Oostende pull off upset over Galatasaray

ISTANBUL (Turkey) - In what could be described as the biggest upset so far of the 2022-23 Basketball Champions League season, Filou Oostende were able to knock off Galatasaray Nef on the road, 91-85, also preventing them from clinching their spot in the Round of 16.

The 91 points scored by Oostende are their second-most in an away game in BCL history (92 at SIG Strasbourg in December 2021). Oostende have now won two of their 12 games against Turkish teams in the BCL, and they finally got their first win in six trips to Turkey.

Turning point: Galatasaray had a 19-13 lead, but Oostende went on a 7-1 run to close the first quarter and tie the game at 20. Galatasaray were able to knock down five three-pointers in the second quarter to regain a six-point lead heading to halftime.

After trailing by double figures for most of the third quarter, Oostende were able to go on 20-10 run to close the quarter only trailing by two points. It was a back-and-forth rest of the game, as there were five lead changes in the final quarter, but it was Oostende who gained the momentum in the final minutes to pull out the victory and erase their biggest deficit of 13 points.

Game hero: Tre'shawn Thurman had a big night for Oostende, finishing with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks on 9-of-11 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. The 26-year-old also had an efficiency rating of 33, which is the fifth highest in a game so far this season in the BCL.

Tre'shawn Thurman

Honorable mention: Keye van der Vuurst de Vries who finished with a 13-point, 11-assist double-double, his second one in the BCL in 42 appearances, and the first away from home. He is the third player to have multiple double-doubles under the age of 21 in the BCL (Alpha Kaba, 4 and Arnoldas Kulboka, 2).

Stats don't lie: Galatasaray's bench was a big factor in the game, as they outscored Oostende's bench 35-16. Their second unit started the second quarter 4-of-4 from three-point to open the second quarter.

Oostende however, shot the ball more effectively, converting 54.2 percent of their shots from the field, attempting six fewer shots from the field than Galatasaray, but making five more. They also took better advantage of their free-throw opportunities, as they shot 94.4 percent (17-of-18).

Bottom line: Oostende are now 2-3 in Group C and the Belgian team will host Hapoel Atsmon Holon in their next game on Tuesday December 20. Galatasaray, meanwhile, fall to 3-2 in the group and they were led in defeat by Dylan Ennis who finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds. He scored 17 of his points in the fourth quarter.

The Turkish club will travel to face Legia Warszawa in their next game on Tuesday December 20.

They said:

"Great team effort. We held our composure the whole entire game. We felt we had already let a couple close games slip away this season. We feel like we had to learn how to close out games and tonight we were able to do that with a great team effort." - Tre'shawn Thurman, Filou Oostende

"Really proud of this group of guys who showed a team effort. We keep composure, start to defend, start to run, a few easy baskets give us more confidence. I'm proud of 16 assists in 20 minutes of the second half. That means that we shared the ball and that we really played like a team. We're missing four players, literally with one big guy. This is a big, big, big, big win for us. I really wish coach Andreas and Galatasaray to reach the Final Four because I think they can do it. They have capacity to be on the right level and they will be, for sure." - Dario Gjergja, Head Coach Filou Oostende

"We didn't have the mental toughness today. They're [Oostende] a good team. They run the ball very well, they push the ball every single play. We didn't take them as serious as we should've. We won a few games in a row, I think we were feeling pretty good, but if you let a team like that with wide open shots and run the floor the way they did, then they're a tough team to beat. It's definitely a teaching moment for sure." - Ian Hummer, Galatasaray Nef

"It was obvious what team wanted the game more today. They needed it more and they got it. On our part there's no excuse. I take full responsibility for this game because since the day I came over here, the one thing I say is that my team is going to fight in every game and today, we didn't do that, not even close. To be honest, this is the first time since I came over here that I can say we didn't fight. That will simply not do." - Andreas Pistiolis, Head Coach Galatasaray Nef