win going into the decisive leg in Ankara. Travis paced Khimki with 19 points and 9 rebounds, Paul Delaney added 15 and 8 and Jamal Shuler added 11 points for the winners. Vladimir Golubovic carried Ankara with 18 points and 11 rebounds, Clay Tucker also scored 18 – including 12 in the fourth quarter to rally his team back, Vanja Plisnic netted 14 and Kristaps Valters finished with 9 poinys and 7 assists in defeat.

Stanislav Zavadskyi scored on the offensive glass to open the game and his second basket made it 7-0 in a fantastic opening for Khimik. Valters sank a three to get Ankara on the scoreboard. Four straight points from Golubovic gave Ankara its first lead, 10-11, and Valters’s second triple capped a 0-9 charge. Rolands Freimanis brought Khimik within 3 before Aleksandar Rasic nailed a triple. Golubovic scored and Plisnic made it a 10-point lead. Oleksandr Riabchuk drew Khimik within 15-23 after 10 minutes. Matt Gatens with a triple and soon baskets by Vitaliy Kovalenko and Freimanis had Khimik within 22-25. After Delaney went coast-to-coast, Jamal Shuler knocked down a three to tie the score at 29-29. Plisnic and Gatens traded threes before the leading started swaying back and forth on nearly every possession – six times in total over the final three minutes of the quarter before Berkey Candan gave Ankara a 38-39 halftime lead.

Khimik took charge at the outset of the second half with a Shuler three highlighting a 9-0 run in which four players scored. Golubovic took charge with four baskets to keep Ankara close before Tucker brought his team within 51-50. Travis hit a three to keep Khimik in front and after Delaney free throws, a second Travis triple made it 59-52 through three quarters. Golubovic remained a force and got back to the line for 4 free throws to shrink the difference to 2. Travis and Delnaey responded with 5 quick points before Tucker drilled a triple to make it 64-60. Tucker took charged and matched Khimik’s next two baskets with threes to bring his team within a basket, 68-66. Then Valters connected from behind the arc to give Ankara a 1-point lead with four minutes remaining. After a Shuler three and a Tucker jumper, the score was tied at 71-71 with two minutes to go. Travis’s steal and slam gave Khimik the lead for good and his tip-in made it 75-71. Tucker missed twice from downtown in the final minute, which left Khimik a 4-point lead to defend in the second leg.