Balıkesir BŞB secured an 85-91 victory over Ankara Kolejliler on Saturday evening in the Turkish Basketball League. The match took place on 3 October 2026, and the away side saw the game out after a tight contest. Ankara had started the evening as the higher-ranked side.
To be fair, the result shifted things in the table. Ankara remains ninth after 34 games with 16 wins and 18 defeats. Balıkesir stays fifteenth with thirteen victories and twenty-one losses. Neither side carries any draws, and the point totals reflect the same record.
By then, both teams had been through recent fixtures that told a similar story. Ankara lost 64-85 at Göztepe and 72-83 to Karadeniz Maraş, though they did beat Darüşşafaka 88-69 earlier. Balıkesir's run included a 69-79 loss to Karadeniz Maraş and a narrow 65-67 defeat against Darüşşafaka.
And here's the thing, the visitors kept their side in it when it mattered. We had tipped the hosts, with a 55 per cent confidence level, but the match went the other way. Balıkesir's away form has been steadier than the table suggests, and they took advantage.
The visitors had also lost 69-70 to Fenerbahçe 2 in their last league outing before this one. Ankara's recent results show a pattern of both wins and heavy defeats, including the 54-85 loss to Bordeaux back in May. This game felt closer than those earlier results imply.
The scoreline does not change either team's position dramatically, but it adds weight to Balıkesir's chances in the stretch runs. Ankara will need to tighten up defensively if they want to climb further. The gap between ninth and fifteenth is small, and games like this decide where the table heads.
