By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
A brilliant performance of T.J. Shorts combined with a disciplined display overall, Telekom Baskets Bonn earned a huge win, 83-71, against Pinar Karsiyaka Wednesday evening.
Shorts, 24, dropped a game-high 28 points behind 9/14 field goals. Additionally tallying eight assists and seven rebounds produced yet another game-high 37 efficiency rating topping all players of the Basketball Champions League Regular Season Gameday 2 affair by far.
The visiting side coached by Ufuk Sarica was initially labeled as the favorite to win at Telekom Dome. It actually seemed the other way around, except for a positive stretch at the end of the second quarter for Karsiyaka to reduce the deficit to one point. In summary, it trailed for over 39 minutes and never got the lead. Limited to 4/22 three-pointers really did not help.
At the end of the day, both teams ended up at 1-1 in Group B tied with AEK and UnaHotels Reggio Emilia. Four games remain in the double-legged round-robin schedule.
Leon Kratzer and Jeremy Morgan threw in 15 and 13 points, respectively, for the winning side. Michael Kessens (hand) was sidelined. On the losing end, Errick McCollum posted an 18-point, 11-assist double-double, and Mindaugas Kuzminskas finished with 16 points to his name.
At the domestic level, the team coached by Tuomas Iisalo stands at 2-0 in Germany’s easyCredit BBL.
Besides the win in the opening round of the BCL Regular Season, Karsiyaka is up 2-0 in Turkey’s BSL but tasted defeat in Bonn.
Postgame press conference:
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League