By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce needed overtime; however, in the end got what they wanted.
The Turkish contenders got the 98-88 road win and completed a 3-0 sweep over Paris Basketball.
Tarik Biberovic had 21 points dominating the opening of the extra time, Nigel Hayes-Davis added 18 points while dishing four assists, and Marko Guduric also had 14 points.
“It feels great”, Nigel Hayes-Davis said after the final buzzer and added, “Now let’s get some rest, go to Abu Dhabi and finish the job”.
TJ Shorts was spectacular with 29 points despite making just one out of seven threes and four assists, and Nadir Hifi added 24, which were not enough.
Paris shot 65% in two-pointers (26/40) but had only seven threes in 28 attempts (25%).
Overtime thriller
Paris had a good start, leading 16-10; however, at the end of the first period, Fenerbahce, with a 10-2 run, got the 20-18 lead and pushed it even to seven points (34-27).
The hosts tried to react, but the halftime score was 46-40 in favor of Fener with Tarik Biberovic already scoring 11 points.
Paris tied the score at 53 after four minutes of action in the second half and took the lead back (59-55) with Hifi and Shorts taking over. Still, at the end of the third, after two free throws by Hayes-Davis, the score was 63-61 for Fenerbahce.
With the two teams exchanging the lead, Kem Birch gave Fenerbahce the advantage (73-71) entering the last five minutes of the game.
With the game on the line, Wade Baldwin made a crucial shot to create a four-point cushion (75-71), and Paris couldn’t score for two and a half minutes.
Marco Guduric added two free throws (77-71), Shorts finally scored (77-73), only for Biberovic to answer with a three (80-73).
Hifi did the same (80-76), entering the last two minutes, and Fenerbahce missed three chances to score. Shorts made it a two-point game (80-78) with 52 seconds on the clock, and Paris still had hope.
Baldwin missed a layup, and Shorts tied the score at 80 with 15.3 seconds left. Baldwin missed again, and the result was overtime.
Biberovic opened the extra time with seven straight points (87-80). Shorts and Paris were gassed out, Birch added one free throw (88-80), and there was no coming back for Paris after that.