Karşıyaka seeks ticket to final four

İZMİR

The playoff series between Pınar Karşıyaka and Levallois are tied at 1-1 in the Eurochallenge, the third-tier competition in European club basketball.

Pınar Karşıyaka will be gunning for victory tonight in a bid to book its ticket to the Eurochallenge Final Four when it meets France’s Levallois in İzmir.

The Turkish men’s basketball team is tied with the Parisians 1-1 in the best-of-three series in the third-tier European club competition.

Although it entered the series with home court advantage, Pınar Karşıyaka squandered its chances last week when it lost the series’ opener 76-74 in İzmir. However, just two days later, Pınar Karşıyaka bounced back and beat Levallois 72-66 in the second game in Paris.

Pınar Karşıyaka coach Ufuk Sarıca said the team passed the character test after losing the first game at home.
“We dominated the second game, bouncing back from the shock in just one day,” Sarıca told Anatolia news agency last week. “Now we have one more shot. We will win on Tuesday to be one of the top four teams.”

The Eurochallenge stands behind the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocup as the third-level club competition in European basketball. Last year, Beşiktaş became the first Turkish team to clinch the trophy. This time, Pınar Karşıyaka will hope to keep the trophy in Turkey.

The Aegean side will hope for another strong performance from American power forward William Thomas, who was voted most valuable player for two straight Eurochallenge nights.

The competition’s official website called Thomas “the undisputed king of the Eurochallenge quarterfinal playoffs.”

The 26-year-old power forward had 22 points and eight rebounds in a 72-66 win in Paris.

The winner of the Pınar Karşıyaka vs. Levallois tie will meet the winner of the Ewe Baskets vs. BC Khimki Yuzhne tie in the Final Four.

France’s Gravelines Dunkerque and Russia’s Krasnye Krylia have already booked their places in the Final Four.
Tonight’s game at Karşıyaka Arena starts at 8 p.m.