Turkey picked up a commanding win in their FIBA World Cup opener against Japan, thanks in large part to a star performance from Milwaukee Bucks veteran Ersan Ilyasova.
On what’s set to be a busy day for Milwaukee Bucks’ interest at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Ersan Ilyasova and Turkey got things underway in impressive fashion in the early hours of Sunday morning (U.S. time).
Turkey face a tough path to advance to the next round of the World Cup having been matched up in the same group as the U.S.A, Czech Republic, and Japan, but a convincing 88-65 win over the latter certainly leaves them in great shape coming out of Gameday 1.
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The Turks ran with a starting lineup of Anadolu Efes point guard Dogus Balbay, Fenerbahce shooting guard Melih Mahmutoglu, Cleveland Cavaliers wing, Cedi Osman, Pinar Karsiyaka veteran center Semih Erden and, of course, Ilyasova at the power forward spot.
From the Japanese perspective, NBA fans will undoubtedly have been most familiar with forward Rui Hachimura, who was selected ninth overall by the Wizards in this year’s draft, and Yuta Watanabe, a wing entering the second year of a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies.
When the game tipped off, some nerves may have been expected with it being the opening action of the World Cup for both teams, but there was no such problem for Turkey as they began to assert themselves immediately.
Pushing the pace from the start in a noticeable fashion, Turkey got out to an 11-3 lead forcing an early timeout from Japan. Once the action restarted after that early break, Ilyasova found his groove and began to leave his imprint on the game.
A soft stepback jumper from the free throw line opened up the 32-year-old’s scoring account, and from there his range quickly expanded. Before the first quarter had come to an end, Ilyasova had added a couple of pull-up three-pointers, with the latter of that pair arriving in transition.
The opening quarter came to an end following an emphatic block from behind from Ilyasova, which left Turkey with a 28-12 lead.
Having played the entirety of the first period, Ilyasova remained on the floor to start the second. Along with Ilyasova, Mahmutoglu, a two-time three-point shooting champion in Turkey, fueled the team’s efforts with red-hot three-point shooting.
Ilyasova was proving to be no slouch with his own long-range shooting, though, as he added another triple from the wing in the second quarter. As something of the cherry on top of his first half effort, Ilyasova drew a customary offensive foul on an opponent before going to the bench for his first rest with 7:41 remaining in the second quarter.
Aside from his offense, Ilyasova’s lockdown defense on Hachimura had played a big part in Turkey’s first half success. When Ilyasova returned with just under two minutes remaining in the second quarter, though, the 21-year-old began to fight back.
As Hachimura barrelled into the paint, Ilyasova set himself to take a charge and went tumbling backwards behind the baseline, but with a no-call from the officials, Hachimura was left with an easy dunk. On the next possession down the floor, Hachimura found himself facing Ilyasova one-on-one in transition, and responded with an emphatic dunk over the top of the veteran’s head.
Some signs of a Japanese rally moving into the interval left the score at 47-35, meaning Turkey would still be required to take care of business in the second half.
With that under consideration, Ilyasova remained a central figure for Turkey through both the third and fourth quarter, as even when his fellow starters enjoyed extended periods of rest, the Bucks’ big man was entrusted with maintaining Turkey’s advantage.
Providing a strong presence on the glass, including a trademark tip-in offensive rebound off a teammate’s missed free throw, and continuing to pour in threes with a pair of creative step-back makes from beyond the arc, Ilyasova remained the beating heart of Turkey’s best spells of play.
Ultimately, that allowed Turkey to cruise to a comfortable win under very little pressure from the Japanese, and for Ilyasova to finish up as the game’s undoubted star man.
After 30:13 of action, Ilyasova finished as the game’s high-scorer with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, and 5-of-9 from deep, while also contributing 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, along with a +23 in the box score.
Next up for Turkey is a much sterner test against U.S.A. Basketball on Tuesday with a 7.30am Central Time tip on the schedule.