AEK had one of their best performances this year, beating Galatasaray (81-71) through Istanbul on the second day of the Basketball Champions League Top 16. The defense and Dimitris Flionis (incredible performance when he missed the triple double for an assist!) laid the foundations for victory in the first half before the baton passed to Achille Mitchell and Janis Strelnieks, who came on delightfully and dominantly after the break.

With this double (but also thanks to the +10), AEK puts themselves in a strong position against Galatasaray in everything to do with qualifying for the Final Eight and shows that they are capable of going all the way to the advance basketball champions league.

The placement in the group

1. Unicaja Malaga 2-0
2. AEK 1-1
3. Galatasaray 1-1
4. Limoges 0-2

The race

AEK managed to control the pace of the game from the first minutes and didn’t let Galatasaray make the transition. This fact, along with the home side’s regional failures, allowed Elias Kanzouris’ team to stay close at the end of the first period (19-18 at 10′), with Akil Mitchell scoring a breakthrough in rebounds.

The same pattern continued in the second quarter, with Dimitris Flionis now taking a step forward and with his exuberant game (8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) giving the yellow-blacks additional solutions on their way to -1 (36- 35) the break, despite a 5/16 three.

After returning from the dressing room, Galatasaray was much more consistent on the outside, but so was AEK. Thanks to Kostas Papadakis. The National Guard scored two threes in the transition phase and was an important part of the lead for the Union (46:50 in the 25th minute), which they didn’t let go of until the final.

Sometimes Janis Strelnieks and sometimes Akil Mitchell made sure Galatasaray didn’t turn the game upside down, with the Yellow-Black lead reaching 1’24” from time thanks to a basket from Achille Mitchell +7 (68-75). Somewhere in there the epilogue basically came in, with the consequence of the staff line helping AEK hold the achievements to the end, on the way to a really big win.

THE REFEREES: Conte-Glicic-Maestre.

THE DECADES: 19-18, 36-35, 57-61, 71-81.

GALATASARAI (Pistiolis): Caleiro 10 (2), Ennis 18 (3/10 trebles), Kampatza 11 (1), Koksal 10 (2/7 trebles), Russell 6 (3/6 twos, 0/ 6 trebles, 3 assists) , Floyd 2, McGee 2 (0/5 shooting, 2/2 shots), Mustafa 2, Ristic 10 (2 threes, 12 rebounds).

AEK (Kantzouris): Flionis 11 (1 three-pointer, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers), Jankovic 7 (1), McGriff 4, Mitchell 19 (8/12 2-pointers, 3/4 shots, 13 rebounds) , Williams 8 (2/11 shots, 2/2 shots), Frazier 3 (1), Gondikas, Miles 3 (1/8 shots), Papadakis 6 (2), Petropoulos, Strelnieks 18 (2/3 2-pointers, 4/6 3-pointers, 2/2 shots), Xanthopoulos 2.

Galatasaray team statistics: 15/32 2-pointers, 10/36 3-pointers, 11/14 shots, 33 rebounds (24 defense + 9 offense), 14 assists, 7 turnovers, 7 steals, 2 blocks.

Team stats from AEK: 19/39 2-pointers, 12/31 3-pointers, 7/10 shots, 49 rebounds (32 defense + 17 offense), 19 assists, 13 turnovers, 6 steals, 3 blocks.

The next games of the two teams: Next week, AEK host Limoges (7/2, 19.30 CET) while Galatasaray are tested away against Unicaja Malaga (8/2, 21.30 CET).