Efes wins Istanbul derby to take third place in Group B.
Efes blows out Fenerbahce for first win
U18 Anadolu Efes Istanbul snatched its first victory of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Istanbul by beating U18 Fenerbahce BEKO Istanbul 78-59 in the city derby. Efes’ victory gives the Turkish side third place in Group B with a 1-2 record. Darius Karutasu led the way with 19 points and Demir Ozturk had 16 points for the winners, who will face U18 Umana Reyer Venice for fifth place. Fenerbahce, which was paced by Omer Ziyaettin’s 20 points, went winless in the group and will play host side U18 Bahcesehir College Istanbul for seventh place.
Ziyaettin drained 3 three-pointers in giving Fenerbahce a 2-11 lead early on. Karutasu had five points at the other end and it was 15-17 and Efes was within 19-20 after one quarter. Aldin Turkoglu started the second quarter with two free throws to give Efes its first lead 21-20. Fenerbahce responded with the next seven points to go up 21-27. Efes charged back with a 9-0 surge and led 37-33 at halftime.
Efes had the better start to the second half and pushed ahead 47-38 and the cushion was extended to 52-40. Efes remained in control and was leading 58-44. Efes put the game to bed with a 12-3 start to the fourth quarter to lead 70-47. Fenerbahce did not get closer than 18 points the rest of the way.