Efes rallies from 13 down in Istanbul derby for first win

Anadolu Efes Istanbul trailed for 36 minutes, but rallied to register its first win of the season, edging city rival Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul on the road 79-84 on Thursday night. With the win Efes improved to 1-3, while Darussafaka dropped to 2-2 with two home losses and two road wins so far. The hosts had a 13-point lead early in the third quarter, but Efes rallied behind DeShaun Thomas, who scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half, and Thomas Heurtel who also made key baskets down the stretch and finished with 15 points and 9 assists. Efes got its first lead, 75-77, with a little under four minutes left in the game and then scored the final 6 points of the night to pull out the victory. Bryce Cotton scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half, Tyler Honeycutt collected 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Derrick Brown added 10 points in victory. Scottie Wilbekin paced the hosts with 13 points, Brad Wanamaker finished with 11 points and 6 assists, while James Anderson and Marcus Slaughter had 10 points apiece in defeat.

Anderson scored 7 points, and dished a pair of assists as the hosts opened the game with an 11-3 lead. Efes dominated the boards, especially on the offensive end, but the hosts kept control and led 20-13 after 10 minutes. Dogus Balbay got Efes going in the second quarter, collecting a pair of steals, and with 3 offensive rebounds and as many assists helped the visitors cut within 22-19. But both Birkan Batuk and Wilbekin strung together 5 points apiece, and Oguz Savas had a three-point play in between. Wanamaker’s basket-plus-foul extended the margin to 38-28. After Efes replied through Brown, Heurtel and Jayson Granger – who soon after got hurt and left the game – the hosts finished the half on an 8-2 run, including a buzzer-beating triple by Anderson to make it 46-35 at halftime. After the hosts increased the margin to 13 points, Honeycutt’s triple got his team going before Thomas scored 8 points, including a pair of threes. Efes got within 4 points on six different occasions, but Luke Harangody and Will Clyburn kept the hosts in front, and Wilbekin’s buzzer-beating three-pointer made it 65-58 after 30 minutes. Efes took control in the fourth, and finally erased the deficit on Heurtel’s jumper, tying it at 73-73. Brown’s short jumper gave the visitors their first advantage, 75-77, and Cotton’s runner with 52 seconds gave Efes a 79-80 edge, putting it in front for good.

In Round 5, Darussafaka will look to get back to winning ways and extend its winning streak on the road at Zalgiris Kaunas, while Efes will be in search of its first win on its home floor against Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens.