By Eurohoops team/info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes beat Emporio Armani Milano 89-73, behind a tremendous fourth quarter (20-10), to claim their second victory in Group B, in a match where both teams had a high percentage from the three-point range (Efes-54%, Armani- 44%).
For the winners, Jon Diebler was the top scorer with 17 points, while three more players were in double digits. On the other hand, Alessandro Gentile had 22 points and Milan Macvan added 18 for the losing squad.
In the beginning, no team could take a significant advantage, as both Efes and Armani were finding a way to score (11-10, 14-15). As a result, the first quarter ended with the Turkish team in front by just one point (21-20). Later, Anadolu Efes played good defence and took a seven-point lead (32-25), however the Italians responded immediately. With a 3-9 run, they cut the deficit to just one point (35-34) and remained competitive until the end of the first half, which saw Dusan Ivkovic’s team still having an one-point lead (43-42).
In the third quarter, the match continued to be a derby (51-51, 56-56), but the Turks made a 13-7 run and took a six-point advantage after 30 minutes in the game (69-63). In the last quarter, Armani came back again (69-68), but Anadolu Efes responded with a 10-0 run (79-68) and never looked back. The Italians were unable to come back again and Anadolu Efes easily earned their second victory in Group B.