SAMOKOV (Bulgaria) - Back in the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League Regular Season, Bursaspor Basketbol got eliminated in a four-team tie at 3-3 in Group F. They deserved another chance.
There you go: with a dominant 77-58 performance in the Final of the BCL Qualification Round Tournament 2 against Windrose Giants Antwerp, the green-and-white Turkish side made it to Season X. What a run they had in Samokov.
They were extremely well-coached by Nenad Markovic, who's now making history as the only head coach capable of participating in the BCL with five different teams: Karsiyaka, Tenerife, Gaziantep, Dijon, and now Bursaspor.
Turning point
Antwerp started the game the right way, going up by 19-11 with three minutes to go in the third quarter.
That's where the Crocodiles started biting their opponents, as they performed an astonishing 30-9 run before halftime, enjoying a comfortable lead. From then on, they only increased it.
Player of the Game
Entering the Qualification Round Tournament 2 slowly, playing only 10 minutes in the Quarter-Finals against Lowen Braunschweig, when he scored just 4 points in his team's win, V.J. King vastly improved later on.
After finishing with a 13-point winning effort in the Semi-Finals against PAOK, the 28-year-old forward led Bursaspor with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals, shooting 7-of-10 from the field over Antwerp.
The 2005-born guard Berk Akin, who dropped 22 points over 4-of-7 from beyond the arc against the Greek side in the Semis, was also brilliant in the Final. He had 11 points on 3-of-5 from deep on Tuesday.
Stats don't lie
Except for the very first minutes, Bursaspor's victory was pretty much never in doubt. After all, they were better than their opponents in rebounds (45-39), assists (17-10), and steals (9-5).
Moreover, they outscored the Belgians 40-22 in points from the paint and 41-23 in points from the bench.
Bottom line
Bursaspor will now play in Group C of the BCL Regular Season, going up against Joventut Badalona (ESP), Hapoel Netanel Holon (ISR), and Cholet Basket (FRA).
On the other side, in his first season back in coaching charge at the club, Roel Moors couldn't bring Antwerp back to the BCL stage six years after participating at the 2019 BCL Final Four.
They Said
"We took over the game momentum in the second quarter, it was a great defensive quarter for us. Then, we were concentrated in the third quarter from the start. In games like these, it's all about momentum and defense, and I feel like we broke them down with our defense." - Bursaspor Basketbol head coach Nenad Markovic
"We're a new team, we don't have the biggest budget, and we've got 12 new guys. We'll try to use the BCL as a competition where we can grow as a team." - Markovic on Regular Season plans
"This is my fifth BCL club, I'm the record holder here. I would love to be the record holder in wins, too (laughs). Or to get to 50, at least." - Markovic on setting a new record with five different clubs to his name