Anadolu Efes picks up first Top 16 win

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Anadolu Efes center Stanko Barac pulls a rebound during his team’s game against Panathinaikos. EPA photo

Anadolu Efes clinched its first win in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16 stage with a 78-64 victory over Panathinaikos at Abdi İpekçi Arena on Jan. 3.

Efes led from start to finish in sinking Panathinaikos to pick up its first win of the Top 16. Both teams have 1-1 records after two games in Group E.

“We took a very important wın tonight,” Anadolu Efes head coach Oktay Mahmuti told the Euroleague website. “We controlled the game from the start until the end. We had a good rhythm in offense, especially in the first half.”

As Panathinaikos was without injured guard Dimitris Diamantidis, Efes got off to a quick start. Joshua Shipp and Jordan Farmar each hit couple of three-pointers on the way to build a 22-9 lead, and the hosts never looked back. The margin reached 21 points in the third quarter as Efes cruised to victory. Farmar led the way with 13 points, Jamon Lucas finished with 12 points and 5 assists and Dusko Savanovic scored 11. For Greens, Michael Bramos scored 12 of his 16 points in the first quarter while Sofoklis Schortsanitis piled up 14 of his 15 points in the final 10 minutes. Jason Kapono added 10 points.