Coleby, Knowles clash on the court in Turkey

There was a clash between Bahamian professional basketball players in Turkey as Dwight Coleby and his team, Merkezefendi Belediyesi Denizli Basket, got the better of Zane Knowles and his team, Balikesir Büyükşehir Belediyespor, 93-82, on Denizli’s home court, at Pamukkale Üniversitesi Spor Salonu, in Denizli, Turkey, on Saturday afternoon.

Both Bahamians finished the game with a baker’s dozen. Coleby, the league’s leading rebounder, was able to finish with a double-double as he pulled down a game-high 15 boards – 13 defensive and two on the offensive side to go along with his 12 points. Coleby shot 4-for-9 from the field and had one block in 27 minutes of play.

Knowles finished the game shooting 5-for-8 from the field. He had six boards to go with his 12 points in 24 minutes of play.

With that win, Denizli now sports a 5-5 win/loss record, sitting in 12th place in the Turkish Basketball League (TBL), the second tier of men’s basketball in Turkey. For Balikesir, they dropped to 7-4 in the standings and sit in second place.

The home team took care of the boards as they held a 40-31 advantage over the visitors. Another huge difference in the game for Denizli was their performance from behind the three-point arc as they went 18-for-32, shooting a blistering 56.3 percent. Balikesir finished 9-for-23 from three-point territory, shooting 39.1 percent.

Coleby scored his first bucket of the game with 7:41 remaining in the first quarter to help his team take a 7-2 lead. Knowles responded to that basket 17 seconds later with an and-one play to cut the deficit to 7-5.

The home team never gave up the lead. They led 28-21 at the end of the first quarter, but the lead was cut down to two points at the half, 47-45. A 46-37 second half advantage enabled Denizli to blow the game open, picking up a much needed victory.

Knowles will return to action on Saturday in their last game for 2020. His team takes on Akhisar Belediye Basketbol in a home matchup at the Kurtdereli Spor Salonu in Balikesir, Turkey. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. Turkey time, eight hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST) here in The Bahamas.

Also in action on Saturday will be Coleby and Denizli as they play Samsunspor at Mustafa Dağıstanlı Spor Salonu in Samsun, Turkey. That game gets underway at 5:30 p.m., Turkey time, eight hours ahead of EST in The Bahamas.

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