By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Preparing to dive into the Ing Erkekler Turkiye Cup, Anadolu Efes added to defending the Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi championship with a winning display in Sinan Erdem Dome on Sunday.
In Round 20 of the domestic league’s Regular Season, Efes held on for the 95-92 victory against Galatasaray Ekmas. Peaking the lead at 18 points behind effective shooting, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague outfit was up by a margin of 13 points in the fourth quarter. A late rally by the Lions shrank the advantage to two points but no further.
Elijah Bryant paired 19 points with 14 rebounds and Darius Thompson posted a 17-point, 12-assist double-double. Tibor Pleiss threw in a new individual best for the 2023-24 campaign with 22 points. On the losing end of the Istanbul derby, Klemen Prepelic scored a season-high 29 points.
Moving to Konya for Cup action, both sides will play on Tuesday. The team guided by Tomislav Mijatovic faces Manisa and Galata take on Pinar Karsiyaka. The bracket sets up a semifinal clash between the winners in Karatay Spor ve Kongre Merkezi on Friday.
Fenerbahce rocks in Samsun
Heading to a Cup meeting opposite Aliaga Petkimspor on Wednesday, Fenerbahce Beko pulled away in the second half for a comfortable win, 96-75, against Reeder Samsunspor in Mustafa Dagistanli Spor Salonu and rejoined Efes on top of the standings.
Ballooning the lead, Johnathan Motley and Tarik Biberovic scored 11 points each in the third quarter. The Baylor product finished with a game-high 18 points behind 7/8 two-pointers. Stashed by the Memphis Grizzlies after being selected with the 56th pick of the 2023 NBA draft, Biberovic registered 15 points with 5/7 field goals, including three triples.
For the hosts, sitting at the bottom of the table with a 3-17 W-L tally, Sek Henry and Eric Washington shared a team-high 17 points.
BSL Round 20
Bahcesehir Koleji – Turk Telekom 90-92 OT (81-81)
Pinar Karsiyaka – Darussafaka Lassa 86-98
Yukatel Merkezefendi – Manisa 82-68
Besiktas Emlakjet – Onvo Buyukcekmece 85-72
Galatasaray Ekmas – Anadolu Efes 92-95
Reeder Samsunspor – Fenerbahce Beko 75-96
Tofas – Aliaga Petkimspor (16:00 CET)
Cagdas Bodrum Spor – Bursaspor Info Yatirim (12/2)
STANDINGS: Anadolu Efes 37 (17-3), Fenerbahce Beko 37 (17-3), Besiktas Emlakjet 36 (16-4), Pinar Karsiyaka 33 (13-7), Manisa 31 (11-9)…