Monaco knocked off ASVEL in the French eighthfinals, while Efes was victorious in the Turkish quarters.
Domestic cups: Monaco, Efes both advance
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Monaco took out ASVEL to reach French Cup quarterfinals
In an eighthfinals matchup between Turkish Airlines EuroLeague teams in the French League, AS Monaco knocked out LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne from the French Cup with a 92-82 victory. Mike James scored 16 points and dished 9 assists and Donatas Motiejunas added 16 points in as many minutes to pace the winners. Elie Okobo tallied 12 points and 5 assists, Matthew Strazel also scored 12 and Yakuba Outtara contributed 10 points.
Monaco led 45-43 at halftime and it was still a 2-point game 4 minutes into the second half. The hosts made their move to stretch the margin to 67-59 after 30 minutes and then Strazel heated up to establish an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter. The margin hit 17 in the closing minutes before Monaco took its foot off the gas.
Mike Scott paced ASVEL with 13 points and Charles Kahudi and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot netted 11 apiece. The quarterfinals will take place on March 16 in Trelaze.
Efes opens Turkish Cup defense with victory
Reigning Turkish Cup holder Anadolu Efes Istanbul began its defense with a 94-85 victory over Manisa Buyuksehir Belediye Spor in the first quarterfinal on Tuesday evening. Shane Larkin shined with 23 points and 10 assists and Will Clyburn added 22 points and 7 rebounds to lead Efes. Darius Thompson and Tibor Pleiss added 11 points. Emanuel Terry paced Manisa with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Terry and former Efes star James Anderson started with a bang for Manisa which raced to a 7-19 lead. The margin stood at 18-27 after 10 minutes before Efes opened the second quarter on a 16-2 tear to take control for good. It was 51-47 at the break and Marisa kept it close, closing to within 74-73 early in the fourth quarter, but Larkin made sure that Efes held on.
Efes has won the Turkish Cup a record 12 times, including most recently in 2022. The Turkish Cup was cancelled last season due to the devastating earthquake in Turkey. In the semifinals on Friday, it will face the winner of the game between Pinar Karsiyaka and Galatasaray Istanbul.