By Antonis Stroggylakis / astroggylakis@eurohoops.net
ABU DHABI (United Arab Emirates) – Final Four history is full of unexpected heroes, and two role players of Fenerbahce made things happen against Panathinaikos.
Devon Hall with 18 points on 4/6 threes and Errick McCollum (photo) with 13, and his brother and NBA player CJ cheering him in the stands, led Fenerbahce to the 82-76 win.
Tarik Biberovic added 15 more points, and Wade Baldwin also scored in double digits with 10, as the winning side controlled the tempo, but still had to fight until the closing seconds.
Nicolo Melli also deserves a special mention with nine points, six rebounds, and a much bigger contribution than the numbers indicate on defense.
Kendrick Nunn scored 19 points for Panathinaikos before fouling out, Cedi Osman had 22, and Jerian Grant added 15, while Mathias Lessort was used for 15 minutes of action; he had seven points, one rebound, one steal, and one assist.
The defending champions will give their crown to Sunday’s winner after shooting just 30% in threes, committing 12 turnovers, and dishing just 10 assists.
Fenerbahce with a good start
Fenerbahce opened up the game with a 22-14 lead in the first period. The Greens tried to turn the tide using Lessort for the first time since his injury, on December 19, checking in with 2:58 left in the first quarter.
He stayed on the court for less than five minutes, and Fenerbahce extended the advantage to 13 points (31-18), starting the night with seven made threes in 11 attempts.
Panathinaikos, with a quick 5-0 run, cut the lead to eight points (31-23) and then to five (36-31) after a tip-in by Juancho Hernangomez. Biberovic answered back (38-31), and Nunn at the buzzer with a very difficult shot made it again a five-point game.
The season MVP had 11 first-half points, while Biberovic and Hall finished with 10 points each for Fenerbahce, with the Turkish side missing seven straight threes after their hot start.
A dogfight, and the McCollum-Hall show
The scenery changed in the third period with Panathinaikos trying to turn things around by tooth and claw and trimming the lead to one point twice (38-37, 45-44).
However, in both cases, Fenerbahce reacted. The second time with a quick 7-0 run (52-44) completed with a stepback three by Errick McCollum. He added one more free throw for a nine-point lead (53-44), and Fenerbahce entered the last period up, leading 55-48.
The fourth quarter started with Nunn making his fourth foul on McCollum, and a three by Melli pushed the lead to 11 (59-48).
Thanks to Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos made it a five-point game (61-55); however, in the next plays, Devon Hall answered with a big three (64-55), and Nunn got ejected with a fifth foul for an offensive foul against Hall.
The lead went back to 11 points (67-56) with six minutes left. Panathinaikos made it a four-point game (70-66) with two minutes left after three made free throws by Lessort and McCollum, with one more three (73-66) sealed the deal.