ATHENS (Greece) - David versus Goliath showdowns do exist in sports, and the first Semi-Finals in the Basketball Champions League Final Four, powered by SUNEL looked like one of them, on paper.
At the end of the day, no player from the current Galatasaray squad had ever played in a BCL Final Four, while La Laguna Tenerife not only qualified for the fourth consecutive most-anticipated weekend of the season, but they did it as the only unbeaten team - ever!
However, fans in the stands of the SUNEL Arena witnessed a game of runs, balanced on both sides of the court, with experienced guards and strong centers taking care of their respective team's needs.
In the second half, the Turkish powerhouse locked a spot in the Basketball Champions League Final for the first time in the club's history - in their first BCL Final Four appearance.
They beat the two-time competition champions 90-80.
Turning point
Lluis Costa's buzzer-beater to close the first quarter, pushing Tenerife up? Or Ebuka Izundu's rim dominance throughout the second quarter, contributing to Galatasaray's comeback? Maybe even James Palmer's step-back three-pointer to start the third.
The first Semi-Final of the BCL Final Four, powered by SUNEL, was full of potential turning point moments before the fourth quarter. But the reality is that both teams went at each other until that period.
Boosting their confidence as time passed, they were just unstoppable for Tenerife, going through the last ten minutes of the game.
After recovering from a 15-point deficit with a 12-0 run in the second, they had a 10-3 scoring sequence in the fourth quarter, to reach their largest lead of the game, up by 18 points (78-60) with five minutes to play.
Without Marcelinho Huertas on the court in the clutch, Txus Vidorreta's team didn't have either the mental strength or the physical energy to slow down Galatasaray's offensive power.
Game hero
Without Fran Guerra and having to go up against the monster center couple composed of Angel Delgado and Ebuka Izundu, it was clear that Giorgi Shermadini was called up to a challenging job on Friday in Athens; possibly with Ibou Badji helping off the bench.
But since his entrance on the court in the first, it was clear that the Nigerian athletic freak only had another game on Sunday in mind. He completely dominated throughout the second and third quarters.
The 28-year-old center gave Galatasaray everything they needed, both offensively and defensively, clearing the glass. Izundu finished with a resounding double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 10-of-11.
This was a career-high night for him in the Basketball Champions League; the Nigerian is also the first player to combine for 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in a Semi-Final in BCL history.
Stats don't lie, either: during their trajectory towards a spot in the BCL Final Four powered by SUNEL, Galatasaray had won all five BCL games in which Izundu scored more than 10 points.
Honorable mention: Will Cummings was a huge Galatasaray's source of offensive solutions, finishing at 21 points without making a single shot from behind the arc.
The experienced guard has scored in double figures in each of his last 12 games in the BCL. With an almost perfect 7-of-8 at the line, he interrupted a sequence of 33 consecutive shots made from the foul line.
In order to have him foul-cleared and ready to go until the end, however, the defensive effort from Galatasaray's captain Goksenin Koksal on Marcelinho Huertas was crucial as well.
Stats don't lie
It's tough to win such a game with poor three-point shooting percentages, and Tenerife concluded their Semi-Final by just banking in 6-of-29 from beyond the arc.
Adding a good concession of second-chance points (14-11) to their opponents, Txus Vidorreta's team found themselves hopeless. Galatasaray could count on several consecutive attempts thanks to their offensive board presence, having grabbed 15 rebounds on the Spanish team's half-court.
Without needing to share the ball a lot and finding solutions even off-the-dribble, Yakup Sekizkok's players had a solid three-point night, converting 46.1 percent of their shots from deep.
Bottom line
How many times has the Basketball Champions League Final Four proved to us that the best team of the season isn't always the one lifting the trophy in May? Well, a lot.
The same could be applied to Tenerife, which qualified for the most anticipated events of the season on a perfect 14-0 run, eager to bring back the title to the Canary Islands after last winning it in 2022.
Instead, Txus Vidorreta's team had to surrender to the fearless Turkish Lions.
A rough shooting night and one single defective game plan aren't enough to erase what the black-and-gold side have consistently done week by week. They will surely come back hungrier than ever in Season 10.
Despite a difficult night collectively, the first game of the BCL Final Four, powered by SUNEL still had Marcelinho Huertas providing 18 points over 7-of-12 in two-pointers for Tenerife. The Brazilian is now the 2nd highest scorer of all-time in the BCL with 1192 points, surpassing Vojtech Hruban (1190).
Thomas Scrubb added 11 points and a solid defensive coverage on James Palmer Jr. Gio Shermadini had 11 points and 4 rebounds in his team's defeat.
They said
"We didn't change anything, we just stuck to our plan. We struggled in the first half, mostly on the offensive side. Our desire to play defense came, and we organized our offense. At halftime, I decided not to change anything, doing it with higher energy, and my players executed well, completely. Fran Guerra is an important part of the team, but he has been missing for several months. Still without him, they are a great team; Badji gave great energy to their team, he brought something that they didn't have, but you need experience." - Yakup Sekizkok explained the victory.
"It's important to have a full roster, but as coaches, our goal is to build a team for the best performances, hopefully healthy. Players aren't machines, and we also struggled a lot with injuries: Can Korzkmaz tore his ACL in the second game of the season, Otis Livingston is injured for the whole season, and Rob Gray didn't play today. I totally understand coach Vidorreta, I wish for the sake of the tournament, for the fans to watch the best version of each team. But it's also our job as coaches when we need some extra performances to have them from the backup guys. Tenerife have a great roster and I respect coach Txus for how he plays every game with energy and seriousness."
"Our offense is run with point guard and big, being in the moment and playing the game, I let it come to me. We didn't start well, but I tried to help my team win. I love playing with Sadik [Emir Kabaca], being on the floor with him gives me energy. We tried to play together. Will is a really good leader, he makes that job easy. I play with him has been fun, watching most of the assists. We tried to play for each other, it's been working well for the whole season. I don't really care who we play, the goal is to come and be ready to fight." - Ebuka Izundu, Galatasaray
"Congratulations to coach Sekizkok and his team, Galatasaray. They did a good job. We are not happy, I think that in the first minutes we could have controlled. We lost confidence after the second foul for Shermadini; they played easily and took confidence in the paint. We could only fight until the end to do our best, but in a difficult situation. Without Fran Guerra and Gio Shermadini for us, it's impossible." - Tenerife's head coach Txus Vidorreta
"Without Shermadini could not play our defense. Our rookies put their best, but they are not ready; Galatasaray are here because they are one of the top teams, but with only Konstantin Kostadinov and Ibou Badji, we couldn't be here, we couldn't have 14 wins in a row. Gio Shermadini is one of the most powerful players in this competition. Total credit to them." - Vidorreta again
"We started the game well, until the half of the second quarter, which was a key moment of the game. Some decisions that changed the game - after that, they controlled and took the lead, we had a great season, and I'm very proud of my team. We should have been more inspired and taken care of the advantage." - Bruno Fitipaldo, Tenerife