By Yiannis Bouranis/ info@eurohoops.net
With a decent performance for 40 minutes, Anadolu Efes prevailed over Olympiacos 68-81 and earned the second place in group B, while the Reds had already finished first. This was the sixth win for the visitors (6-4), whereas the Greeks ended the group stage with a 8-2 record.
For the winners, Dario Saric had 13 points and eight rebounds, with Thomas Heurtel also adding 13 and five assists. On the other hand, Daniel Hackett scored 19 points for the losing squad, as Giorgos Printezis scored 10 points and grabbed seven boards.
In the first half, Anadolu Efes had complete control of the game. The visitors quickly took a significant lead (2-8, 8-16), as the first quarter ended with the Turks in front by 11 (10-21). Later, the situation remained the same, as the hosts continued to play mediocre on both ends of the floor, with Dusan Ivkovic’s team easily retaining a double-digit lead (17-27, 25-37) and having an 11-point advantage, after 20 minutes in the game (29-40).
In the second half, Anadolu Efes was playing very well on both ends of the floor, as Olympiacos failed to find decent solutions offensively (35-45, 40-55). Consequently, the Turks retained their double-digit advantage at the end of the third quarter (54-64). In the fourth quarter, the visitors were still in front (56-66, 62-73), as the Reds couldn’t come closer and, consequently, nothing changed significantly, with Anadolu Efes claiming the easy win (68-81) and finishing second in the group.