By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Entering the Basketball Champions League Play-Ins, PAOK had a home-court advantage over Tofas Bursa, thanks to a better position in the Regular Season, but the Turkish side erased it right away.
In a dominant fashion, Tofas cruised past the Greek side in Thessaloniki, and with a 63-95 win, made a huge step toward the Round of 16, as they will have a chance to punch the ticket at home.
Recently signed Marcus Denmon led the winning side with 21 points, while Cassius Winston contributed significantly with 17 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. JJ O’Brien followed closely with 15 points, and Austin Wiley was on the verge of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Zeljko Sakic added 11 points along with seven boards.
For PAOK, Andrew Harrison scored 16 points, Laurynas Beliauskas added 13, and Jamuni McNeace contributed 10.
Early on, it was clear that the hosts were in trouble as Tofas quickly gained the first double-digit lead, going up to 5-15 after a couple of minutes. PAOK didn’t react and ended up trailing 12-27 after 10 minutes. Tofas kept building the lead with Winston and Homesley in great form, and midway through the second period, they reached an almost unbelievable 16-44 lead. The Turkish side never planned to slow down and went into the break with a score of 26-53.
It was evident that PAOK needed a miracle to turn the game around, and after just a couple of minutes in the third period, it was pretty obvious that it wouldn’t happen. Tofas reached a 28-63 lead, and from that point on, it was just a matter of the final score. Tofas was relentless and decided to show its true power, not allowing its opponent to even trim the huge deficit significantly. In the end, a blowout win for the Turkish side, which will have a big chance to finish the best-of-three series in front of their fans and advance among the top 16 clubs in the competition.
Tofas will have a chance to secure its place in the Round of 16 on January 9 when PAOK will visit them at Tofas Nilufer Spor Salonu in Bursa for a rematch.
Postgame press conference