By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce secured a victory in Round 22 of the EuroLeague, defeating Valencia 82-79 on their home court.
Nando de Colo played his first EuroLeague game for Fenerbahce since his return and was the top scorer with 16 points. Nicolo Melli added 12, Wade Baldwin contributed with 11, as did Brandon Boston, while for the host, who were again without Bonzie Colson, Devon Hall and Talen Horton-Tucker each scored 10.
For the visitors, Nate Reuvers tallied 17 points, Jean Montero 14, Jaime Pradilla 13 and Kameron Taylor finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds.
The home team led for nearly the entire match and seemed poised for an easier win. However, Valencia mounted a comeback, complicating matters, but Nicolo Melli’s three-pointer just before the final minute appeared to seal it (80-73).
Yet Pedro Martinez’s team didn’t surrender, cutting the deficit to three points, stealing the ball, and both Montero and Reuvers had shots for overtime. They missed, and Biberovic confirmed the triumph from the free-throw line.
Fenerbahce now stands at 14-7, and in the next round, Sarunas Jasikevicius’ team will visit Virtus in Bologna. Valencia has the same number of wins but one more loss, and they’ll try to snap a two-game losing streak at home against Paris.