Anadolu Efes Istanbul squandered a 22-point third-quarter lead but managed to hold off arch-rival Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and improve to a 14-12 record by holding on to an 84-79 win on Thursday in their much-awaited Turkish Derby.
Fourth-quarter shots went in for Beaubois
Vasilije Micic netted 24 points while Shane Larkin collected 10 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds, but it was the fourth-quarter performance by their backcourt mate Rodrigue Beaubois that stole the show and helped Efes hold on to its lead.
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Entering the fourth quarter, Beaubois had 4 points and had missed his only three-point attempt until then. He tried another 15 seconds into the fourth quarter and missed, but Chris Singleton grabbed the rebound and kicked it out to Beaubois, who fired again. This one not only went through the net, but lit a spark in the 34-year-old shooting guard.
Over the rest of the quarter, Beaubois nailed 3 more triples in as many attempts. Especially important was one he made with 3:45 left to play, which gave Efes a 72-67 cushion. But he eclipsed that with his last three-pointer, which gave Efes a 77-73 lead with 1:17 remaining.
"Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn't," Beaubois, who finished the night with 20 points on 4-for-6 three-point shooting, said with a smile into TV cameras after the game. "Tonight, shots went in and we will take it, for sure."