By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Shaq McKissic scored 38 points as Besiktas beat Turkish BSL League defending champion and standings leader Anadolu Efes 104 – 98 on the road in overtime. This was just the second loss for Efes this season in Turkey.
During the 41:22 he spent on the floor, McKissic shot 10/11 2-pointers, 3/8 3-pointers and 9/11 free throws while grabbing eight rebounds and sending four assists to his teammates. He also scored the first basket of overtime plus the two free throws that put Besiktas up 91 – 98 with 50 seconds to play.
McKissic set a new personal record in BSL, passing his previous best of 30 points, he had notched in a 2016 Usak Sportif win over Fenerbahce Beko.
Efes, that was without star guard Shane Larkin, apart from guard Vasilije Micic and center Bryant Dunston, couldn’t come back from that deficit. Rodrigue Beaubois dropped 29 points, Krunoslav Simon 18 and Alec Peters 15 points, including the game-tying free throws with 10 seconds left in regulation. The hosts were up 76 – 69 until Besiktas made a 0-11 run thanks to six points by McKissic to take the lead.
Besiktas is now 7-9 while Efes remains the boss in the table at 15 – 2 and a two-win distance from second-placed Fenerbahce.