aving a hand injury last week against Tofaş on the road, Kerem Gönlüm was included in the roster but did not play in the match. Also, having a minor injury, Vasileiadis did not play for Anadolu Efes.

Starting the match with Doğuş, Gordon, Birkan, Bjelica and Deniz, Anadolu Efes got its first points by Doğuş and Deniz. Trailing 6-15 at the TV timeout in the fifth minute, the team was behind 8-17 with four minutes left to the end of the quarter after Savanovic’s basket in the paint. Finding score with Deniz, Planinic and Savanovic, Anadolu Efes decreased the deficit to four points in the last two minutes of the quarter: 17-21. Unable to get any more points in the remaining time, the team was trailing 17-25 after the first 10 minutes.

Entering the second quarter with Cedi’s points, the team cut the lead down to two points in the 11th minute after the young player’s seven points: 23-25. Scoring with Gordon and Bjelica in these minutes, Anadolu Efes made the score 34-37 at 16.30. Getting two more field goals with Bjelica, the team was trailing 36-40 with 2.16 to play in the half. Following Telekom’s timeout, Cedi’s single field goal in the remaining duration helped Anadolu Efes towards a halftime score of 38-41.

As Deniz and Stephens scored four points each for a score of 46-49 in the 23rd minute, Deniz scored another three points through an and-one at 23.30 and tied the game: 49-49. Grabbing the defensive rebound and getting the layup, Deniz put the team up in the 24th minute for the first time in the match: 51-49. Ahead 53-51 with four minutes left to play in the quarter after Stephens’s flashy dunk, Anadolu Efes made it 58-56 in the 28th minute after the points by Gordon, Doğuş and Cedi. As the team increased the lead to six points with 48 seconds to play in the quarter after Birkan and Bjelica’s points in the paint, Telekom’s coach took a timeout: 62-56. As the opponent scored another field goal in the last 48 seconds of the quarter, Anadolu Efes was ahead 62-58 at the start of the final quarter.

With our prolific player Birkan’s three-pointer to start the final quarter, the team increased the lead to seven points: 65-58. With Stephens’s spectacular slam dunk, Anadolu Efes made the score 67-60 in the 31st minute. With the score 67-70 in the 34th minute, coach Aggelou took a timeout. Trailing 72-75 with 3.30 to play in the match with Bjelica’s five points -one from a three-pointer- following the timeout, the team cut the lead down to two points with Cedi in the 37th minute: 75-77. Getting another three-pointer with Cedi, Anadolu Efes retook the lead with 1.50 left to play in the match: 78-77. Bringing the score to 82-77 with Bjelica and Birkan’s field goals, Anadolu Efes managed to keep the lead in the remaining 28 minutes and left the court victorious 82-77.