By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Beko managed to seize the moment in the fourth quarter and overcome Buducnost Voli for a 76-67 home win in Round 27 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
The score was tied at 66 midway through the fourth quarter when Fenerbahce made a 10-0 run with five different players scoring which broke Buducnost’s resistance and sealed the game.
Nikola Kalinic scored 14 points followed by Jan Vesely‘s 13 points and nine rebounds in addition to Kostas Sloukas and Bobby Dixon‘s 11 points each.
For Buducnost, Earl Clark nailed game-high 2o points while Goga Bitadze helped with 11 points.
Despite Fenerbahce’s early 14-5 lead, Earl Clark kept Buducnost in play with nine points in the first quarter (19-16) while Filip Barovic nailed eight points in the second period to push the Montenegrin squad to a double-digit lead (36-26). The hosts managed to consolidate and softened the blow before the halftime rest (39-36).
“Tonight was one more example that if you don’t fight for the 40 minutes, it’s very difficult. Thanks to our people, our fans. It was a fantastic atmosphere. Buducnost came in here and played a really good game and thought about what was important for them. They played a really good game”, coach Zeljko Obradovic said.
Earl Clark kept punishing Fenerbahce squad which couldn’t find an answer for his post game but the game stayed completely balanced as the teams were tied at 58 in front of the final ten minutes which eventually belonged to the Turkish squad.
Despite the loss, coach Jasmin Repesa was content: “I want to congratulate Fenerbahce for winning the game but the same to my players, the way we played the game. I think it was one of our best games of the season, controlling the rhythm, controlling rebounds, controlling defensive transition. All are important parts of the game if you want to play a serious game against Fenerbahce on their court.”
Fenerbahce stayed at the top of the standings improving to 23-4 while Buducnost now holds a 6-21 record.