Galatasaray wins tense game in Belgrade against Red Star

BELGRADE

Red Star Belgrade supporters hold banners, reading ‘You live’ in front of a psoter of Marko Ivkovic, a Serbian supporter killed in Istanbul last November, ahead of the Euroleague Top 16 basketball match between Red Star andGalatasaray. AFP photo

Galatasaray Liv Hospital beat Serbia’s Red Star 65-74 Jan. 16 in a Turkish Airlines Euroleague Last 16 game marred by the murder of a Serbian fan in November.

The game was played in a tense atmosphere, with the Red Star fans burning a Galatasaray jersey in the stands before the game, while a pig’s leg was also thrown on the court. Besides those, there were no major security incidents.

A 25-year-old Red Star fan, Marko Ivkovic, was stabbed to death in clashes withGalatasaray supporters before a Euroleague group stage match on Nov. 21, 2014. 

An Istanbul prosecutor last week demanded an 18-year jail term for Kadri Aktaş, who is accused of killing Ivkovic, along with six others allegedly involved in the murder.  

The win improved Galatasaray to 2-1 and a share of second place in Group E, while Red Star remains winless in the Top 16. 

No team had more than a six-point advantage for 35 minutes during which the teams kept trading leads. Boban Marjanovic was a force inside for the host side, and a 7-0 run at the end of the second quarter put Red Star in front 35-33 at halftime. 

But Vladimir Micov was hot for Galatasaray, and Martynas Pocius fueled a late 2-12 run in the third quarter as the visitors took control, 45-51. 

Red Star never gave up, but Galatasaray scored on six consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter to pull away to a 10-point lead. 

Carlos Arroyo buried a three-pointer with 2 minutes to make it 59-69, and Justin Carter drove for a three-point play with 38 seconds to go to seal the outcome. 

Micov paced the winners with 12 points, Arroyo and Pocius each finished with 11, while Carter scored all of his 10 points in the final 5 minutes. 

For Red Star, Marjanovic collected 18 points plus 7 rebounds, and Marcus Williams scored 9 of his 12 in the fourth quarter. Maik Zirbes contributed with 9 points and 7 boards, while Nikola Kalinic also scored 9 in defeat.