By Eurohoops / info@eurohoops.net
After five consecutive victories, defeat has finally arrived in Europe.
Fenerbahçe (11-6), the reigning EuroLeague champions, were the team to put an end to Barça’s winning run, beating Xavi Pascual’s side 72–71 in a game that went down to the wire.
Talen Horton-Tucker and Tarik Biberovic led the hosts with 16 points apiece, but the hero of the night was Wade Baldwin, who scored the final three of his 15 points from the free-throw line to seal the win.
Kevin Punter (20 points) and Darío Brizuela (19) shone in Turkey for Barça (12-6), but it wasn’t enough in a game where the disparity at the free-throw line proved decisive.
From the very start, it was clear that this was not going to be the most eye-catching of games.
The contest was highly physical, with defenses getting the better of the offenses, so a 35-33 halftime score came as no surprise.
Things did not change much after the break, and everything was decided in the final minute… literally.
Three free throws from Wade Baldwin, the last three of Fenerbahçe’s 24 attempts compared to just four for Barça, proved decisive.
The 72-71 scored by the American for Fenerbahçe sealed the outcome, as Kevin Punter’s potential game-winning shot did not fall and the victory went to Sarunas Jasikevicius’ side.