For much of Friday’s first EuroLeague semifinal match, it seemed Shane Larkin and his Anadolu Efes teammates were on track to cruise to the championship game. 

CSKA Moscow had other plans. Fortunately, Efes was still able to survive and advance.

Efes held a lead as big as 21 points and was up by 20 with a minute to go in the third quarter. However, they spent the final 11 minutes of the match fighting off a furious rally by the same team that knocked them off in the last EuroLeague championship game. 

This time, though, Efes came out on top, doing just enough in the final moments to secure an 89-86 victory and advance to meet FC Barcelona in Sunday’s championship final. 

Tip-off of the championship showdown from Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.