Turkish BSL: Anadolu Efes books ticket to semis

The Turkish BSL playoffs are in full swing and the fourth and final team punched its ticket to the semifinals. Anadolu Efes Istanbul knocked off Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul in Game 3 of their series, 87-76. Anadolu Efes now advances and are set to face Besiktas in their next playoff matchup. Both teams finished strong in the regular season, with their records being separated by only one game (Besiktas 24-6; Anadolu Efes 23-7). The winner of their series will face the winner of the Fenerbahce-Darussafaka series for the 2017 Turkish BSL title.

Anadolu put in extra work on the glass, out-rebounding their guest 38-26. Half of their boards were on the offensive glass, which in turn translated to some valuable second-chance points. Not only did Anadolu Efes get the better of Galatasaray on offense from two-point range, they also knocked down three more three-point shots as well. Defense was also a big factor for the victors. They got 11 steals in the game, compared to four by Galatasaray.

Overall, the balanced attack of Anadolu Efes was able to prevail over the monster game put up by Galatasaray’s Erick McCollum clocked in with a game-high 32 points. He nailed 5-of-7 shots from beyond the arc, but unfortunately, his laudable effort was not enough to carry his team. Only fellow American, Austin Daye was able to chip in a double-digit scoring effort with 21 points.

Derrick Brown led three other Anadolu Efes players to score in double figures with 22 points