Korkmaz-led Turkey push Slovenia closer to the ledge
LJUBLJANA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Turkey took another confident step towards the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 with a hard-fought 86-77 road win against reigning FIBA EuroBasket 2017 champions Slovenia, clinching their second win of the September window at the Stozice Arena in Ljubljana.
Furkan Korkmaz and Scottie Wilbekin combined for 46 points for coach Ufuk Sarica, while Cedi Osman double-doubled with 19 points and 11 rebounds to take Turkey's record to 6-2 in Group I.
.@TBF 🇹🇷defeat @kzs_si 🇸🇮 in a head-to-head match with 13 lead changes! #FIBAWC #ThisIsMyHouse
— Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) September 17, 2018
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It was another tough pill to swallow for Slovenia, who suffered their fifth consecutive defeat in the European Qualifiers, despite Anthony Randolph turning in a 24-point and 12-rebound performance.
Turning point: Having enjoyed more of the lead throughout the game, Turkey reached a major breakthrough in the fourth quarter. Scottie Wilbekin drained a pair of three-pointers in a 7-1 run down the stretch to give the visitors a double-digit lead, 83-72, with 2:53 left to play.
.@scottiew_5 was in his 🎒, finishing with 2⃣2⃣ pts for @TBF 🇹🇷! #FIBAWC #ThisIsMyHouse
— Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) September 17, 2018
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Game hero: Furkan Korkmaz continued to shine for the national team, extending his run of double-digit games with 24 points on an efficient 8-of-14 clip in the Slovenian capital. He also added 5 rebounds and 3 steals, finishing with a team-high efficiency of 25.
Stats don't lie: Turkey showered Ljubljana with a hail of three-pointers, going 13-of-28 from downtown. Scottie Wilbekin led the shooting onslaught with a 6-of-8 effort from downtown, while Korkmaz and Cedi Osman added 3 triples each. In comparison, Slovenia connected on 8-of-27 attempts from downtown.
Ilyasova 😱😱😱 #FIBAWC #ThisIsMyHouse @TBF 🇹🇷
— Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) September 17, 2018
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Bottom line: The last time coach Rado Trifunovic's team came out of a game victorious was in February, when they scored a 75-63 road win against Montenegro. Since then, they have picked up losses against Belarus, Spain, Montenegro, Latvia and now Turkey.
They said: "This was a very tough game. Slovenia is a basketball country and coming into tonight's game they were missing a couple of their best players and they're the champions of the last EuroBasket. So we came in respecting their team. But then again, in saying that, with our team, with the NBA players on our squad we came to win both games in this window and we achieved that. All game we failed to secure the lead, we always found a way to let the Slovenian team catch us with turnovers and missed shots. I think if we could have ended the end of the second quarter a little better the second half might have been a bit different but we couldn't do that. But we pulled through for the win with the experienced players who stepped up. I also want to congratulate my whole squad, everybody who helped us through this period and practised with us during the whole summer - they helped us get this window. I wish Slovenia the best in this upcoming period." - Turkey head coach Ufuk Sarica
"Coming into this game we knew they were missing some players but regardless they are the European champions and they have a basketball legacy in Slovenia. We knew we were coming into a tough atmosphere and it proved to be just as tough as expected. We made some easy mistakes but we pulled through in the end with our experience and I'm really happy we came away with the win tonight. It was really important for us." - Turkey center Sertac Sanli
"We talked before the game with the players about two things: to play strong and like they did in the last two games against Croatia and Latvia. They accepted it and did it and fought from the first until the last minute. And we also talked about getting the rebounds and Slovenia won the rebounding battle so the players are the winners. I congratulate them on the fight they put on tonight. It was maybe a bad night for free throws and that was one of the main things that decided the game." - Slovenia head coach Rado Trifunovic
"First of all, congratulations to Turkey. It was an important win for them as it would have been for us. We knew that they would start aggressively from the very first minute and they did. A good reaction from our young players who I want to congratulate for doing their part. We cannot do anything now. We have to keep our heads up and go on with the qualifying games." - Slovenia center Gasper Vidmar
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