By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul prevailed over Khimki Moscow Region with 71-67. This way, Zeljko Obradovic‘s team improves to a 6-3 record, while Khimki falls to 5-4.
The key: Despite playing without Kostas Sloukas and captain Melih Mahmutoglu, who joined the Turkish national team for the World Cup Qualifiers games, Fenerbahce managed to rule out Khimki’s comeback attempt in the final period.
Midway through the first period, the hosts enjoyed a 16-lead, with James Nunnally taking charge. The momentum didn’t change much, as Fenerbahce led 24-15 after 10 minutes.
A 7-0 run early in the second period helped Khimki bounce back, yet soon enough Bobby Dixon, who made his EuroLeague debut for the season, paced the hosts back on track. At halftime, the Turkish side was up 38-26.
The hosts managed to maintain their double-digit lead in the second half and eventually ended up the third period with a 10-point advantage and Nunnally on fire.
A partial 8-2 run of the visitors sounded the alarm for Fener, who had to defend its lead early in the final period. Alexey Shved (21 pts) found score to trim the deficit to 63-60 at 35′, yet with the deficit at one point and 16 seconds to go, a turnover by Khimki was enough to cost the game to the team.
The star: Who else, apart from James Nunnally, who, with his scoring efficiency, paced the winners with 20 points.