TBL Round 7 (Regular Season): Mersin Spor keeps a leadership position

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked Mersin Spor as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Mersin Spor defeated 12th ranked Darussafaka at home 95-82. Mersin Spor outrebounded Darussafaka 34-19 including 23 on the defensive glass. Mersin Spor looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. It was a great evening for American power forward Kruize Pinkins (203-1993, college: USF) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds. His fellow American import point guard Mike Smith (180-1997, college: Michigan, agency: Octagon Europe) helped adding 17 points and 9 assists. At the losing side American point guard Josh Sharkey (175-1997, college: Samford) responded with 19 points and 9 assists. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Undefeated Mersin Spor (6-0) have an impressive series of six victories in a row. As mentioned above they are alone now at the top position. Darussafaka lost fourth consecutive game. They dropped to the thirteenth place with five games lost. They share the position with Balikesir BBS and Cedi Osman. Darussafaka will play next round against Buyukcekmece trying to get back on the winning streak. It will be a derby game for which supporters look forward to, where their team will face at home their local rival from Istanbul - Buyukcekmece. Mersin Spor will try to continue on its current victory against second ranked Kipas in Kahramanmaras.
Very significant was Kipas' (#4) 74-69 road victory against 3rd placed Haremspor. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Haremspor. It was a key game for the second position in the league. It was an exceptional evening for American point guard Brandon Jefferson (175-1991, college: MSU Denver) who led the winners and scored 21 points and 8 rebounds. Burak Gozeneli accounted for 19 points. American point guard Sam Sessoms (182-1999, college: Coppin St.) came up with 28 points for Haremspor in the defeat. The victory was the sixth consecutive win for Kipas. They moved-up to second place. Haremspor at the other side dropped to the fourth position with two games lost. Kipas will play against league's leader Mersin Spor at home in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Haremspor will play against TED Ankara and hopes to get back on the winning track.
A very close game took place in Istanbul between Fenerbahce 2 and Buyukcekmece. Twelfth ranked Fenerbahce 2 (3-4) got a very close victory on the road over higher ranked Buyukcekmece (4-2). Fenerbahce 2 managed to escape with a 2-point win 87-85 on Saturday evening. Demircan Demir fired 25 points and 4 assists for the winners. Fenerbahce 2's coach Omer Ugurata used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. Julien Ducree produced 20 points and 7 rebounds for lost side. Fenerbahce 2 moved-up to tenth place, which they share with TED Ankara. Loser Buyukcekmece keeps the fifth position with two games lost. Fenerbahce 2 will meet at home Ormanspor (#12) in the next round. Buyukcekmece's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Istanbul to the arena Darussafaka.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 7: TED Ankara won against Cedi Osman on the opponent's court 72-63. Final Spor managed to outperform Balikesir BBS in a home game 68-52. Bottom-ranked Kecioren was rolled over Goztepe on the road 103-84. Ankaragucu defeated Konya BBSK on its own court 93-88. Gaziantep was beaten by Ormanspor in Ankara 89-85.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 30 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists by Diante Watkins of Ormanspor.



Buyukcekmece - Fenerbahce 2 85-87:
A very close game took place in Istanbul between Fenerbahce 2 and Buyukcekmece. Twelfth ranked Fenerbahce 2 (3-4) got a very close victory on the road over higher ranked Buyukcekmece (4-2). Fenerbahce 2 managed to escape with a 2-point win 87-85 on Saturday evening. Fenerbahce 2 looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. Demircan Demir (190-2004) fired 25 points and 4 assists for the winners. Guard Bartu Encu (188-2005) chipped in 15 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Fenerbahce 2's coach Omer Ugurata used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. American power forward Julien Ducree (206-1997, college: Utah Tech) produced 20 points and 7 rebounds and naturalized German guard Kerem Ozel (183-1997) added 15 points and 8 assists respectively for lost side. Four Fenerbahce 2 and five Buyukcekmece players scored in double figures. Fenerbahce 2 moved-up to tenth place, which they share with TED Ankara. Loser Buyukcekmece keeps the fifth position with two games lost. Fenerbahce 2 will meet at home Ormanspor (#12) in the next round. Buyukcekmece's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Istanbul to the arena Darussafaka.
Top scorers:
Fenerbahce 2: D.Demircan 25+3reb+4ast, H.Justyn 16+7reb+2ast, B.Encu 15+6reb+9ast, O.Ahmet 13+4reb+3ast, P.Erik 7+3reb+5ast, D.Eren 5+5reb+2ast
Buyukcekmece: J.Ducree 20+7reb, J.Barnes 18+1reb+7ast, K.Ozel 15+3reb+8ast, O.Baykan 13+2reb+1ast, M.Basturk 12+6reb+3ast, C.Evran 5+1reb+2ast

Cedi Osman - TED Ankara 63-72:
Everything could happen in Istanbul at the game between two tied teams. Both eleventh ranked TED Ankara and 10th ranked Cedi Osman had identical 2-4 record. But Cedi Osman was not able to use a home court advantage and was defeated by the opponent from Ankara 72-63 on Saturday night. TED Ankara dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Cedi Osman's 36. They outrebounded Cedi Osman 44-30 including a 32-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. American point guard Maurice Watson (178-1993, college: Creighton) fired 22 points and 4 assists for the winners. Swingman Burak Erol (197-1988) chipped in 8 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. TED Ankara's coach Hasan Karabulut allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Nigerian-American center Josh Nzeakor (203-1997, college: Lamar, agency: G.A.M.E) produced 10 points and 9 rebounds and swingman Omercan Engin (198-1998) added 10 points and 4 assists respectively for lost side. TED Ankara (3-4) moved-up to tenth place, which they share with Fenerbahce 2. Loser Cedi Osman dropped to the thirteenth position with five games lost. They share it with Darussafaka and Balikesir BBS. TED Ankara will meet at home higher ranked Haremspor (#4) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Cedi Osman will play against Balikesir BBS (#14) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
TED Ankara: W.Maurice 22+4reb+4ast, E.Caner 13+3reb, C.Vitalis 11+10reb+1ast, E.Burak 8+7reb+9ast, Y.Gokhan 7+2reb, T.Ayyildiz 5+5reb+2ast
Cedi Osman: K.Sherrill 13+1ast, J.Nzeakor 10+9reb+1ast, O.Engin 10+2reb+4ast, Y.Aksu 7+1reb+2ast, U.Gecen 7+2reb+1ast, A.Isik 6+5reb+3ast

Final Spor - Balikesir BBS 68-52:
Very predictable result in Bursa where ninth ranked Final Spor (4-3) defeated 14th ranked Balikesir BBS (2-5) 68-52 on Sunday. Point guard Ali Efe Baris (193-2001) fired a double-double by scoring 12 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. American point guard Fred Cleveland Jr (178-2001, college: NCCU) chipped in 17 points. American forward Jaquan Scott (203-2001, college: UAPB) produced 9 points and 13 rebounds and the other American import point guard Christian Bradford (185-1995, college: Radford) added 10 points and 5 rebounds respectively for lost side. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Final Spor moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Gaziantep. Loser Balikesir BBS dropped to the thirteenth position with five games lost. They share it with Darussafaka and Cedi Osman. Final Spor will meet bottom-ranked Kecioren (#17) in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Balikesir BBS will play against Cedi Osman (#13) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Final Spor: C.Fred 17+3reb+3ast, G.Karl 12+2reb, E.Ali 12+11reb+3ast, H.Gokay 8+5reb, E.Tayfun 6+4reb+7ast, A.Kaya 5+5reb+2ast
Balikesir BBS: C.Bradford 10+5reb+1ast, J.Scott 9+13reb+2ast, A.Gunes 8+1reb+3ast, C.Kucukozkan 7+3reb+1ast, U.Ertan 6+1reb, E.Gokturk 4+2reb

Goztepe - Kecioren 103-84:
Not a big story in a game in Izmir where 17th ranked Kecioren (1-6) was rolled over by fifth ranked Goztepe (5-1) 103-84 on Saturday. Goztepe looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. American-Central African guard Isaiah Washington (185-1998, college: LBSU) fired 20 points for the winners. American center Jamari Traylor (203-1992, college: Kansas) chipped in 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Four Goztepe players scored in double figures. American guard Kahlil Dukes (183-1995, college: Niagara) produced 28 points and 6 assists and the other American import center Eric Buckner (208-1990, college: Georgia St.) added 14 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for lost side. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Goztepe moved-up to third place. Kecioren lost their sixth game in a row. Newly promoted team stay at the bottom position with six games lost. Goztepe will meet Konya BBSK (#16) on the road in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Kecioren will play against Final Spor and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Goztepe: W.Isaiah 20+4reb+3ast, S.Emir 15+2reb+5ast, C.Ahmet 14+3reb+4ast, B.Ragip 13+1reb, T.Jamari 11+9reb+4ast, D.Savut 7+4reb
Kecioren: K.Dukes 28+3reb+6ast, E.Buckner 14+9reb+5ast, I.Zahid 9+6reb, G.Oktay 8+3reb+5ast, H.Avci 7+3reb+2ast, M.Konuk 7

Haremspor - Kipas 69-74:
Very significant was Kipas' (#4) 74-69 road victory against 3rd placed Haremspor. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Haremspor. It was a key game for the second position in the league. It was an exceptional evening for American point guard Brandon Jefferson (175-1991, college: MSU Denver) who led the winners and scored 21 points and 8 rebounds. point guard Burak Gozeneli (190-2000) accounted for 19 points for the winning side. American point guard Sam Sessoms (182-1999, college: Coppin St.) came up with 28 points and Senegalese center Abdoulaye Gueye (206-1994, college: Georgia Tech) added 12 points and 13 rebounds respectively for Haremspor in the defeat. The victory was the sixth consecutive win for Kipas. They moved-up to second place. Haremspor at the other side dropped to the fourth position with two games lost. Kipas will play against league's leader Mersin Spor at home in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Haremspor will play against TED Ankara and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Kipas: J.Brandon 21+8reb+3ast, G.Burak 19+3reb+3ast, N.Ike 16+8reb+1ast, A.Ismet 7+2reb, K.Cekici 7+10reb+2ast, O.Arda 2
Haremspor: S.Sessoms 28+3ast, A.Gueye 12+13reb+1ast, C.Havsa 11+7reb+2ast, A.Berke 6+3reb+1ast, H.Yapar 4+2reb, M.Turen 2+5reb+2ast

Mersin Spor - Darussafaka 95-82:
The game had a very big importance for second-ranked Mersin Spor as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Mersin Spor defeated 12th ranked Darussafaka at home 95-82. Mersin Spor outrebounded Darussafaka 34-19 including 23 on the defensive glass. Mersin Spor looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. It was a great evening for American power forward Kruize Pinkins (203-1993, college: USF) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds. His fellow American import point guard Mike Smith (180-1997, college: Michigan, agency: Octagon Europe) helped adding 17 points and 9 assists. At the losing side American point guard Josh Sharkey (175-1997, college: Samford) responded with 19 points and 9 assists and center Ismail Karabilen (206-2001) scored 16 points and 8 rebounds. Five Mersin Spor and four Darussafaka players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Mersin Spor (6-0) have an impressive series of six victories in a row. As mentioned above they are alone now at the top position. Darussafaka lost fourth consecutive game. They dropped to the thirteenth place with five games lost. They share the position with Balikesir BBS and Cedi Osman. Darussafaka will play next round against Buyukcekmece trying to get back on the winning streak. It will be a derby game for which supporters look forward to, where their team will face at home their local rival from Istanbul - Buyukcekmece. Mersin Spor will try to continue on its current victory against second ranked Kipas in Kahramanmaras.
Top scorers:
Mersin Spor: P.Kruize 20+10reb+2ast, S.Mike 17+9ast, K.Alp 16+4reb+2ast, E.Dorukhan 13+3reb+1ast, T.Arca 10+3reb+2ast, S.Yigit 7+2reb+2ast
Darussafaka: J.Sharkey 19+2reb+9ast, K.Ismail 16+8reb, E.Eskinazi 15+1reb, M.Sert 10+5reb+7ast, E.Ilyem 9, T.Crews 8+2ast

Ankaragucu - Konya BBSK 93-88:
Everything went according to plan when tenth ranked Ankaragucu (3-3) beat at home 16th ranked Konya BBSK (1-5) 93-88 on Saturday. However just five-point win is not that big difference and the fans of host team counted on more convincing victory. Strangely Konya BBSK outrebounded Ankaragucu 43-30 including 16 on the offensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. Inanc Hotamis (203-2001) fired 34 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds for the winners. Georgian-American point guard Jacob Pullen (183-1989, college: Kansas St., agency: AltusBasket) chipped in 28 points and 7 assists. Ankaragucu's coach Mustafa Aydanarig allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. American power forward Jack Hemphill (208-1999, college: SFC) produced a double-double by scoring 30 points and 14 rebounds and Yigit Coban (208-2002) added 17 points and 14 rebounds respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. The victory was the third consecutive win for Ankaragucu. They moved-up to eighth place, which they share with iLab. Konya BBSK lost their fifth game in a row. They keep the sixteenth position with five games lost. Ankaragucu will meet iLab (#9) in the next round. Konya BBSK will play against Goztepe (#3) and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Ankaragucu: I.Hotamis 34+9reb+1ast, P.Jacob 28+1reb+7ast, T.Ramazan 10+8reb+2ast, S.Bora 10+3reb+4ast, H.Tyler 6+4ast, K.Tolga 3+3reb+5ast
Konya BBSK: J.Hemphill 30+14reb+2ast, J.Ray 20+2reb+7ast, C.Yigit 17+14reb+2ast, C.Ivedi 10+7reb, D.Okay 6+2reb+1ast, A.Erdek 5+3reb+2ast

Ormanspor - Gaziantep 89-85:
There was an upset in Ankara where higher ranked Gaziantep (4-3) was defeated by fifteenth ranked Ormanspor (2-4) 89-85 on Saturday. Ormanspor made 26-of-29 free shots (89.7 percent) during the game. Ormanspor had a 30-19 advantage in offensive rebounds. Americans were the main players on the court. point guard Diante Watkins (175-1990, college: RMU) fired 30 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists for the winners. Tobin Carberry (192-1991, college: LIU Post) chipped in 22 points and 4 assists. Carberry is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four Ormanspor players scored in double figures. Jarmar Gulley (196-1991, college: Missouri St.) produced 23 points and 6 rebounds and guard Scoochie Smith (191-1994, college: Dayton) added 19 points and 7 assists (made all of his eight free throws) respectively for lost side. Gaziantep's coach Sinan Celik rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Ormanspor moved-up to twelfth place. Loser Gaziantep keeps the sixth position with three games lost. They share it with Final Spor. Ormanspor will meet higher ranked Fenerbahce 2 (#10) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Gaziantep will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Ormanspor: W.Diante 30+6reb+9ast, C.Tobin 22+3reb+4ast, B.Tolga 11+7reb, K.Uzunhasan 10+10reb+3ast, G.Mustafa 8+2reb, G.Alihan 4
Gaziantep: J.Gulley 23+6reb+3ast, S.Geyik 19+10reb, S.Smith 19+4reb+7ast, E.Tanisan 6+4reb+1ast, C.Coskun 5+4reb+2ast, I.Yilmaz 4+1ast