BC Pinar Karsiyaka (Turkey) – BC Prometey – 89:84 (26:12, 17:20, 25:21, 21:31)
September 23. Izmir (Turkey). Pinar Cup
BC Prometey: Reed, Keene, Balvin, Bobrov, Tkachenko – starting five: March, Lypovyy, Voinalovych, Odiase, Sydorov (captain), Belikov.
Any kind of win and even defeat with a deficit of 7 and less points in a confrontation with the vice-champion of Turkey Pinar Karsiyaka would made Prometey the two-time winner of traditional pre-season tournament Pinar Cup. The main feature of the match against an authoritative Turkish opponent was an opportunity to consider the game as a dress rehearsal of the 2023/2024 season beginning. Right in a week, “titans” will start a months-long marathon with a home LEBL match against Estonian Viimsi.
The debut of today's confrontation worked for Karshiyaka. Periodically, the hosts of the court actively pressed “red-and-white” on their half of the court. This factor has helped Turkish club to lead in score by 10 points (15:5) back in the first 5-minute segment of the starting quarter. In respond, Ronen Ginzburg tried various players’ combinations on the floor; however, these redispositions could not change the game flow for a long time. At the end of the quarter, Prometey dropped behind by almost two dozen points – 7:26.
“Titans” started feeling their right game pace already in the second quarter. It started with a spurt of Ukrainian club 7:0. However, the hosts managed to demonstrate rich variety of offensive actions, taking back “10+” handicap yet before the long break.
At the beginning of the N3 quarter, Prometey seemed to finally find their game. In 23th minute, after a slam-dunk by Tai Odiase, our team gave in by just one possession (43:46). But the opponent, once again, managed to create a comfortable handicap. Karsiyaka’s player Errick McCollum performed just incredible things on the court. Thanks to his efforts as well, the teams went for the last break with “-15” for Prometey.
In the final ten-minute segment, freshness of Turkish club played its role: unlike Prometey, they played their tournament opener two days ago. In the middle of the quarter, the advantage of Turkish club consisted of two dozen points. To the “titans” honour, they were fighting until the end! They managed to reduce their lag considerably. Two minutes to go, they conceded by just three possessions. This point differential gave the teams equal chances to win. Prometey became the winner because it lost by just 5 points – 84:89.
