


Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade reignited its playoff challenge by outplaying Anadolu Efes Istanbul en route to a 94-75 win at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Wednesday night. Zvezda improved to 12-15 with this triumph and also claimed the head-to-head advantage over Efes, who dropped out of the playoff places at 13-13.
Efes dominated the first quarter to lead by 8, but Zvezda responded with a 10-0 run to move ahead before halftime. The hosts then controlled the second half and gradually pulled away for a convincing win. Facundo Campazzo sparkled on his home debut, combining 22 points with 7 assists. Ognjen Dobric added 15 points, while Ben Bentil and Luka Mitrovic both scored 10. Will Clyburn powered Efes with 12 points and 9 rebounds, with Ante Zizic scoring 16 and Rodrigue Beaubois adding 15.
Three-pointers from Beaubois, Amath M’Baye and Bugrahan Tuncer gave Efes a 7-13 start. Dobric poured in 12 first-quarter points, but Clyburn scored twice to make it 20-25 at the end of the first.
Campazzo drained two triples, before Clyburn answered with 7 more points, 26-34. Nemanja Nedovic scored twice in a 10-0 run for Zvezda’s first lead, which Campazzo protected with 5 more points, despite two buckets from Zizic before halftime, 49-45.
Two baskets from Ognjen Kuzmic pulled Zvezda further ahead, 57-48. Triples from Beaubois and M’Baye restored the lead for Efes, but Filip Petrusev scored three times at the end of the third, 68-67.
Campazzo netted three layups for an 82-72 lead as Ergin Ataman was ejected for his second technical foul, and consecutive buckets from Mitrovic emphasized Zvezda’s superiority as the hosts cruised home to victory.