Basketball-Izmir stun Barcelona as CSKA thump Maccabi in Euroleague

By Zoran Milosavljevic BELGRADE, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Euroleague debutants Karsiyaka Izmir lit up the opening day of the season with a 71-62 home win over twice former winners Barcelona while CSKA Moscow blew away Maccabi Tel Aviv 100-69 in a heavyweight clash on Thursday. Red Star Belgrade also made a perfect start with an 81-59 home rout of Strasbourg on the back of 18 points and seven rebounds from German centre Maik Zirbes. Having beaten more fancied local rivals to win the Turkish league title last season, Karsiyaka continued to punch above their weight against formidable opposition. Forward Colton Iverson racked up 16 points and eight rebounds as the home side pulled away in the third quarter, when they outscored Barcelona 25-11. "It was a tough loss that we won't forget and we have to learn from this," Barcelona's Croatian centre Ante Tomic told the competition's website (www.euroleague.net). "A lot of things happened today. Too many turnovers, lack of inspiration in offence and the third quarter of course." CSKA, six times winners of Europe's elite club basketball competition, dominated throughout against a depleted Maccabi (five titles) missing several key players through injury. Five CSKA players finished with points tallies in double-figures, led by France guard Nando De Colo with 17 and Serbia playmaker Milos Teodosic who added 15 and five assists. Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, back at Maccabi for his second spell with the club after a brief stint in 2011, was a lone beacon of light for his side with 17 points. Red Star, who made wholesale changes during the off-season after losing towering centre Boban Marjanovic to five times former NBA champions San Antonio Spurs, overcame an early deficit against Strasbourg. Roared on by 15,000 fans in Belgrade's Kombank Arena, Red Star fired on all cylinders as Marjanovic's former understudy Zirbes dominated the paint, with captain Luka Mitrovic adding 13 points and six rebounds. "The atmosphere was fantastic and helped us look a better side," Red Star coach Dejan Radonjic told a news conference. "It was a morale-boosting win ahead of tougher games in a fiercely competitive group." Darussafaka Istanbul completed a memorable night for Turkey with an 83-74 overtime home win against Italians Dinamo Sassari and last season's runners-up Olympiakos Piraeus beat Croatians Cedevita Zagreb 76-61. Holders Real Madrid visit Russian side Khimki on the outskirts of Moscow and Fenerbahce Istanbul are at home to Bayern Munich in Friday's stand-out fixtures. (Editing by Toby Davis)