Maccabi Tel Aviv fell to Anadolu EFES 105-91 as their Euroleague record dropped to .500 13-13 at the national cup and international break. The yellow-and-blue kept the game close through thirty minutes with Wade Baldwin, Bonnie Colson and Antonius Cleveland but Shane Larkin, Rodrigue Beaubois and Ercan Osmani were just too much in the final frame as the hosts took the victory.

Baldwin scored 26 points as Cleveland and Colson added 12 points each in the loss. Larkin scored 22 points, Beaubois chipped in with 20 points and Osmani scored 13 points in the win.

“We had to be more focused defensively,” Maccabi head coach Oded Katash said. “We spoke about not using our fouls at halftime and not using them in the right way. We can find excuses for every gin but you have be really focussed and play a complete game to defeat EFES. Even though we had great position on defense they hit some big shots because that is what they do. They have a lot of quality but we can’t give up over 100 points on a road game.”

“Our players were able to fight for 40 minutes and limit Maccabi’s effectiveness on transition,” EFES coach Tomislav Mijatovic said. “We showed great character and great fighting spirit and we played against a talented and well coached team. We are happy for our players, fans and club.”

Shane Larkin hit an of balance deuce for Anadolu EFES to get the game underway, Bonzie Colson came back with a triple for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Wade Baldwin put in a 3-point play, Larkin came back with a pair of 3-pointers, but Baldwin kept scoring as did Colson to give the yellow-and-blue a 16-11 lead midway through the first quarter. Tibor Pleiss and Colson traded baskets, Rodrigue Beaubois scored, while Josh Nebo and Antonius Cleveland did the same at the other end, however, Beaubois and Larkin dialed up long distance to give the hosts a 29-27 lead after ten minutes of play.

James Webb and Cleveland scored to begin the second quarter, Elijah Bryant and Darius Thompson responded, Colson put in a 4-point play, Cleveland dialed up long distance to put Maccabi in lead 41-39 with five minutes left in the first half. Tyrique Jones and Nebo traded buckets inside, Jasiel Rivero and Ercan Osmani did the same but a pair of free throws by John Dibartolomeo gives Maccabi a 51-50 advantage at halftime.

Pleiss and Dibartolomeo both went from downtown, Will Clyburn, Derek Willis and Beaubois came back with points as EFES took a slim 67-65 lead midway through the third quarter. Pleiss and Clyburn went from deep, Nebo scored in the paint, Rivero and Webb found points but the hosts stayed ahead 77-75 after thirty minutes of action.

Osmani and Rivero traded baskets to get the fourth quarter underway, Larkin and Osmani scored, Baldwin and Dibartolomeo scored but EFES held the lead 88082 with five minutes remaining. Larkin hit a pair from downtown, Cleveland and Baldwin scored but too many missed chances from beyond the arc and more points from Beaubois sealed the victory for EFES.