Anadolu Efes opened the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi season in dominant fashion on opening weekend, defeating Beşiktaş 95-81 in a high-tempo Istanbul derby at the Turkcell Basketbol Gelişim Merkezi.
Istanbul Derby Opens Domestic Campaign
The home side established early control through efficient scoring in the paint. Beşiktaş stayed close through the opening minutes behind the efforts of Berk Uğurlu and Ante Žižić. Anadolu Efes edged the first quarter 20-16, overcoming a slow start from beyond the arc where they missed their opening three attempts.
Perimeter Firepower Extends Halftime Lead
As the game stretched into the second period, Anadolu Efes found their rhythm from the perimeter following the introduction of guards Sylvain Francisco Strazel and RayQuan Russell.
Beşiktaş countered with three-pointers from Devon Hall and Furkan Korkmaz, but the hosts steadily pulled away. A late second-quarter layup by Jaime Yusta pushed the lead to 11 points at 43-32, and Anadolu Efes carried a 46-37 advantage into halftime.
Third-Quarter Run Breaks the Game Open
The decisive break came immediately after the intermission. Anadolu Efes engineered an 11-0 scoring run, capped by Jordan Loyd sinking a free throw in the 23rd minute to stretch the margin to 59-41.
Pushing the tempo further, the hosts extended their cushion to 18 points at 71-53 following another trip to the foul line by Mike James.
Saric Anchors Balanced Scoring Attack
Anadolu Efes maintained a 75-59 lead heading into the final frame. Buoyed by home support, the offense continued to press forward in the fourth quarter. Dario Šarić converted a free throw in the 38th minute to build the game’s largest gap at 23 points, making it 94-71, before closing out a comfortable 14-point victory.
Šarić anchored the winning effort with 16 points and four rebounds, while James contributed 11 points and six assists. Loyd also added 11 points for Anadolu Efes, joining a balanced scoresheet that featured contributions from David Mutaf (9), Bruno Fernando (7), Yusta (8), Ercan Osmani (9), Strazel (10), Russell (9), and Erkan Yılmaz (5).
Besiktas Struggles Amid Late Foul Trouble
For Beşiktaş, Devon Brown led the scoring with 13 points, alongside 12 points and interior presence from Žižić. Beşiktaş suffered a blow late in the contest when EJ Morgan fouled out at the 37:48 mark.
The officiating crew for the derby featured Emin Moğulkoç, Zafer Yılmaz, and Duhan Köyiçi. With the victory, Anadolu Efes starts their domestic league campaign in the win column, while Beşiktaş opens with a defeat.
