Beşiktaş pulls ahead in series with win over Galatasaray

The match, played at Beşiktaş’s Sinan Erdem Stadium, is the third between the two basketball powerhouses in the semi-final, in which Beşiktaş currently leads Galatasaray 2-1. Beşiktaş took a 19-14 lead in the first quarter, battling Galatasaray’s attempts at a counteroffensive and bringing the score to 42-36 at half-time. Galatasaray failed to close the gap, which Beşiktaş coach Ergin Ataman told reporters in a conference after the game was due to a tight defense. “Today we won on defense, I can say that,” the coach said. “We’ve gone up to 2-1 now… but it isn’t over yet.” Mehmet Yağmur led Beşiktaş in scoring with seven points and two assists, while Jaka Lakovic led the Galatasaray charge with nine points and three assists. The two teams will square off again on Tuesday at Sinan Erdem Stadium for the fourth round of the semi-finals.