Galatasaray lock down Mersin to seal third place in Bourges

BOURGES (France) - Galatasaray wrapped up third place at the EuroCup Women Final Four on Thursday after shutting down their domestic rivals CBK Mersin Yenisehir Bld 75-67.

Both teams had to pick themselves up after the disappointment of narrow Semi-Final losses 48 hours earlier and it was Galatasaray that reacted best, to at least leave French soil on a winning note.

Turning point: Galatasaray made their move either side of half-time with a stunning run, which even the interval could not disrupt. With the game relatively tight at 32-28, the Istanbul side outscored their opponents 25-6 to move out of sight.

Game hero(es): There were plenty to choose from. Kelsey Plum was influential as always with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Melis Gulcan also scored 16 points, Kaela Davis chipped in with a team-high 17 points and 8 boards, while Tina Krajisnik had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Stats Don't Lie: Once again, Mersin did not force enough errors from their opponents and threw the ball away 17 times compared to just 8 turnovers for Galatasaray. 

Bottom line: On another night. Galatasaray could have won that Semi-Final with Bourges and things might have been different, but they let the victory slip through their fingers. While they will not return to Istanbul with the silverware, they can at least be proud of their efforts. 

By contrast, Mersin came to the Final Four with most people tipping them to win EuroCup Women and instead they head home as essentially the fourth best team in the competition, which is a disappointing finish to their campaign when one considers they have the kind of roster that some EuroLeague Women clubs would envy. 

FIBA