Tough Home Loss

We lost 95-86 to a very strong Galatasary team tonight.  I didn’t play particularly well.  They wore me out with a strong defensive scheme.  Got me out of my rhythm.  The game was tight throughout.  We even had a chance to tie it or go up one with 3 or 4 minutes left.  But they gained control at the end and finished us off.  They also outrebounded us by 20.  In fact, they had as many offensive rebounds as we had total rebounds.  It’s tough to win games like that.  

Next Tuesday we play at home against a team from Cyprus.  It’s another play-in game for the Fiba Eurocup. 

Playing and learning,

Joe

Tough Road Loss

Well, last week we won one that no one really expected us to win.  And this week we lost won we certainly should not have lost.  It hurt.  84-82 after we were in control the entire contest.  A couple bad calls definitely hurt at the end, but we still should have won the game because we were the better team and controlled the entire game save the last 4 minutes.  Playing and learning all the time.  

I played alright, ended with 27 points.  Shot 6-14 from three point land, but only 2-7 from two.  Played a lot of minutes though.  That usually leads to settling for too many threes and a failure to finish around the rim.  Another lesson learned that hopefully helps throughout the coming games and rest of the year.  

We play a big game Friday night at home vs. a strong Galatarsary team.  Hopefully we can turn things around after a tough loss!

Fiba Win

We played against a Romanian team tonight at our place. It was a six-point game at half time (53-47), but we ended up winning by 35. 112-77. We were obviously the superior team and thankfully showed that in the second half. We now move on to play another ‘play-in’ series against a team from either Ukraine or Cyprus. I’ll find out tomorrow.

It’s never easy playing a game like we did tonight (one we were obviously supposed to win) after such an intense game on Sunday evening, but our team did a good job focusing in and getting the job done. Hopefully we can keep things going. We play on the road this coming Saturday for the Turkish League. It will by no means be an easy game, but I am hopeful we can play well.

Oh yea, I ended the game with 16 points and a good share of assists (I believe).  

Thankful for the game,
Joe

Big Win

We started the regular season tonight with a big victory over a strong Efes Pilsen team. The game was at home and the atmosphere a fun one. Final score Banvit 105 Efes 91.

Just so everyone understands, Efes Pilsen is not only one of the strongest teams in our league, but one of the strongest teams in all of Europe. So it was naturally a big win for us. We controlled the entire game. We really played well as a team. I ended up with 35 pts and 10 assists. One of my better nights, but still plenty of room for improvement. I am very thankful though and hopeful it is just the start of a great regular season.

This coming Tuesday, we play the second game against the Romania team. Essentially, we play one game at their place and another at our place. Whoever scores the most total points in the 2 games moves onto the next round. Considering we won the game away, we need to take care of business and play well Tuesday night. Then next weekend we are away in Konya for another tough game.

Thankful for the game,
Joe

Internet and Updates

Well, I now have Internet in my apartment, so updates were certainly be more consistent. Over the past few weeks we have managed to lose 3 straight in a preseason ‘cup’ tournament for Turkey. But we did emerge victorious last Tuesday against a team from Romania (on their home court). That game is a ‘play-in’ game for a European league that we would like to play in (though the travel isn’t much fun).

This coming Sunday, we have our first preseason game against a strong Efes Pielsen team. It’s a home game though, so I am hopeful we will have a solid performance. I’ll be sure to write an update soon after the game.

Checking out for now,
Joe