By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Jonah Matthews scored 28 points as Besiktas defeated Anadolu Efes 82 – 75 in Game 5 of the Turkish BSL League semifinalks to win the series 3-2 and advance to the Finals.
Besiktas hadn’t been in the Finals after 2017. Dusan Alimpijevic’s team will face reigning champion Fenerbahce Beko for the title.
Efes, on the other hand, remains out of the series for the first time since 2018.
Yigit Arslan added 17 points and eight rebounds for Besiktas. PJ Dozier led Efes with 21 points while Dan Oturu had 13 points and eight rebounds.
Besiktas led even by 13 points, going up 68 – 55 near the end of the third quarter. Efes cut that deficit to 66-65 but the hosts responded with an 8-0 run and kept their advantage for the rest of the game.
The game was attended by Houston Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun. The Turkish big man was named BSL MVP with Besiktas in 2021 before he moved to the NBA.