Turkish TBL, Fenerbahce crashes to Karsiyaka, Anadolu Efes makes final
Anadolu Efes Istanbul is the first club through the 2015 Turkish TBL final after sweeping its series against Trabzonspor, while Fenerbahce has it all to do in the other semi-final. Efes looked slick in taking out a tricky opponent, the club tamed Trabzonspor 54-59 on the road to head to the TBL final with a 3-0 series win.
As for Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul, after a blazing season the club is in danger of petering out after being outgunned by Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir away from home. The hosts needed overtime to collect an 84-83 win, but Karsiyaka now finds itself 2-1 up in the series and one win away from the final. As for Fenerbahce, there is plenty of work to be done.
Trabzonspor vs. Anadolu Efes, 54-59
Anadolu Efes won its way into the Turkish TBL final with a series sweep over Trabzonspor, although a low scoring encounter saw Efes have to work hard on Wednesday. Trabzonspor had taken charge early in the first quarter and thanks to some impressive defensive performances in the paint the hosts led 14-8 at the first break. The Istanbul contingent improved in the second quarter and managed to outscore Trabzonspor 15-16 to make it 29-24 at halftime. Down by 5 points, Efes had work to do and the team got cooking in the third quarter and started to look good at both ends of the hardwood. An 8-22 run ensured that the visitors wrestled control of the game through thirty minutes, the score reading 37-46. Trabzonspor rallied in the final act, but the travelling team held on to secure a final berth.
Stephane Lasme doubled up with 24 points and 10 rebounds for Efes, while Matt Janning and Dario Saric managed 10 points apiece.
Novica Velickovic topped the scoring for the losing effort with 14 points while adding 10 boards for a double-double.
Karsiyaka Izmir vs. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul, 84-83 OT
Fenerbahce is rocking in its semi-finals series and Karsiyaka took one more step towards the Turkish TBL final with this overtime victory at home on Thursday. A tight encounter throughout, Karsiyaka took the lead after a trading first frame, the club held a 17-16 lead after ten minutes. In the second stanza the hosts carried the momentum and put some points between the clubs with a 22-13 run that made it 39-29 through the long break. In the third quarter Fenerbahce started finding more buckets, but the hosts kept scoring too. After a 19-20 period the Istanbul club had only slashed the deficit by one point (58-49). The visitors soon got back into the contest though, and drained 27 points in the fourth act to ensure the game finished regulation locked on 76-76. In the added period, Karsiyaka edged a tight period to claim a narrow single point win.
Jon Diebler was the leading scorer in the win, taking 19 points in the game. Kenny Gabriel grabbed a double-double of 16 points and 10 caroms, while Bobby Dixon and Juan Palacios hitting 12 points each, the latter also claiming 11 rebounds for his own double-double.
Bogdan Bogdanovic spurred the Fenerbahce comeback with a game high 20 points, while Melih Mahmutoglu managed 14 points in the loss.