Anadolu Efes continued its climb up the Euroleague ladder on Thursday, with a victory over the team that sits atop.
Shane Larkin scored 19 points and showcased his aggressive nature by getting to the line for eight free throws en route to a 88-86 victory for Efes (13-10) over FC Barcelona (17-7). Shane added three steals and three assists in the big win.
Though he came off the bench to start the game, Shane played 31 of 40 minutes. He entered with Efes up four and quickly got to the line for the first time, where he sank a pair of free throws to put Efes up 27-20. They led 27-22 at the end of the first. He added a triple early in the second, but Efes couldn’t pull away as they’d hoped. A late second-quarter run by Barcelona made it a three-point game at the break.
No. 0 was on the floor to start the third and sank another three early in the frame after Barca had pulled within one. Barcelona did eventually pull even at 58-58, but Efes followed with a 9-0 run. That run was capped by a drive to the bucket for Shane that resulted in a three-point play.
💨 Shane Larkin'den basket bir de faul! #EuroLeague #AnadoluEfes pic.twitter.com/mT7kNq4kLC
— beIN SPORTS Türkiye (@beINSPORTS_TR) February 4, 2021
Efes led by as much as 10 in the third and by seven heading to the fourth. Barcelona wouldn’t make it easy, as they are the top team in the EL for a reason. After a four-point play by Shane made it 80-67 in the 36th minute, Barca went on an 17-6 run to tighten the gap. But Efes made their free throws and got the stops they needed in the closing minute to hold off the rally and pick up a huge win.
Winners of two straight and five of their last six EuroLeague games, Efes will have to try to hold their momentum through the EL break. They don’t return to EuroLeague action for two weeks, when they play Olympiakos at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall on Thursday, February 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 pm EST. In the meantime, they’ll play a pair of Turkish Basketball Super League games, first hosting Besiktas on Sunday, February 7th and then facing off at Büyükçekmece on the road on Tuesday.
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