Three Turks take stage in EuroChallenge

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Pınar Karşıyaka will have to claim victories from its back-to-back travels in order to make it to the next round in the EuroChallenge competition. DHA photo

Three Turkish teams, Beşiktaş Milangaz, Türk Telekom and Pınar Karşıyaka, are taking the court in the EuroChallenge tonight.

Group B leader Beşiktaş Milangaz will visit Armia of Georgia, while Türk Telekom and Pınar Karşıyaka will play crucial games in their Group G battles.

Beşiktaş, with hopes to win the group, is yet to lose a game in the tournament. They play second-place Armia, who has three wins in four matches. Both teams are comfortable as Leiden and Göttingen hold no hope of making it to the next round.

A more intriguing challenge is presented in Group G, since all four teams, Türk Telekom, Pınar Karşıyaka, Minsk 2006 and Telekom Basket, are on a 2-2 winning record from four matches.

Türk Telekom welcomes Germany’s Telekom Baskets, while Pınar Karşıyaka visits Minsk 2006, hoping to get crucial wins for placing in the top two spots of the group.

Türk Telekom, hailing from Turkey’s capital of Ankara, has a significant advantage of playing its remaining two matches on its home court. Karşıyaka, after travelling to Belarus tonight, however, will have to visit German rivals Telekom Baskets on home ground Dec. 13.

The fourth Turkish team in the competition Olin Edirne has little chance of making it to the next round, since the northwestern team lost all four matches played in Group F. Olin Edirne hosts Aalstar of Belgium tomorrow, while Triumph of Russia welcomes Greek Cyprus’ Etha.

Triumph has a 4-0 winning record, while Aalstar and Etha both have two wins and two defeats.