By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahçe Beko took the lead in the Turkish Basketball Super League semifinal series after a thrilling comeback victory over Anadolu Efes.
The defending champions rallied from an 18-point deficit and escaped with a dramatic 60-59 win.
Tarık Biberović and Nicolo Melli led Fenerbahçe with 16 points each, while PJ Dozier scored 17 points for Anadolu Efes.
Anadolu Efes came out firing, opening the game with a 15-2 run and building a 21-6 lead by the end of the first quarter. Fenerbahçe responded by winning the second period 15-13, but Efes still carried a comfortable 34-21 advantage into halftime.
Fenerbahçe began to chip away at the deficit in the third quarter, cutting the gap to 40-32. Anadolu Efes answered and appeared to regain control, stretching the lead back to 51-36 before the final period.
The hosts mounted one final push, opening the fourth quarter with a 14-3 run and eventually leveling the score at 54-54. Efes managed to move back in front, but Fenerbahçe had the final say. With five seconds remaining, Talen Horton-Tucker converted a game-winning three-point play to complete the comeback and hand Fenerbahçe a 1-0 series lead.
Playoffs
Quarterfinals (best-of-three)
Fenerbahce Beko – Safiport Erokspor 2-0 (94-72, 96-73)
Besiktas Gain – Galatasaray MCT Technic 2-1 (108-83, 75-78, 71-68)
Bahcesehir Koleji – Trabzonspor 2-0 (91-65, 94-78)
Anadolu Efes – Turk Telekom 2-0 (86-75, 77-70)
Semifinals (best-of-five)
Fenerbahce Beko – Anadolu Efes 1-0
Besiktas Gain – Bahcesehir Koleji
Finals (best-of-seven)
Semifinals winners
Make