Fenerbahçe beats Anadolu Efes to win 11th domestic title

ISTANBUL

Fenerbahçe secured its 11th national championship on their home court with a hard-fought 80-72 victory over Anadolu Efes, winning the Süper Lig finals series 3-1.

The triumph came after a narrow miss in the previous game, where Shane Larkin's last-second shot had given Anadolu Efes their only win of the series.

Fenerbahçe's Marko Guduric was absent for the decisive game, while Anadolu Efes missed Will Clyburn, Darius Thompson and Tibor Pleiss.

The home team started the match in spectacular fashion, taking an 11-0 lead with Scottie Wilbekin making an immediate impact. Melih Mahmutoğlu and Tarık Biberoviç continued the momentum, pushing Fenerbahçe to a 22-8 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Fenerbahçe's dominance continued in the second quarter, extending their lead to 32-12, driven by an inspired performance from Biberoviç. However, Anadolu Efes responded with a 21-4 run led by Elijah Bryant and Rodrigue Beaubois, narrowing the gap to three points by halftime.

Derek Willis helped Anadolu Efes tie the game at 41-41 early in the second half, setting the stage for a tense battle. Both teams struggled to score as the game wore on, eventually finding themselves tied at 62-62 with just 90 seconds remaining.

In a dramatic conclusion to regulation, Elijah Bryant put Anadolu Efes ahead with a difficult shot, only for Nigel Hayes-Davis to equalize. Nick Calathes missed a potential game-winning layup, and after Shane Larkin's miss, Georgios Papagiannis blocked Oğuz Özdemiroğlu's shot to force overtime.

Overtime belonged to Nigel Hayes-Davis, who scored two consecutive three-pointers to give Fenerbahçe a decisive six-point lead. Hayes-Davis scored all of Fenerbahçe's points in overtime, with Papagiannis playing a crucial defensive role that was instrumental in securing the victory.

Fenerbahçe's 10-2 run in the extra period proved enough to clinch the win and the championship, avenging their loss in the previous season's final to Anadolu Efes.

The top scorers for Fenerbahçe were Hayes-Davis, who scored 16 points, and Biberoviç with 19 points. Elijah Bryant led Anadolu Efes with 20 points.

This marks Fenerbahçe’s 11th Turkish championship title, avenging their loss in the previous season’s final to Anadolu Efes when Vasilije Micic led them to victory.

However, Anadolu Efes remains the most successful team in Türkiye with 16 titles.