“It was a difficult game. In 35 or 36 minutes today, Banvit played and controlled the game better than us. Six of their players reached double digits. On the other hand, we couldn’t perform to our expectations on defense in terms of level and toughness. We allowed 44 points and committed too many turnovers in the first half. We did strive to change that, but eventually, we lost. We had experienced the buzzer beater before. We didn’t foul the opponent, and Moerman hit the three point field goal. There are things we need to learn from this match. We have to focus on concentrating better in the final minutes and final seconds of the match. On a side note, the referees’ decision to give the ball to our opponent when they watched the replay is correct; however, before that, Jayson Granger was fouled 3 times in succession. Not awarding those was a mistake in my opinion, and I explained the position to them. It was a very critical moment. And I would like to make an explanation for our fans, as well. Heurtel and Birkan joined the team after very severe flu. Granger has an injury in his ankle, which affects him. Doğuş and Cedi got over their injuries, but they aren’t yet ready to play on this level. These are being asked, so I want you to know. We need to keep working to get ready as fast as possible...”

Efes’s young talent Furkan Korkmaz also stated his thoughts: “We knew that the match would be very tough, as we talked amongst ourselves before the match. Today, we lost due to tiny mistakes. We were in a bad day, and played badly. We couldn’t reflect our chemistry onto the court. Banvit managed to score from uncontested shots in the first half. In the last position, which also happened last year, we did a mistake by not committing a foul. I would like to congratulate Banvit.”