By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Gustavo Ayon registered a near-perfect double-double to keep Real Madrid in the game and, in the end, led them over Anadolu Efes for an 84-82 win in Round 11 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
After bouncing back from a double-digit deficit, Sergio Llull nailed two free throws and put Real ahead 83-82 with 17 seconds remaining. In the following offense, Vasilije Micic tried a quick triple for Efes but he fell short.
Ayon scored game-high 20 points (10/11 from the field) along with 11 rebounds for a total PIR of 34, game-high as well. Llull helped with 12 points in addition to Trey Thompkins’ ten.
For Efes, Adrien Moerman put on the second-best performance of the night banking 19 points and ten rebounds for a 33 PIR. Micic added 15 and Shane Larkin 14 points.
Both squads were on fire right from the tip-off as they notched 17 points in the first two minutes (9-8) and went on to a tie at 23 after ten minutes. Sizzling Spaniards dropped 6/8 triples but Tibor Pleiss scored 11 points and kept Efes close.
The teams continued with the fast pace scoring 51 points in the second period (29-22) as two players, one on each side, ‘found the perfect groove’. It was Moerman’s 14 against Ayon’s 12 points, all without a missed shot but Efes eventually grabbed a 52-45 halftime lead.
Efes kept the rhythm after the break and banked five shots from deep on their way to a 74-60 lead in front of the final period. However, Real opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run and eventually decreased the deficit to just two points (79-77) after Thompkins’ triple bringing the game to an interesting finish.
Madrid improved to 9-2 temporarily stealing the first spot while Efes holds an 8-3 record now.
Photo Credit: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague