Darussafaka win battle of Turkish teams, give Tofas Bursa first loss in Round of 16

ISTANBUL (Turkey) - In a game that featured two teams from Turkey, Darussafaka emerged victorious in the final seconds over Tofas Bursa 75-74, giving the latter their first loss in the Round of 16 Group J.

Turning point: There wasn't much separation between the two teams in the first half, as the biggest lead was four points on both sides. At halftime, Darussafaka shot 3-of-11 from three-point, while Tofas failed to make a three, shooting 0-for-11.

That quickly changed once Tyler Ennis and Pako Cruz each knocked down a quick three to start the third quarter, extending Tofas' lead to seven. Darussafaka went on a 23-6 run to extend their lead to 60-50. Tofas then went on an 11-0 run of their own to lead 67-62 in the fourth.

The teams traded blows, as Ennis put Tofas up 74-73 with 14 seconds left, only to have Troy Caupain hit a game-winning layup for Darussafaka with 3 seconds left.

Game hero: Caupain came up clutch for Darussafaka, making the game-winning shot and finishing with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point.

Troy Caupain drives for the game-winning layup

Stats don't lie: In a game that featured 15 lead changes and ended up being a one-point margin, free throws become that much more important and Darussafaka made three more than Tofas (16-of-23 compared to 13-of-18).

Bottom line: Ennis led the way for Tofas with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, shooting 7-of-15 from the field.

Darussafaka are now 2-2 in Group J and the Turkish club will host BAXI Manresa (2-1) in their next game on Wednesday March 16.

Tofas could've clinched a spot in the Quarterfinals but are now 3-1 in the group. The Turkish club will host Nutribullet Treviso (0-3) in their next game on Wednesday March 16.

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