On
November 26, the 5th Ayva Cup for basketball got underway in the Main Sports Hall. Eight
university teams from two cities are in the chase for the Cup, including Bilkent,
Başkent, Boğaziçi, Hacettepe, ODTÜ, İTÜ, Koç and Sabancı. Bilkent hosted the first
cup round.
The first game saw Bilkent and Hacettepe University's women's teams square off. Bilkent
began the game with a one-to-one defense that led to a balanced game and a  score of 18 to 17 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw
Bilkent change their strategy to zone defense and use their point guards effectively.
However, these efforts fell short, as the first half ended with 38 to 28 lead for
Hacettepe. Through the third quarter, Bilkent dominated with effective pick n'rolls of
players, but in the last part they lost steam, and the game concluded with a final score
of 60 to 79. After the game, Hacettepe's coach told us that the aim of the tournament for
the players is to make new friends and get ready for upcoming cup games. He stated that
they are glad to be involved in such a great organization.
After the women's game, the men team took to the boards. Coach Kağan Eynak pointed out
that the Bilkent men’s team was the last Ayva Cup champion, so the primary goal of this
tournament is to remain at the top. Important games are coming up on December 10 and 14,
where Bilkent will try to qualify through Category C in the inter university games. This
means that the Ayva Cup will serve as a good test to find weaknesses and figure out
mistakes in order to be prepared.
 The game had a solid start with both teams offering up some tough defense.
Bilkent gained most of their points from the free-throw line. A last second, long range
shot reduced the opponents' lead to a mere two points by the end of the first quarter.
However, foul troubles and a lack of concentration plagued the team through the second
quarter. By half time, the score was 37 to 23 for Hacettepe. In the third quarter, Bilkent
was more effective on both ends of the floor, reducing the point gap to eight before the
last quarter. Despite giving it their all, and putting on a good show, Hacettepe pulled
off the win over Bilkent with a final score of 73 to 66.
Don’t miss the next games on Wednesday, December 5 at 5:30 p.m. with
METU (Men and Women).
Candost Volkan (IE/II)
Barış Kayaalp (ECON/II)
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