By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
With five players scoring in double figures, Anadolu Efes crushed bottom-placed ALBA Berlin 98 – 73 to get back to EuroLeague wins and improve to 13-14.
ALBA dropped to 5 -22.
Jordan Nwora led a balanced Efes effort with 18 points on 4-5 triples along with seven rebounds.
Rolands Smits scored 17, Vincent Poirier had 16 points plus six rebounds, while Elijah Bryant and Derek Willis dropped 12 points apiece. Shane Larkin posted eight assists to go with his eight points.
“It was an all-around great effort from the whole team,” Nwora said. His team has now captured victories in seven of its last eight home games. “Hopefully, we’ll just keep it going to the next game. We have a team where everybody can step up every night.”
Yanni Wetzell stood out from ALBA with 20 points. David McKormack contributed 12 points and five rebounds.
“We need to improve our defense if we want to compete at this level,” ALBA coach Israel Gonzalez said. “This is very clear. We can’t make mistakes. We should be more solid.”
An outburst showing the way
The game was balanced until the mid of the first period when Efes made a 13-0 run over three minutes to move up 42 – 29 before closing halftime with a 48 – 35 advantage.
ALBA cut that margin to single digits in the third quarter, but Efes easily increased their advantage. Luca Banchi’s players proceeded to dominate down the stretch to turn the game into a rout.
“It’s never easy to approach the competition after a three-week break,” Banchi said. “Not easy to find a rhythm. I’d say that ALBA players who play with such freedom are the worst opponents you can find in this situation. We have seven games, and every night, we have to proceed with the same energy and desire to collect wins.”
Photo credit: EuroLeague