By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marko Guduric were in the gym but only as spectators, Zeljko Obradovic has left the building, but the new version of Fenerbahce BEKO got the job done against Crvena Zvezda on the way to a 77-63 win.
Coach Igor Kokoskov got a good enough game from his players, led by former Zvezda player Lorenzo Brown who scored 17 points.
“I feel like we executed our game plan the right way, we got it going offensively in the second quarter and kept it going in the second half”, said Brown right after the game. “It feels great, these guys are great teammates, the coach is a great coach, and we come in here and work hard every day. Basketball a game of ups and downs, one second the other team is going, and then we are. We’ve got to keep our momentum and focus on our defense.”
Edgaras Ulanovas added 13 and set the tone early as the hosts got a 42-30 halftime lead that extended to 57-41 at the end of the third.
Nando De Colo had 12 points and seven assists and Bobby Dixon scored 11. However, the key was defense as Zvezda scored just 21 points during the second and the third quarter.
Langston Hall finished the night 12 points for the guests and Jordan Loyd with 13 and just one made three in nine attempts. Zvezda managed to cut the lead to 11 points (57-46) at the start of the last period, but couldn’t do much after that.
“It’s always a good feeling to win a game, especially without playing for six months”, admitted coach Kokoskov. “We’re missing fans, we’re missing that energy, and everybody who comes to this arena knows how much the fans mean to this team. There’s a lot of room for improvement, we really have so much to improve but I’m pleased with our approach to the game and we are competing”.
On the other hand, Zvezda’s coach Sasa Obradovic added: “For our first game in EuroLeague we played too hectic, too nervous, without communication or a plan. Too fast, without reading the game. We were too nervous and committed too many turnovers, which a team like Fener punish. For some of the players, this was their EuroLeague debut so maybe there was some pressure, but with time I expect we will play very different.”
The game, like all EuroLeague and EuroCup contests in the opening week of action, started with a moment of silence in memory of the late CSKA Moscow team doctor Roman Abzhelilov, who succumbed to COVID-19 in mid-May, and of former Zvezda player, Michael Ojo, who passed away this summer.
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) October 2, 2020