By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Thanks to a solid fourth quarter, Strasbourg defeated Galatasaray 66 – 62 in the first leg of the Eurocup Finals. As you can realize, everything is quite open for the re-match that will take place in Istanbul next week.
The four-point difference with which the French team won the game, might not seem to be much, but it remains an advantage. One which the players of Vincent Collet gained by performing quite smartly during the final period, after reacting with patience in moments when things didn’t work out ideally for them. Louis Campbell’s leadership was essential for this, since the captain of Strasbourg finished the game with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. He scored 12 of his points in the second half.
Even though Galatasaray was the team with a small, yet steady control of the game, in the second half, being ahead 43 – 48 at the beginning of the final period, things didn’t remain like that for long. With Campbell either making buckets or dishing assists, the hosts achieved a quick 11-4 to bring the lead in their hands.
Instead of answering back, the Turkish team “blacked out” on offense, scoring only with free throws for the next four minutes. And when McCollum banged the corner three-pointer for the 58 – 57, Strasbourg responded immediately making it 66 – 58, 80 seconds before the end of the game. Galatasaray scored four unanswered points by the hands of Blake Schilb and Vladimir Micov to reduce the deficit and “write” the final score on the boxscore. Micov was also the first scorer of his team with 17 points, while he grabbed 5 rebounds.
Both teams had begun the game shooting nervously and making predictable offensive plays that kept the scoring at incredibly low levels in the first quarter (7-8). Galatasaray was the first team to translate its strong defenses to points on the either side of the court, for the 12 – 19, forcing Strasbourg to make all sorts of mistakes, whether they were turnovers or horrid shooting choices. But the French reacted, turning the 12 – 19 into 21 – 21, two minutes before the end of the first half.
The “Cimbom” entered the third period ahead of the score 23 – 24 and through excellent reading of their opponents’ defensive weaknesses, made it 26 – 32 relatively quickly. With back-to-back three pointers, Campbell and Leloup brought their team closer, but the hosts did not stop there. Strasbourg saved the best for last, since it was in the next quarter that they actually played consistently enough in order to get the final victory.