Round of 16 preview: Demir Insaat v Enisey
ISTANBUL (FIBA Europe Cup) – Demir Insaat did not get the result they wanted in Krasnoyarsk in the first leg of the FIBA Europe Cup Round of 16 tie against Enisey, returning to Turkey with a double-digit deficit.
After losing 91-81 in a high-scoring at the Arena Sever, coach Ozhan Civgin's side will now need to win by at least 11 points in order to move on to the next round, where the winner will face either Telenet Oostende or Pau-Lacq-Orthez.
Congratulations BC Enisey for clinching win no. 2 in the #FIBAEuropeCup Group H: @BC_Enisey 90-81 @BuyukcekmeceBK
— FIBA Europe Cup (@FIBAEuropeCup) October 25, 2016
📊 https://t.co/ll8QkWzHld pic.twitter.com/OFdV13HivF
"We had a game plan to contain Enisey and not allow them to come to Turkey with a big point difference. Some things didn't work for us offensively, but the main issues were more of a defensive nature. Enisey are a good athletic team that can also shoot and it was a tough game. However, we believe we can catch them in the return game in Turkey," said Eric Buckner, who scored 15 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in his Buyukcekmece debut in the FIBA Europe Cup.
Having been registered just in time for the Round of 16, Buckner matched up well with Krasnoyarsk's star big man Frank Elegar. However, after a slow start to the game, Elegar still finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Takımımız, FIBA Europe Cup'ta Çarşamba günü oynayacağı Enisey maçı için antrenmanlara başladı.
— DemirİnşaatBÇBasket (@BuyukcekmeceBK) February 16, 2017
Bilet 👉 https://t.co/urqivY6ik5 pic.twitter.com/aZtaKGpq7q
While Demir Insaat bolstered up its frontcourt with the addition of Eric Buckner, Enisey also had a new face on the roster in Anthony Hilliard, who strengthened the relatively shallow guard rotation for the Russian side.
Hilliard also had a solid performance, collecting 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. His outlook for the away leg in Turkey was simple: "We could have won the first game by a bigger margin. On the other hand, it's always better to take a lead to a return game than a deficit."
Hilliard sticks Buckner on a poster with a massive and-one dunk, increasing @BC_Enisey's advantage over @BuyukcekmeceBK! #FIBAEuropeCup pic.twitter.com/pGCZSeqdTv
— FIBA Europe Cup (@FIBAEuropeCup) February 8, 2017
When the two teams met in the Regular Season, Demir Insaat came away with a 16-point victory at home in Istanbul after losing by 9 points in Krasnoyarsk. However, Enisey did travel to Turkey without the one-two punch of Frank Elegar and Tony Taylor that time around.
"Demir Insaat are a very difficult opponent to play. We played them twice in the Regular Season already and we know how difficult it's going to be in the return leg. In my opinion, the tie is wide open," Enisey coach Oleg Okulov expressed, trying to avoid any complacency from slipping into his ranks.
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