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Turk Telekom kept its momentum in the BKT EuroCup by defeating British side London Lions 89-77 on the road, wrapping up Week 5 in Group B with an important away victory. The Ankara club, representing Türkiye in the competition, controlled the second half at Copper Box Arena and moved to three wins in a row, while the hosts suffered their third defeat.
The match started as a low-scoring and balanced contest, with Turk Telekom edging the first quarter 16-14 and keeping the tempo under control. London Lions, one of the leading clubs of British basketball, tried to speed up the game but Telekom managed to answer through its guards.
The first half closed 45-42 in favor of the visitors, which meant the Turkish side had already found ways to score inside and outside despite playing in a physical arena.
After the break, Turk Telekom raised its defensive intensity and widened the gap to 72-60 at the end of the third quarter, a stretch that effectively broke the resistance of the London team.
American guard Kyle Allman became the main figure of the night with 22 points and 6 assists, driving to the basket, creating shots for teammates and keeping Telekom in rhythm when the Lions tried to rally. He was followed by Jaleen Smith with 18 points, while big man Kyle Alexander produced a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, giving the visitors a reliable presence under the rim.
London Lions stayed in the game mainly through Joel Scott and Kameron McGusty, who both finished with 16 points. Their scoring, however, was not enough to close the gap once Telekom pushed the lead into double digits in the third quarter.
The British club, which has been investing in European competition in recent seasons, could not turn home-court advantage into a late comeback.
The BKT EuroCup is the second-tier club tournament of European basketball, organized under Euroleague Basketball. It gathers high-level teams from across the continent and often serves as a platform for clubs from Türkiye, the U.K. and other European leagues to test themselves internationally. Group B is one of the round-robin groups in the regular season, where every win away from home carries extra weight because of future tiebreakers.
With this result, Turk Telekom completed its Week 5 fixture on a high note and will now host Panionios in its next game, aiming to keep the winning run alive. London Lions, after taking their third loss of the group stage, will prepare to face German side ratiopharm Ulm in order to bounce back and stay in the qualification race.
Quarter scores
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