By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Le Mans Sarthe Basket opened the Basketball Champions League Round of 16 in Group I with a huge win.
The French side secured a 90-83 triumph in Istanbul against BCL contender Galatasaray, despite already having undergone a coaching change with Gianmarco Pozzecco on its bench, which couldn’t prevent the upset.
Johnny Berhanemeskel, with 15 points, was the top scorer of a solid team effort, which included five more players scoring in double digits.
Fabian White with 22 points and Errick McCollum with 21 tried to save the day for the home side, but couldn’t.
The tone was set early in the game, with the French side leading 31-19 after one period, and that didn’t change much at halftime, as Galatasaray trailed by 14 (57-43).
Le Mans entered the last quarter up by 10 (76-66) after a buzzer-beating three from the center by Shannon Bogues (photo) and closed the game the right way.
The best the home side did was trim the lead to five (88-38) with 26 seconds left, but it was too little, too late.