By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
Herbalife Gran Canaria were trailing by as many as twelve points, but with Marcus Eriksson leading the way, they came back and defeated Darussafaka Tefken Istanbul, 71 – 75 for their first ever Turkish Airlines EuroLeague road win.
The contest was decided in the final five minutes. Gran Canaria’s defense, DJ Strawberry‘s tough lay-up and Eriksson’s fade-away put the hosts up by eight points, 65 – 73. Since then, the home side could not find ways to score and thus slipped to 1-9 on the year.
Marcus Eriksson had a night to remember with a career-high 23 points and five three-pointers. Anzejs Pasecniks also had an impressive game, as he flirted with a double-double of 17 points and eight assists. From the opposition, Ray Maccalum was the only player in double-digits with 13 points and seven assists.
Darussafaka scored just 27 points in the second half, and Gran Canaria’s head coach, Salva Maldonado couldn’t be any happier: “I am very happy for this victory. We improved our defense in the second half. In the third quarter we played very aggressive.” The MVP of the game, Eriksson also commented on the first road win: “In the first half we didn’t play as good as we can. In the second half we really pulled it together and stepped up. We improved a lot on defense overall. We have been struggling away form home this season, so it’s a big win for us here.”
The first half was a totally different story. The hosts were firing early on (8/10 FG), scoring over 20 points in just seven minutes (22-13). Gran Canaria however responded and after the end of the first quarter, the score was 25-22.
Almost all of Darussafaka’s team scored in the first half, while their defense was on point, as Gran Canaria scored just twelve points in the second quarter. Throughout the half, the visitors shot 23% from the three-point line. After 20′, the hosts enjoyed a double-digit lead at the break (44-34).
Despite being down by double-digits, Gran Canaria shocked the hosts and responded emphatically with an 12 – 23 third period. To start the fourth, the visitors were up by one-point, 56 – 57. Marcus Eriksson with 21 points and five three-pointers was leading the way.
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