By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After a tremendous third quarter (25-11), Karsiyaka beat Barcelona 71-62 in the opening game of Group C and registered its first ever victory in the Euroleague. It was the first big upset of the season.
For the winners, Colton Iverson was the top scorer with 16 points, while three more players were in double digits. For the Spaniards, who suffered a shocking defeat, Justin Doellman had 14 points, with Stratos Perperoglou adding 11.
From the beginning, the match was a close derby (9-9), as Iverson had six points already for the Turkish team. The situation was the same later on and the first quarter ended in a draw (18-18). In the second quarter, both teams played great defence, with a three-point play by Iverson (12 points) giving Karsiyaka a two-point advantage at the buzzer (29-27).
In the second half, the Turkish team was unstoppable. With an 8-0 run, they extended the lead to ten points (37-27) and were in front by sixteen (54-38) after 30 minutes in the game, being simply dominant, as they outscored their opponents 25-11. In the final quarter, Barcelona tried to make a big come- back and cut the deficit to seven points (62-55, 67-60) with consecutive points by Stratos Perperoglou , however Ufuk Sarica’s players remained solid and won the game.