By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
In the first Istanbul derby of the 2018-2019 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, Anadolu Efes ended Fenerbahce‘s three-game winning streak, with an impressive 89 – 83 comeback win.
Even if Anadolu Efes trailed by 14 points after 20′, they came back in the third quarter with an incredible 18-2 run to level up the score (58-58). The hosts even went up ahead for the first time in the game (64-62) thanks to Bryan Dunston‘s lay-up.
Tibor Pleiss, Rodrigue Beaubois, and Vasilije Micic sparked Efes‘ 28-13 third-quarter run. With five minutes on the clock, Ergin Ataman’s team was leading by five points (73-68). In the final minutes of the contest, Beaubois’ perimeter shots, Moerman’s tough mid-range runners and Dunston‘s strength down low finished off Fenerbahce.
“In halftime, I told my players that it will be necessary to start the third period with energy. The game is 40 minutes, but we didn’t have any positive reaction and Anadolu Efes deserved to win the game,” said Fenerbahce’s head coach, Zeljko Obradovic after the game.
Although he did not start the game off on the right foot, Beaubois was Efes’ key player. The 30-year old guard put up 17 points and four assists, while Adrien Moerman added a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Dogus Balbay also helped the winners with his tight defense in the clutch moments. For the losing side, Jan Vesely almost reached a unique feat, as he flirted with a triple-double (24p., 8r., 7a.).
The first half was of the game was a totally different story. The visitors were incredibly dominant, as they managed to end the first quarter with a 14-point lead (12-26). With Jan Vesely leading the way, Fener shot an impressive 73.3% from the field in the first ten minutes and scored 26 points. By halftime, Zeljko Obradovic‘s team was up by 14 points (38-52) showcasing its offense.
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Photo Credit: Anadolu Efes