Sold out crowd sees Besiktas edge London in roller-coaster Finals opener

ISTANBUL (Türkiye) - Besiktas fans are celebrating their side slipping past London Lions 75-68 in the first leg of the 2024 EuroCup Women Finals in Istanbul.

With the tie beautifully poised, the Turkish side will take a precious advantage to the British capital next Wednesday for the return game after coming out on top in an entertaining roller-coaster ride.

Turning Point: Even if Besiktas ultimately took the seven-point win, in the context of the Finals as a two-legged tie, the turning point could be London coming alive when 18 points behind late in the third period.

 
They were on the ropes and in real danger of the silverware sliding out of sight. But huge triples from Karlie Samuelson and Holly Winterburn sparked what could be a massively important 12-0 run that got them back into contention. 

Game Heroes: It was a big team effort from Besiktas with significant contributions from multiple players. Elif Bayram was terrific with a super smart double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Jovana Nogic led the way for the team with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. 

Meanwhile, Winterburn was unfortunate to be on the losing side after claiming 23 points, 5 boards and 5 assists in defeat. Had it not been for her headline contribution, then London might now be in deep trouble.

Stats Don't Lie: Besiktas made the most of getting to the basket and much of their victory was down to their free-throw shooting. They sunk an excellent 19 of 20 from the line which could potentially end up being a difference-maker across the tie. 

Bottom Line: Besiktas are a streaky team with huge offensive power that comes and goes and their performance in the first 25 minutes of the contest was exceptional. But then they went cold before coming alive late in the game again.They might feel they left the back door open for London when they were ahead by 18 points and could regret this. But you have to be satisfied with a handy lead after the first leg of any Final. 

London were locked down in that first-half and went 2 of 11 from long-range, all too often settling for the three-point shot. This shot selection hurt them and it wasn't until they turned up the dial after the break that they established a foothold in the game. Temi Fagbenle and Megan Gustafson were not able to show their best face and that was also something that might need addressed in the second leg. 

FIBA