Real Madrid torched Anadolu Efes 104-84
Real Madrid dominated Anadolu Efes 104-84 at home to hang onto a tie for second place in Group C. The win stopped a two-game slide for the Whites and improved their record to 3-2. Jaycee Carroll paved the way with 19 points, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc., while Sergio Rodriguez racked up a game-leading 10 assists. Madrid outshot Efes in all categories, especially free throws, hitting 73% compared to 53% from the foul line. Efes cut a deficit of 21 points early in the fourth quarter to just 7 with under five minutes to go, but Rudy Fernandez scored 8 of his 14 in the final few minutes to help Madrid close out the game comfortably. Nikola Mirotic added 17 points and Carlos Suarez had 15 for the winners. The visitors got 15 points each from Dusko Savanovic and Ermal Kuqo, Ersan Ilyasova netted 14 and Kerem Tunceri totaled 10. Efes is now 2-3 and tied for fourth place.
Carlos Suarez knocked in a layup as he curled through the lane, followed by a foul shot to open the scoring. The scoring stayed inside early, as Sinan Guler took it to the hoop for Efes and was quickly answered by Rudy Fernandez, who scored on a fast break. Kerem Tuceri’s jumper made it 7-4. Suarez and Nikola Mirotic scored consecutive layups as the hosts surged to 11-4. Ante Tomic continued Madrid’s onslaught inside. After Tomic split free throws and Mirotic spun the ball in off the glass on the fast break to lift Madrid to a 16-4 lead. Esteban Batista banked it in under the basket and then Dusko Savanovic nailed a jumper to claw Efes to 16-8. Tomic scored inside again, but Cenk Akyol drained a triple from downtown as the offensive pace remained steady. Fernandez jammed down on alley-oop pass, then Sasha Vujacic scored 4 in a row on a jumper and goaltending charge to cut the lead to 20-15. After 2 free throws by Martynas Pocius, Sergio Llull took it down the lane. Finally a three-pointer by Akyol with 15 seconds left kept Efes close at the end of one quarter, 24-18.
Felipe Reyes drove down the middle for layup and then crashed the offensive boards for another 2 points as Madrid regained a double-digit lead. Stanko Barac hit a left-handed hook, which was quickly answered by Llull’s floater in the lane. Tunceri drained a three-pointer from corner, then a steal by Guler led to another basket and cut the lead to 30-25. After Ersan Ilyasova made 2 free throws, Madrid answered with another scoring burst, as Jaycee Carroll buried a three-pointer and Serge Ibaka scored under basket for 35-27. Ilyasova nailed a jumper and Batista scored down low for Efes, but then Carroll knocked down 2 free throws and Mirotic came up with 5 consecutive points on a layup and three-pointer to boost Madrid’s lead to double-digits again. But Efes kept battling and picked up 5 consecutive points of its own on an Ermal Kuqo jumper and a Tunceri three-pointer to close the gap to 43-35. After Sergio Rodriguez split foul shots, Carroll found the range and connected on back-to-back threes, the second with 2 seconds on the clock to give Madrid its biggest lead so far to end the half, 50-36.
It was all Madrid to start the third quarter, as Tomic layed it in down low; Rodriguez spurted to the basket for a left-handed layup, and then Carroll buried another three-pointer, extending the lead to 57-36. Ilyasova stopped the run with a tip-in on the offensive glass, but Madrid could do no wrong as Suarez hit a three-pointer with the shot clock running out. Tunceri knocked down a three-pointer for Efes, but Carroll answered with another of his own from downtown. Then Kuqo banked in a pair of layups and added a jump hook, slicing the lead to 63-47. The blistering scoring pace continued as Suarez scored, then Kuqo drove to the basket for a basket-plus-foul. But Madrid pushed the lead again on a Suarez three-pointer and a Reyes put back, 72-50. Kuqo continued his scoring, adding a three-pointer, but then Reyes hit a mid-range jumper and Mirza Begic dunked. After Carroll hit 2 free throws, Efes battled on, putting in 7 straight points as Savanovic knocked down a three-pointer, Guler took it coast to coast for a layup and Vujacic hit a baseline jumper, 78-60. Llull and Vujacic exchanged free throws, then Begic hit from outside as Madrid stayed in control to end the third quarter, 81-62.
Anadolu showed no signs of quitting, starting the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run as Savanovic nailed 5 including a three-pointer, and Vujacic and Vlado Ilievski added layups to pull to 81-71. Tomic and Ilyasova exchanged baskets, then Savonovic drained another three-pointer, paring the lead down to only 7. Mirotic settled things down for Madrid on a put back, 85-76, then Fernandez got all net from downtown, giving Madrid an 88-76 lead. Ilyasova drove hard to the rim, then Fernandez drilled a jumper from downtown to make it 91-78. But Ilyasova answered from beyond the arc as the torrid scoring pace continued. After Ilyasova and Mirotic exchanged free throws, Fernandez dunked to push the Madrid lead back up 95-81, putting the game out of reach with just under two minutes as Madrid claimed a decisive win.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
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