Zalgiris roars past Efes to win Group C

Zalgiris Kaunas became a group champion for the first time this century after beating Anadolu Efes Istanbul 71-53 in a game the hosts never trailed on Friday night at Zalgirio Arena. On the final day of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season, Zalgiris improved to 8-2 to grab the top spot in Group C, while Efes finished with a 5-5 record and in the third place. The Lithuanian champions opened a double-digit lead on an 8-point run from Marko Popovic in the second quarter, but sealed the deal when they allowed only 7 points in the third quarter and entered the final 10 minutes with a 58-37 lead. In victory, Zalgiris collected 18 offensive rebounds and got 18 points from Paulius Jankunas. Mario Delas scored 10 plus 7 rebounds, including a career-high 5 offensive rebounds, while Popovic scored all 10 of his points in the first quarter. For Efes, Kerem Gonlum finished with 13 and Semih Erden scored 10 points.