Istanbul BBSK delighted with win over high-profile rivals Wurzburg

WURZBURG (FIBA Europe Cup) - The luck of the FIBA Europe Cup Draw was not too kind for s.Oliver Wurzburg and Istanbul BBSK, with two high-profile teams paired up already in Qualification Round 1.

It was the Turkish side that could afford a brief celebration after the first leg of the tie, coming away with a 75-62 victory on the road in the Bavarian town of Wurzburg on Wednesday evening.

They overcame a slow and turnover-ridden opening quarter to snatch up a double-digit cushion before the return leg in Turkey with a strong performance down the final stretch.

"It was a great game. I am very happy with the result, but we still have another game in Istanbul. We started very poorly with a lot of mistakes and turnovers in the first period, but from then on we played well," said a pleased Istanbul BBSK head coach Ertugrul Erdogan.

Deividas Dulkys, once a Lithuania international, led the team in scoring with a game-high 19 points, with Jaka Klobucar, Ivan Buva and FIBA EuroBasket 2017 silver medalist Stefan Bircevic also making significant contributions.

"This is a very tough matchup for both sides in the First Round. Unfortunately, only one of us will be in the Second Round of the Qualifiers."Istanbul BBSK head coach Ertugrul ErdoganIstanbul BBSK head coach Ertugrul Erdogan

On the other side, 34-year-old Croatian star Kresimir Loncar led the way with 16 points, while current German national team captain Robin Benzing came up flat in his debut for the Wurzburg club.

"We respect s.Oliver Wurzburg a lot. They are a well-coached and well-prepared team. I hope we are going to play one more good game. This is a very tough matchup for both sides in the First Round. Unfortunately, only one of us will be in the Second Round of the Qualifiers," coach Erdogan told the media.

Turning around a 13-point deficit will not be an easy task for the Dirk Bauermann-coached German side in the away leg of the tie, but the 59-year-old playcaller was not ready to concede defeat just yet.

"We started the game really well and played the way we wanted to play. Then, we lost our rhythm and did not play smart enough in some situations. Now we have to go to Istanbul and try to turn it around. We are better than we showed today," Bauermann offered.

Maurice Stuckey, who finished the first game with 15 points, acknowledged the severity of their case but took confidence from the first three periods of play the team demonstrated, before being outscored 23-14 in the final frame.

"It's a difficult situation now, but this is an 80-minute game. We need to give everything we've got in the second game and start making our shots," the 27-year-old shooting guard said.

The second leg of the tie will be played at the Cebeci Spor Kompleksi in Istanbul in less than a week's time on September 26, with the winning team on aggregate proceeding to face Khimik in Qualification Round 2.

FIBA