Turkish TBL Top 4 Teams Collide

Round 14 of the regular season of the Turkish TBL culminated in a resounding boom last night as the league’s top four teams took to the hardwood to settle scores and perhaps reshuffle the pinnacle of the standings. Anadolu Efes paid Besiktas Integral Forex a visit, while Fenerbahce Ulker hosted Darussafaka. Turkish league fans were treated to some exciting basketball action. There would be now blowout wins here as every basket would be contested and every advantage would have to be earned with skill, heart, and a deep desire to win.

Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul vs. Darussafaka Istanbul, 91-95

Darussafaka got back on track and on a winning path as it took down a fellow former league leader in Fenerbahce Ulker. Darussafaka came out hungry and got to work right away. They aggressively attacked the basket in the first quarter and surged to a 17-29 lead. Fenerbahce answered in the second period, but was only able to shave off four points from their 12 point edge. At the halftime break, the score settled to 37-45. Fenerbahce Ulker was helpless to stop Darussafaka’s Renaldas Seibutis, who had is his way on the offensive end to finish with 25 points, missing just two shots from the field. Their attempts to slow him down in the paint resulted in sending him to the free-throw line where he converted 7-of-7 of his charity shots. He was the main reason for his team’s success, anchoring his team’s assault and leading four other teammates to score in double figures. As a team, Darussafaka was successful overall in making their free-throws. They hit 19-of-21 shots for a solid 90.4%.

Fenerbahce Ulker could not mount any significant gains in the third and fourth periods, merely denting the lead, but at the end of the day it was not enough to secure a win at home. The result of the game has Fenerbahce Ulker sliding to third place with a 10-4 record, while Darussafaka rises to second place in the standings despite sharing the same number of wins and loses. That’s how tight the competition is between these four teams is.

Besiktas Integral Forex Istanbul vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul, 77-78

Anadolu Efes cooled off Besiktas and halted their winning streak at six. Anadolu trailed their hosts for majority of the game and needed a key fourth-quarter rally to squeeze by with the narrow victory. In the first period Besiktas was the clear aggressor and they scored 14 points while limiting Anadolu Efes to only eight points. Defenses from both sides loosened in the second frame. Anadolu Efes was able to cut the lead closer and ended the first half down just by four points, 40-36.

It was only late in the final period that Anadolu Efes was able to tie up the game 73-73 in the dying minutes. Stratos Perperoglou and Stephane Lasme played key roles as the clock ticked down to lift their team for the win. It was Cedi Osman who led Anadolu Efes in scoring with a game-high 18 points. Perperoglou finished with 15 points, while Lasme chipped in 12. Besiktas leaned on Engin Atsur and Ryan Broekhoff, who ended the game with 17 and 16 points respectively.

Anadolu Efes now holds the single best record in the league at 11-3. Besiktas sinks down one spot to third place with their 10-4 slate.