Just three days after they were crowned back-to-back EuroLeague champions in Belgrade, Anadolu Efes Istanbul downed Pinar Karsiyaka 83-68 (28-18, 17-24, 19-17, 17-6, 19-9) at the Sinan Erdem, making it 2-1 in the quarter-final series against their opponents and clinching a semifinal spot.
Fenerbahce Beko – Darussafaka and Anadolu Efes – Galatasaray are the two pairings in the semifinal phase.
Efes' 'deadly' duo, composed by Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic, did all the heavy lifting again, as the two guards scored 18 points apiece for the winning side. Elijah Bryant and Tibor Pleiss, two more players who starred in the recent Final Four, registered another 13 points each.
On the other hand, Michael Roll and Amath M'Baye scored 17 and 15 points, respectively. Nevertheless, Karsiyaka were pinned down to just 9 points in the last quarter and stood no chance of eliminating the Turkish and continental champs in their home-court.
Ufuk Sarica's squad stayed close for the most part, despite the fact that Bonzie Colson was struggling. Michael Roll scored a jumper, but Shane Larkin responded with eight straight points to push Efes even further (72-61). Ergin Ataman's men held the guests down to only
Two buckets by Bonzie Colson brought Karsiyaka back into contention (72-65). After Ataman's time-out, Vasilije Micic hit a big three-pointer and Rodrigue Beaubois did the same in the next play. With only 2'17'' left on the game clock, the game was already over.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul: Shane Larkin 18 (6/10 FG, 2/3 FT, 5 REB, 3 AST), Vasilije Micic 18 (4/4 FG, 7/7 FT, 8 AST, 4 TO), Elijah Bryant 13 (5/10 FG, 1/ FT, 4 REB, 4 AST), Tibor Pleiss 13 (5/11 FG, 3/3 FT, 9 REB, 2 AST), Rodrigue Beaubois 8, Adrien Moerman 6 (3/10 FG, 11 REB).
Pinar Karsiyaka: Michael Roll 17 (7/15 FG), Amath M Baye 15 (6/13 FG, 1/1 FT, 4 REB), Bonzie Colson 13 (6/13 FG, 1/1 FT, 8 REB), Tony Taylor 12 (4/12 FG, 8 AST).
Olympiakos Piraeus
Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Real Madrid