CSKA Moscow beats Efes Istanbul in Euroleague final
Moscow players celebrate as they win the Final Four Euroleague final basketball match between Anadolu Efes Istanbul and CSKA Moscow at the Fernando Buesa Arena in Vitoria, Spain, Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
VITORIA, Spain — Americans Will Clyburn and Cory Higgins scored 20 points each to lead CSKA Moscow to the Euroleague title in a 91-83 win over Efes Istanbul in Sunday’s final.
It was the eighth European title for the Russian team, leaving it two short of the record held by Real Madrid.
Clyburn and Higgins both made four 3-pointers as CSKA as a team went 14 of 22 from behind the line. Guard Nando de Colo chipped in with 15 points and four assists.
Shane Larkin scored a game-high 29 points for an Efes team that otherwise shot poorly in its first Euroleague final.
Led by Larkin, Efes was able to reduce a nine-point lead by CSKA after the first and take the lead briefly after halftime.
CSKA was back ahead 68-62 going into the fourth quarter, but Larkin cut the deficit to four points with just under two minutes remaining.
Clyburn, Higgins and De Colo all hit pairs of free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
“It was going to be a fight until the end,” Higgins said. “They played great, Larkin played great. But we just believed in ourselves. Once we got to the championship game we weren’t going to let this get away.”
Real Madrid, which lost to CSKA in the semifinals, beat Fenerbahce 94-75 in the third-place game.
