Fenerbahçe Beko's 18-Point Comeback Miracle in Semi-Final: 60-59

The opening of the semi-final series, which began with tip-off at 20:00 on Monday evening at Ülker Sports and Event Hall, became the most dramatic match of the 2026 BSL playoffs so far. Fenerbahçe Beko defeated Anadolu Efes 60-59, which they had been chasing from a 15-18 point gap for nearly two quarters, and took the series 1-0. For the yellow-and-navy team, which couldn't take the lead throughout the match, taking the lead just once in 40 minutes was enough — and that single moment, together with a basket in the final seconds, sealed the victory. The scenario of the fifth and final match to be played on Tuesday, June 9 if necessary now seems to be on the table.

The start of the match was a nightmare scenario for Fenerbahçe. The first quarter ended 6-21 in favour of Anadolu Efes. The yellow-and-navy team could only produce 6 points throughout 10 minutes — one of the lowest quarter scores in playoff history. Pablo Laso's Efes was the opposite: the offence guided by Larkin, along with the under-basket dynamics of Dozier and Poirier, officially silenced Ülker's stands. In the second quarter the yellow-and-navy team showed signs of recovery (FB 15 - EFE 13) but halftime closed with a 21-34 EFE lead — a 13-point gap.

The third quarter began as another disappointment chapter. Anadolu Efes took the gap up to 18 points; at one moment the scoreboard rose to around 51-33 in favour of Efes (sources show 36-51 gap at the end of the quarter, which is 15 points). While a "it's slipping away" feeling spread through the stands, Jasikevicius called a timeout. What that timeout meant will be remembered as the biggest turning point of the season. The yellow-and-navy coach made the defence more aggressive, used Birch more and turned to establish under-basket balance. The third quarter ended 15-17 in favour of Efes but Fenerbahçe had caught the rhythm in the last minutes of the quarter.

The fourth quarter was written as one of the most beautiful pages of modern Turkish basketball. While the yellow-and-navy team scored 24 points in the last 10 minutes, Anadolu Efes remained at only 8 points. A 16-point gap closed in favour of the yellow-and-navy. Nicolo Melli reduced the gap to 5 with successive three-pointers (the player found two of his 4 three-pointers of the match in the last quarter). Tarık Biberovic carried the entire offensive load with his on-court presence. With 2 minutes left in the match the gap was down to 3. With 30 seconds left, with a three-pointer from Melli, the score came to 58-58. The scoreboard looked equal, not in favour of the yellow-and-navy for the first time. In the final seconds Fenerbahçe took the lead for the first time — and this lead continued until the final whistle. Score 60-59.

Statistically the match draws an interesting picture. In shooting percentage both teams are equal at 40% shot rate. Anadolu Efes attempted 60 shots (FB 55); Efes took more rebounds (40-32). But Fenerbahçe Beko, in two statistics that ultimately mattered, came out on top: the punishing offence in the fourth quarter (24-8) and the critical accuracy in the last seconds. Pablo Laso's Efes had established physical dominance — Vincent Poirier had made the under-basket corridor his own and Dozier had caught a marvellous tempo. The top scorers of the match: P.J. Dozier (EFE) 17 points (5 rebounds, +5), Tarık Biberovic (FEN) 16 points (3 rebounds, +8), Nicolo Melli (FEN) 16 points (4 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 three-pointers, +8). The Biberovic-Melli duo became the offensive engine of the yellow-and-navy team.

But in the shadow of the match there is another important piece of news. Anadolu Efes pivot Vincent Poirier got injured during the match. The French player's condition is still uncertain after the match; teams are waiting for the statement to be made later. 32-year-old Poirier shows that the injury pressure Pablo Laso has experienced throughout the season is not over — in his earlier statement, Laso had said "Poirier got injured, Loyd got injured, Beaubois is already injured, Osmani is injured," and a new manifestation of this injury wave came on Monday night. If Poirier is out of the series, Anadolu Efes's under-basket play will be seriously weakened; this will multiply the advantage Fenerbahçe has in hand.

Looking from the coach's side, the depth of the test Jasikevicius's team experienced in the playoff atmosphere is striking. Coming back from 18 points down is a rare event in modern Turkish basketball playoff history. Pablo Laso, despite his team's regular-season fourth place, had carried the momentum from his team's 2-0 pass over Türk Telekom in the quarter-final to the first match of the semi-final. But unfortunately for Efes, "almost" is not enough. Being a leader for three quarters and losing the match in the last three seconds opens a wound in the playoff mind. The second match to be played on Wednesday again at Ülker Sports and Event Hall will show how deep this wound is.

Another striking dimension of the match is the narrowness of the offensive distribution. A 60-59 final score is far below the modern basketball average. This shows that both teams played defence with a playoff-specific intensity. In Fenerbahçe only three players reached double-digit points (Biberovic 16, Melli 16 and probably one more player). On the Efes side, apart from Dozier's 17 points, neither Larkin's explosion nor Cordinier's dynamism was reflected. This is an important signal that offensive diversity will be decisive in the remaining matches of the series.

The series is 1-0 in favour of Fenerbahçe Beko. The team that wins three matches will meet in the final; on the other side of the final, the winner of the Beşiktaş GAİN-Bahçeşehir Koleji matchup awaits (starts Tuesday). The second match to be played on Wednesday, June 3 at 20:00 at Ülker may be decisive for the direction of the series. If Efes doesn't recover here, the yellow-and-navy team will have taken a very big step on the path of preserving the championship tradition it has won in the last three seasons. Fenerbahçe Beko had defeated Beşiktaş Fibabanka 4-1 in the final last season and got its 12th championship; this year the 13th title looks closer with every passing minute.

To summarise in a paragraph: What happened at Ülker Sports and Event Hall on Monday night was one of the important comebacks in Turkish basketball history. Fenerbahçe Beko came back from 18 points down, took the lead only once in 40 minutes — but that single lead moment turned into a 1-0 series advantage. Anadolu Efes closed the semi-final start with a dramatic disappointment, especially with Poirier's injury. On Wednesday, in the second match of the series, everything will start again. But the story of Monday night, whoever the series chooses at the end, will take a special place in the current Turkish basketball playoff memory.

Image: basketbolgundem.com