Efes rallies behind Brown, McCollum to steamroll Brose

Anadolu Efes Istanbul rallied from a 15-point third-quarter deficit to down visiting Brose Bamberg 69-58 and snap a four-game losing streak on Friday. Efes improved to 4-11, still tied for the worst record in the competition, while Brose dropped to 6-9 at halfway mark of the regular season. Brose was in complete control early and led 29-44 after 24 minutes. But first Errick McCollum and then Derrick Brown fueled big Efes runs as the hosts outscored Brose 38-9 spurt over the next 14 minutes, running away with the victory. Brown finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, and McCollum netted 19 points on 5-for-8 on three-point shooting. Krunoslav Simon had 11 points along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while Bryant Dunston amassed 10 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. Ricky Hickman was the only Brose player in double figures, with 10 points, while Dejan Musli made his Brose debut with 9 points and 9 rebounds.

Dorell Wright scored 6 of the first 8 points for the visitors, but Efes took the early leady behind triples from McCollum and Simon. Brock Motum and Dunston scored twice apiece as the hosts took 15-8 lead. However, Hickman nailed a triple on the other end as Brose scored the last 10 points of the first quarter, a run capped by a three-pointer from Lucca Staiger that made it 15-18. Maodo Lo's three-point play and Augustine Rubit's put-back made it 15-23 before McCollum's floater snapped a six-minute, 0-15 Brose run. Another triple from Staiger extended the lead to 9 points as Brose assumed control. Brown was the one who kept Efes close, scoring 8 points before the end of the half, but Hickman drove to the basket and Lo hit from long range as the visitors took a 29-38 lead into halftime.

Bamberg continued where it left off, scoring the first 6 points of the third quarter while holding Efes without a point for almost 4 minutes on the way to a 29-44 lead. McCollum ended the drought for Efes with back-to-back three-pointers, and after Daniel Hackett's floater, McCollum nailed another one from long range at 38-46. The momentum continued to shift with a pair of baskets from Dunston inside that cut the difference to 44-48 after 30 minutes. Efes scored the first 7 points of the fourth, including a triple from Brown, to go in front 51-48. After a timeout, Hickman snapped a 13-0 Efes run, but Simon and McCollum nailed back-to-back three-pointers as the margin increased anyway to 59-50. Musli’s three-point play gave the visitors hope, but Brown answered by scoring 8 consecutive points on a jumper and a pair of triples, opening a 67-53 margin as the hosts never looked back.