By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
FC Bayern Munich saved another upset, this time for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, as they grabbed the 75-71 victory on the road for Round 4 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Vladimir Lucic led the winning side with 18 points and five rebounds, while Jalen Reynolds flirted with a double-double, pacing the German side into this effort with 17 points and 8 boards. Bayern finished off the week with two victories, after also passing through Tel Aviv on Wednesday against Maccabi and improved its record to 3-1.
“I believe that we showed two different faces. At halftime, we looked very bad, but no excuses. It was embarrassing. I don’t believe that we are that bad. So we didn’t do anything special. We just manned up, tried to find five players who were working well together, and our DNA: play defense, play defense, play defense. Congrats to my players because the second half was amazing. Winning in Fenerbahce, coming from Maccabi, two big games on the road, I believe it’s the best reward for my players. I am very happy for them”, said coach Andrea Trinchieri after the game.
Bayern was down by 20 points at halftime (45-25) and a 23-13 run in the third period was meant to change the momentum of the game entirely. The hosts seemed out of breath after their nearly perfect effort in the first period (28-9) and would eventually surrender to their visitors’ tempo, but reacted in the last five minutes of the game to tie the score.
Wade Baldwin would give the visitors a valuable advantage with less than a minute to go, after hitting net to help Bayern restore the lead followed by a steal. An unsportsmanlike foul by Lorenzo Brown would seal Fener‘s fate, as Lucic went to the free throw line and clinched the final victory for Bayern
Jan Vesely led all Fenerbahce scorers with 25 points on 12-14 FG and 8 boards, though his efforts weren’t enough to help Igor Kokoskov’s team bounce back this week.
The Turkish side also fell to CSKA Moscow after an epic overtime battle on Wednesday and falls to a 2-2 record.
Nando De Colo left the game with 18 points, seven assists and three rebounds, while Edgaras Ulanovas tapped 10 points.