By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Marko Guduric had the chance at the buzzer but the shot didn’t go in as Baskonia thanks to Markus Howard got the 80-79 win over Fenerbahce BEKO.
Howard had in total 28 points, plus the three-pointer which gave his team the lead with seven seconds left. He was also fouled in the act of shooting by Guduric, he missed the free throw but Guduric couldn’t save the day.
The night’s biggest shot belonged to Howard, after Tyler Dorsey’s two-pointer that put Fenerbahce up by two (79-77) with 14 seconds left.
“There’s no better feeling than getting this kind of win in the EuroLeague in front of your fans”, said Howard.
Big man Mike Kotsar had previously tied the score at 77, making one of two free throws. He finished the game with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
“As I said, I expected a physical game that gets down to the wire”, Kotsar said after the game with Baskonia having a 7-5 record and Fenerbahce dropping to 6-6.
A fight until the final seconds
Nigel Hayes Davies had 19 points and six assists for Fenerbahce, Guduric added 14 points and Jonathan Motley had 11.
Despite an 18-8 start for Fenerbahce in the first quarter, the game was close from wire to wire, with the hosts leading by one at halftime thanks to an amazing putback dunk by Codi-Miller McIntire.
CMM EXPLODING TO THE RIM #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/boSVk8zWOK
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The scenery didn’t change until the end even if Baskonia led by six (70-64) with five minutes left in the game.
“This is the high-level basketball of the EuroLeague, many games finish like this”, said Baskonia coach Dusko Ivanovic. “We had the patience and played with calm, while Markus (Howard) made an incredible shot”.
And when Fenerbahce coach Dimitris Itoudis was asked what could have been better for his team, the answer was simple: “To make the last shot, or pull through the last defense”.