By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
FC Bayern Munich emerged with a second-half comeback to end Anadolu Efes’ 8-game winning streak on Friday, with an 80-79 victory in Round 30 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Shane Larkin (16 points) missed a crucial three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining in the game, but Vasilije Micic was there to restore Efes’ advantage and place them ahead by one point with only 11 seconds left, though a pair of throws by Vladimir Lucic sealed the final win for Bayern.
Lucic paved the way for Bayern with 18 points and a key contribution in crunchtime, Jalen Reynolds followed with 14 points and 9 rebounds while Wade Baldwin and Paul Zipser posted 12 points apiece and Bayern improved to a 19-11 record.
After trailing 37-46 at halftime, the German side stormed into the second half to get its first lead and managed to keep Efes at bay with nearly perfect defense in the fourth quarter.
“I have a film [in my mind] of many big plays, and I believe every player that played made a big play. It was unbelievably difficult. They played great, every time we made a mistake they scored. But at the end, we hate to lose. The last defensive play was amazing from Nick Weiler-Babb. It’s a great win. It looks great, it feels even better. [What does this win mean?] Tomorrow, we have a practice”, said coach Andrea Trinchieri.
Vasilije Micic tried to save the day for Efes with a 19-point performance though it wasn’t enough in the end, as the Germans managed to tame the unstoppable Ergin Ataman squad.
Rodrigue Beaubois followed with 14 points and Adrien Moerman had 8 points as Efes now falls to a 19-11 record
Photo: EuroLeague