By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
ATHENS – Bugrahan Tuncer chipped in six points in the fourth quarter, before celebrating a berth in the championship game of the Basketball Champions League Final Four powered by Sunel alongside his Galatasaray teammates.
It was simply the first part of the task for the Lions in Athens. “It’s great to play here,” the 32-year-old Turkish combo guard told Eurohoops after the triumph in the Greek capital on Friday.
Ebuka Izundu and Will Cummings shared a game-high 21 points in the Semifinals. Tuncer added three assists and one rebound to his six points, lasting 22 minutes.
“They are great, great players. I like to play with Izundu, because that type of player is great for me. He can really jump. And Cummings brings a lot of experience. He’s one of the most experienced guards in Europe. He won the EuroCup. He is great,” he praised his teammates, “I hope they’re going to help us in the Final.”
“Defense. It starts with me,” Tuncer also went into required improvements to be crowned BCL champion, “Offense is good for me. If we are good in defense, we can beat anybody in the competition.”
After snapping a perfect BCL season for La Laguna Tenerife, defending champion Unicaja or host AEK Betsson will be the next opponent on Sunday.
“We played Unicaja during the season. Of course, it’s hard to play in front of these fans,” the experienced guard compared potential opponents, “I prefer to play against Malaga.”
Every single player of Galata, including Tuncer, made their first appearance in a BCL Final Four. The second will be for a title in the top-tier club continental competition of FIBA Europe.
Photo Credit: FIBA