Clutch Vasilije Micic hands Efes road win over Galatasaray in Game 3 / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix Credit ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix

Anadolu Efes Istanbul won a hard-fought battle in front of a sell-out crowd against Galatasaray on the road by 71-64 (15-18, 14-12, 20-15, 22-19) and got a 2-1 lead in the Turkish League playoff semifinal series.

Free throws this season

82%13,0Points made:13,0Accuracy:81,5%Place in standings:7Record max:28Record min:3Most made FTs:Vasilije MicicTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Game 4 will be held next Thursday, in the same gym, at 19:30 CET. The winner of the pairing will face Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the finals.

Bryant Dunston scored 20 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in an almost vintage performance for Ergin Ataman's squad.

Elijah Bryant confirmed his excellent form, chipping in 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Vasilije Micic was held scoreless for almost three quarters before coming up big in the last minutes.

After an impressive 10-game winning streak, Galatasaray couldn't please their crowd of 15,000 and suffered their second straight loss to the same opponent.

Dee Bost, Melo Trimble, and Kerry Blackshear were the first scorers of the team coached by Andreas Pistiolis. However, their points came at a high price since all of them (plus Isaiah Canaan) were forced to bad shooting percentages.

Throughout the game, there were tense moments of physical contact between Dee Bost and Micic. Things hot heated with the score at 37-39 in the third quarter when the two players engaged in an altercation which ended up in both receiving an unsportsmanlike foul apiece.

Micic scored his first points in the game after almost 26 minutes, but Galatasaray weren't eager to let the guests capitalize on any momentum. Tibor Pleiss hurt his former team by knocking down a three-point shot from the top of the key

Kerry Blackshear tied the contest at 49, and Melo Trimble brought the hosts up after a long time (52-49) with a long-range jumper off the dribble.

Emir Kabaca helped Galatasaray maintain the lead (60-58), but Vasilije Micic responded despite missing four straight free throws.

As the game drew to a close, Shane Larkin started taking more attempts. Still, what the American star guard did best was generate assists to his teammates (10).

With the score 62-64, Vasilije Micic took the ball and pulled off another big shot over David Kravish's hands to give his team an important five-point lead that the hosts couldn't overcome.

Isaiah Canaan had one last chance, but his shot missed the target.

Galatasaray: Dee Bost 14 (6/14 FG, 4 REB, 4 AST), Melo Trimble 11 (4/16 FG, 1/1 FT, 4 REB, 5 AST), Kerry Blackshear 11 (4/11 FG, 2/4 FT, 13 REB), Sadik Kabaca 11 (3 REB), David Kravish 7 (10 REB).

Anadolu Efes Istanbul: Bryant Dunston 20 (8/10 FG, 3/5 FT, 6 REB), Elijah Bryant 16 (7/15 FG, 8 REB), Vasilije Micic 13 (4/11 FG, 1/5 FT, 3 REB, 4 AST), Shane Larkin 9 (2/11 FG, 4 REB, 10 AST).

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