Third consecutive defeat for Anadolu Efes

Anadolu Efes was defeated 87-80 at home by Spanish side Baskonia in the 16th round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Anadolu Efes started the match with two consecutive baskets to lead 4-0, but Baskonia went on a 7-0 run to turn the score to 4-7.

In the remainder of the quarter, the teams traded baskets to bring the score to 12-15, before Anadolu Efes took a 17-15 lead late in the period with a layup from Erten Gazi and a 3-pointer from Daum.

The Spanish side equalized with a basket from Moneke, and the first period ended in a 17-17 tie.

Anadolu Efes began the second quarter with a 2-point basket from Oturu. A 3-pointer from Larkin extended the lead to 5 points, but Baskonia responded with a 7-0 run, just as they did in the first period, to make it 22-24. After the television timeout, the navy-and-white team went on an 8-2 run to take a 30-26 lead.

The rest of the period saw both teams trading baskets, but after Anadolu Efes reached the team foul limit early, the Spanish side leveled the score at 36-36 with free throws. The only player to reach double digits in the first half was Baskonia's Markus Howard, who scored 10 points.

The competitive nature of the first two periods continued into the third quarter. The teams went into the television timeout tied at 46-46.

After the timeout, Anadolu Efes found success in the paint and took a 59-55 lead behind consecutive baskets from Larkin. The navy-and-white team entered the final quarter leading 60-57.

With his 15th point of the game, Larkin reached 3,000 career points in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Baskonia started the final quarter with two 3-pointers to lead 60-63. The teams traded baskets, and the first 4 minutes of the quarter ended in a 68-68 tie. The Spanish team went on a 15-4 run, fueled by Howard's perimeter shooting, to reach their largest lead of the game at 72-83.

Although Anadolu Efes tried to close the gap in the remaining time, Baskonia left the court with an 87-80 victory.

With this result, Anadolu Efes suffered its 9th defeat in 16 games, while Baskonia secured its 9th win.

The navy-and-white team will host Fenerbahçe Beko in their next EuroLeague match.

Arena: Sinan Erdem

Referees: Ilija Belosevic (Serbia), Rain Peerandi (Estonia), Thomas Bissuel (France)

Anadolu Efes: Larkin 23, Bryant 8, Thompson 8, Ercan Osmani 8, Oturu 14, Zizic 2, Daum 3, Beaubois 5, Hollatz 2, Erten Gazi 3, Jones 4

Baskonia: Raieste, Sedekerskis 11, Marinkovic 14, Miller-McIntyre 14, Kotsar, Howard 28, Rogkavopoulos 5, Moneke 13, Diop, Chiozza 2

1st period: 17-17

Halftime: 36-36

3rd period: 60-57

Fouled out: 39:10 Markus Howard (Baskonia)