Fenerbahçe moves within win of claiming Turkish basketball title
Fenerbahçe players celebrate a point against Anadolu Efes in the Basketball Süper Lig playoff finals, Istanbul, Turkey, June 9, 2022. (AA Photo)


Fenerbahçe moved within a win of clinching the Turkish Basketball Süper Lig title after a 93-78 victory over crosstown rivals Anadolu Efes in Game 2 of the series Thursday.

Playing on Fenerbahçe's homecourt, Efes led the first quarter 20-18 after Serbian guard Vasilije Micic's buzzer-beater 3-pointer.

After the closely fought first quarter at the Ülker Sports and Event Hall, Fenerbahçe extended its lead to double digits in the second quarter thanks to a jump shot by its Czech center Jan Vesely, to make it 31-20.

Anadolu Efes suffered a terrible second quarter, scoring just 12 points in 10 minutes.

Fenerbahçe, who displayed an emphatic performance in both defense and offense, led the game 54-32 before the break.

The home team controlled the game in the third quarter, as well, to lead it 74-49.

In the fourth quarter, Efes scored 29 points, but the Yellow Canaries racked up 19 to win Game 2 93-78.

Vesely was named the most valuable player of the game after the 32-year-old scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Fenerbahçe's Serbian guard Marko Guduric scored 18 points, as well.

Tarik Biberovic also sank 17 points, while French star Nando De Colo added 16 points for Fenerbahçe. He shot 100% field goals in this game.

For Anadolu Efes, U.S. guard Elijah Bryant was the game's top scorer with 19 points.

His teammate Buğrahan Tuncer scored 12 points, while Efes star Shane Larkin clocked up 10 points against Fenerbahçe.

In the next fixture, Anadolu Efes will face Fenerbahçe at Istanbul's Sinan Erdem Sports Hall on Saturday.

Fenerbahçe, who will visit Anadolu Efes this weekend, has a big advantage before Game 3.

The team to bag three wins in the final series will be the 2022 Turkish champions.