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Turkish basketball clubs Besiktas and Anadolu Efes suffered defeats in the eighth round of the EuroLeague on Wednesday, with Besiktas losing 81-73 at home to Greek side Olympiacos and Anadolu Efes falling 118-88 to Hapoel Tel Aviv in Bulgaria.
The results left both Istanbul clubs with three wins and five losses, while their opponents picked up their sixth victories of the season in Europe's premier club basketball competition.
Besiktas made a strong start against Olympiacos, racing to a 6-0 lead before the visitors responded with 15 unanswered points. Despite fighting back to close the opening quarter at 25-23, the hosts trailed 42-36 at halftime.
Olympiacos extended its advantage to 11 points in the third quarter, but Besiktas gradually worked its way back into contention through Conor Morgan and Eugene Omoruyi, cutting the deficit to three points heading into the final period.
Jaylen Nowell briefly put Besiktas ahead 68-66 in the fourth quarter, but consecutive turnovers allowed Olympiacos to regain control and close out an eight-point victory.
Nowell led Besiktas with 15 points, followed by Morgan with 11 and Metecan Birsen with 10. Sasha Vezenkov scored a team-high 16 points for Olympiacos, while Tyrique Jones added 15.
Besiktas, competing in the EuroLeague for only the second time, will travel to Italy to face Virtus Bologna on Friday.
Anadolu Efes endured a more difficult evening against Hapoel Tel Aviv, suffering a 30-point defeat at Arena Botevgrad in Bulgaria.
Hapoel established an early advantage, leading 27-21 after the first quarter before pulling away to take a 60-41 lead into halftime.
The Israeli side maintained its momentum after the break, extending its advantage to 31 points by the end of the third quarter as Anadolu Efes struggled to contain its offense.
Hapoel eventually secured a 118-88 victory, improving its record to six wins in eight games, while Anadolu Efes dropped to three wins and five losses.
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