By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
It wasn’t pretty but when all was said and done, Anadolu Efes got the job done over feisty Zalgiris Kaunas with both teams sharing a 3-4 record.
Ante Zizic and Shane Larkin with two big buckets gave Efes the 86-82 win after overtime.
Will Clyburn with 20 points was the top scorer of the winning side, Larkin had 14, Darius Thompson added 17, while Derek Willis had 11 and 10 rebounds.
“Obviously we needed this game, especially at home after taking the loss last week”, said Clyburn who admitted that the former back-to-back champs have a lot of things to improve.
As he added: “It’s all about getting better and better. Everybody is getting used to the system and getting used to everything that is going on. We’ve got a new team and there will be a lot of ups and downs. We just need to get used to playing with each other and get into the flow and just play.”
For the losing side, Keenan Evans had also 20 points but missed the shot that could have given Zalgiris an 85-84 lead, and practically that play was the guests’ last chance to steal the win.
Rolands Smits with 16 points and Tomas Disma with 15 also had a big night.
Zalgiris started the game leading 14-6, but after that, Efes got things in control for most of a game that ended up being a slugfest until the end.
The home team led by eight (38-26) at halftime and built a 15-point advantage (47-32) in the end, but Zalgiris didn’t back down.
The guests made it a three-point game (70-67) with three minutes left, trailed just by two (72-70) one minute later and Evans finally tied the score at 72, just 21 seconds before the final buzzer.
Larkin couldn’t score in the last shot of regulation and everything was decided in the extra five minutes with him redeeming himself.
“We need to protect our home court”
For Anadolu Efes coach Erdem Can, playing at home made the need for the win even more urgent: “[On our] home court, every single game is very important. We need to protect the home court. That’s the first thing. And there is a little bit of pressure in our minds about winning the game”.
And that’s why despite the win, coach Can wants improvement: “There were some points in the game where we were down but we couldn’t react well. This game as well. We gave up six threes in the fourth quarter to our opponent, but I think this overtime period is going to help us build a winning attitude and habit. That is also important.”