By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In a close game from the beginning, Anadolu Efes got the first win of the Turkish Basketball Super League 2022-23 Season, beating Galatasaray 77-68 with a great run in the last minutes of the fourth quarter.
Newcomers Ante Zicic (10 p., 9 r.) and Amath M’Baye (10 p., 13 r.) were essential, just like Elijah Bryant (12 p., 8 r., 5 a.) and Vasilije Micic (16 p., 5 a.). However, the MVP of the game was Rodrigue Beaubois, who finished with 21 points and 4 assists, shooting 5/9 from the perimeter.
Ergin Ataman was disappointed with the time chosen to play the Istanbul derby. “We live in Istanbul and we have many fans. We don’t play this kind of derby game again at 13.00. It’s a disrespect to our fans in Istanbul that the match starts at this hour. If this game was played at a normal time, there’d be at least 10,000 people in the hall today. I think the authorities will review it”, he said.
Sadik Emir Kabaca produced a 17 points-losing effort, while Braian Angola added with 13 points and 9 rebounds, but he wasn’t enough. The Dee Bost-Dylan Ennis backcourt had a rough shooting game, as they put up a combined 1/9 from three-point range.
“Anadolu Efes is better than us, and that’s why they won the game. We lost, but there’s no shame in it. We had a great performance today and we struggled to the end. I always ask my players to fight like this. There are still many things we need to be better at. We have a long process ahead of us, and I’m sure we’ll be much better”, coach Andreas Pistiolis said about the game.
Shane Larkin, who suffered a ligament injury in his middle and ring finger during EuroBasket 2022, wasn’t available for the game but he received a birthday gift, as the turns 30. Will Clyburn, Achille Polonara, Tibor Pleiss, and Bryan Dunston were sidelined as well due to the limitations of foreigners in the Turkish league.
Everyone was available for Galatasaray except for Jehyve Floyd, who will not be able to play for 4-6 weeks due to a fracture in the metatarsal bone.
After winning the President’s Cup against Fenerbahce and getting the first victory of the Turkish Basketball Super League 2022-23 Season, Ergin Ataman’s team will now prepare to host Crvena Zvezda on its 2022-23 EuroLeague debut, scheduled for 7th October at 19:30 CET.
Galatasaray, instead, will begin its 2022-23 Basketball Champions League campaign in Belgium: they will face Filou Oostende on 5th October at 20:00 CET.