EuroView: Broekhoff goes off!
The Aussies were firing over in Europe this week as they look to close out the year in style and carry their form into 2015. David Anderson had a very successful comeback from injury and the derby in Turkey was a thriller!
A season high 18 points and 8 rebounds by Ryan Broekhoff helped Besiktas Integral Forex Istanbul defeat Banvit 80-81 in the fiercely competitive derby. The teams went basket for basket in the second half, after a first half in which Banvit led by a single point. In a tense final quarter Broekhoff was sent to the line with minutes left and converted both free throws to give Besiktas a 76-79 lead as Besiktas managed to grind out the win in the final minutes.
Besiktas displayed a well-drilled and organised offense, with fluid passing leading to 21 assists for the Black Eagles. The cohesive offense ensured open looks for Broekhoff as he shot 50% from the field and went 4-7 from behind the arc. Besiktas were proactive and aggressive on offense in comparison to Banvit, and it showed as Banvit had just 7 attempts at the charity stripe compared to Besiktas' 18 attempts. It was the fourth consecutive win for Besiktas and they now sit in 3rd position, with their next game against bottom ranked Eskisehir Basket.
Meanwhile in Spain, Brad Newley returned to form with a stellar performance for Herbalife Gran Canaria as they were edged out 101-92 by Valencia Basket. Newley scored a season-high 19 points, making 7/10 from the field and 4/4 at the line to go along with 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Newley's efficient shooting night was not enough as Valencia Basket's Energy on both ends of the court, but in particular on the defensive end in the fourth quarter was too much for Herbalife Gran Canaria. This leaves Herbalife Gran Canaria with a 5-7 record and 11th spot on the Spanish ACB table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORJDHvRiPEg
In the French Pro A league David Anderson made a strong comeback from injury off the bench with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in just 22 minutes. Anderson's Asvel Lyon Villeurbanne were however easily accounted for by reigning champions Limoges 74-83. Asvel started the game well with intensity and commitment, enabling them to jump out to a 26-19 lead, partly thanks to consecutive buckets from Anderson to finish the quarter as he ended up going 4/6 from three-point range. After the second quarter Limoges never looked back after a dominant quarter in which they outscored Asvel 14-31. Eleventh placed Asvel have taken positives from their inconsistent display against quality opposition and will need to improve after the loss of league leading scorer Edwin Jackson to FC Barcelona. Anderson will look to take up the scoring load as his minutes increase and Asvel go about replacing Jackson's scoring.
In Romania, Daniel Dillion finished the year with a resounding performance as CSM Oradea crushed BC Timisoara 91-66. Dillion was the standout player of the match, adding 19 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds whilst shooting 9/10 from the field. After a lacklustre first quarter in which BC Timisoara led by 4 points, CSM Oradea lifted and started to dominate in the paint as they went on to lead by 12 points at the half and outscore BC Timisoara 60-30 in the paint for the game. CSM Oradea will now head into the bye sitting in fifth place and full of confidence after such a strong performance.
Another quiet game for former Adelaide 36er Daniel Johnson as he played just 13 minutes off the bench for Stelmet Zielona Gora in Poland on the road as they defeated Polski Cukier Torun 62-71. Johnson's impact was marginal as he tallied 7 points, 2 turnovers and 1 rebound. Johnson will be looking to increase his impact and minutes in the New Year as it was the first time since November he had played more than 10 minutes.
Over in Slovenia, Majok Majok was unable to continue his strong form for Helios Domzale as he played just 13 minutes, contributing 1 point and 2 rebounds. Helios Domzale got off to a sluggish start, outscored 8-17 in the first quarter by Zlatorog. The rest of the game was a see-sawing affair, however the damage was already done as Zlatorog ran out victors 61-66.
Meanwhile, Chris Goulding missed CAI Zargaroza's 82-76 victory over Unicaja Malaga with an ankle injury. Whilst Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv's Aleks Maric did not play in their 87-100 win over Hapoel Holon, despite coming off a season-high 23 minutes playing time in a blowout victory over Ironi Nes-Zioni. In other news Nate Jawai has signed with Spanish ACB club Andorra following his split with Turkish club Galatasaray.