Hapoel Tel Aviv continued its impressive EuroLeague debut by defeating Anadolu Efes 87–81 in Istanbul, overcoming a 13-point deficit to move to 2–0. A decisive 11–0 fourth-quarter run sealed the road victory for the Israeli club.
Antonio Blakeney led the charge with 17 points, hitting 10 of 12 from the free-throw line. Ex-Efes player Elijah Bryant added 15 points, while Vasilije Micic finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in his return to face his former team.
Jordan Loyd scored a game-high 25 points for Efes, which fell to 1–1. Ercan Osmani added 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Shane Larkin contributed 13 points in the losing effort.
Hapoel started fast, with Ish Wainright’s early three-pointer giving the visitors an 11–6 edge. Efes responded through Osmani, who scored 10 points in the opening period to help tie the game at 18–18 before the hosts edged ahead 22–21 after one quarter.
The Turkish side gained control in the second frame. Back-to-back triples from Isaia Cordinier and Loyd sparked a 10–2 run, and Larkin’s three-point play made it 41–29. Hapoel trimmed the gap to single digits but went into halftime trailing 46–35.
Efes extended the margin to 48–35 early in the third, but Hapoel stormed back with a 12–0 run sparked by Wainright and Dan Oturu. Micic fueled the comeback with a three-pointer, a pair of free throws, and an assist that pushed Hapoel ahead 57–50. Loyd answered with 11 straight points to close the quarter, but the visitors still led 61–59 entering the fourth.
Blakeney took over down the stretch. He opened the period with a triple, then scored inside and converted multiple free throws to extend the lead to 75–67. A technical foul on Loyd and the ejection of Efes head coach Igor Kokoskov further tilted momentum toward the visitors.
Oturu’s dunk capped the 11–0 surge, giving Hapoel an 80–67 cushion. Despite a brief Efes push, the hosts never got closer than six points as Hapoel closed out another statement win to remain perfect.
Hapoel outshot Efes from the line, making 25 of 28 free throws (89.3%), compared to Efes’ 20 of 21 (95.2%). The visitors also posted a 50% mark from two-point range and held a slight edge in assists and rebounds.
With the victory, Hapoel improved to 2–0, while Efes fell to 1–1.
