Anadolu Efes eliminated from EuroLeague

Anadolu Efes was defeated 67-64 by Virtus Segafredo Bologna in the EuroLeague play-in round. With this result, the blue-and-whites bid farewell to the European stage, while their Italian opponent, Virtus, will face Baskonia in the next round. That match will determine the final team to qualify for the playoffs.

At the start of the match, both teams struggled to score, but Anadolu Efes took the lead by finding points from outside shots through Will Clyburn's effective play. Clyburn changed the course of the game by scoring his team's first 17 points. With Ercan Osmani's effective performance under the basket, Anadolu Efes finished the first quarter leading 23-21.

In the second quarter, Virtus Segafredo Bologna tightened their defense to get back into the game, taking a 28-27 lead in the 16th minute. At the end of the first half, Anadolu Efes headed to the locker room with a slight advantage at 36-35.

In the third period, the Italian side was effective from the three-point line, while Anadolu Efes responded with Shane Larkin's scoring performance. The blue-and-whites began the final quarter with a 50-48 lead.

The final quarter of the match was highly competitive. While Anadolu Efes tried to stay in the game with points from the free-throw line, Virtus Segafredo Bologna scored from both inside and outside to reach a seven-point lead in the 37th minute: 64-57.

With 11 seconds remaining in the match, a critical three-pointer by Lundberg secured the victory for the Italian team, which won the game 67-64. In this match, Will Clyburn managed to surpass the 3,000-point mark in the EuroLeague with the points he scored.

Arena: Sinan Erdem

Referees: Sreten Radovic (Croatia), Carlos Peruga (Spain), Uros Nikolic (Serbia)

Anadolu Efes: Larkin 16, Hollatz, Clyburn 22, Ercan Osmani 6, Pleiss 3, Beaubois 5, Bryant 5, Thompson, Oturu 2, Willis, Jones 5

Virtus Segafredo Bologna: Hackett 2, Cordinier 2, Belinelli 11, Shengelia 13, Dunston, Lundberg 12, Pajola 3, Mickey, Polonara 8, Zizic 4, Abass 12

1st Quarter: 23-21

Halftime: 36-35

3rd Quarter: 50-48

News Source: AA