Fenerbahce and Anadolu Efes Advance to Semifinals, Set for Turkish League Showdown

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Anadolu Efes Istanbul secured their spots in the Turkish League semifinals after swiftly closing out their best-of-three quarterfinal matchups. The two Istanbul powerhouses will now face off in a best-of-five semifinal series.

Fenerbahce had little trouble dispatching Safiport Erokspor with a convincing 73-96 victory at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall. The Istanbul side established control from the opening tip and found their leading scorer in captain Melih Mahmutoglu, who finished with 21 points.

Talen Horton-Tucker also played a prominent role with 17 points, while Mikael Jantunen contributed 14 and Wade Baldwin added 10 for a Fenerbahce team that essentially put the game away in the first half.

Nik Melli, Onuralp Bitim, and Jantunen punished the opposition from beyond the arc to close the first quarter with a commanding 11-25 lead. In the second quarter, Fenerbahce put the game out of reach with nine three-pointers, five of them from Horton-Tucker, heading into halftime with a dominant 37-64 advantage. From there, the team coasted to victory with a comfortable margin.

Anadolu Efes had to work harder to overcome Turk Telekom, securing a 70-77 victory at Ankara Sports Hall. Shane Larkin led the way with 20 points, Vincent Poirier added 14, and Nick Weiler-Babb grabbed 10 rebounds. For the home side, Jaleen Smith was the leading scorer with 18 points, while Marko Simonovic and Jordan Usher each contributed 15.

Turk Telekom started with confidence and closed the first quarter ahead following a dunk by Usher that made it 17-16. However, Efes responded before halftime with a 0-10 run, built by Ercan Osmani and Rodrigue Beaubois, to take control heading into the break at 31-37.

After the intermission, Anadolu Efes extended its lead into double digits at 45-57, but Turk Telekom refused to go away. Smith and Simonovic spearheaded a local comeback that brought their team within striking distance at 70-67 with less than three minutes remaining.

At the crucial moment, Efes responded with authority. Beaubois, Poirier, and an unstoppable Larkin led a decisive 0-10 run to close out the game and secure Anadolu Efes' ticket to the semifinals.

Bahcesehir College Istanbul also booked its place in the next round and awaits the winner of the third game between Besiktas GAIN Istanbul and Galatasaray MCT Technic Istanbul.