By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce BEKO had some ups and downs but still managed to come on top against Crvena Zvezda mts with 61-57 on the scoreboard.
Dyshawn Pierre was the main and only double-digit scorer for the victors with 13 points while Jan Vesely and Devin Booker helped with eight each. Booker also grabbed nine rebounds. Pierria Henry scored four points but also dished six assists and stole the ball five times.
Pierre was happy with the team win, especially the effort on defense but is aware that they will have to make the timely baskets going forward.
“It feels good, especially being in front of the fans. Obviously, this win was important to start the season off right, and I think we’re all happy right now. We were playing really good defense throughout the game, but we needed to score some baskets at times. We just had to stay concentration both ends of the floor, and obviously the fans helped us with the momentum to get the win.”
For Crvena Zvezda, Nikola Ivanovic scored game-high 16 points in addition to Nate Wolters and Nikola Kalinic’s nine each. Ivanovic dished six assists while Kalinic grabbed nine rebounds.
It was quite obvious what coach Aleksandar Djordjevic’s plan was in his first EuroLeague game at the helm of Fenerbahce. He prepared his squad for full press from the very start in an attempt to break the opponent early and cruise to the opening win.
And it started off perfectly for the hosts who opened the game with a 14-0 run with Zvezda seemingly having no answer offensively in the first five minutes. However, the Serbian team found some energy sparked by Kalinic’s effort and managed to bounce back, making it a close game at halftime (28-26) and all the way through to the final buzzer.
Defense was the main focus of both teams in this low-scoring duel with Fener forcing as many s 21 turnovers by Zvezda but it was Nando De Colo’s offensive prowess combined with Pierre that decided the outcome. De Colo didn’t have a great game but stepped up in the last three minutes when it mattered the most.
He dished an assist to Pierre for a two-pointer and then banked in five points of his own to give Fener a 58-49 lead that secured them the win, although Zvezda still had a shot at an upset in the end.
“It’s obvious that we didn’t take advantage of the 21 turnovers that we made Zvezda commit, and that was due to our good defense. I think we played good defense for 40 minutes; we never stopped. A couple of times we didn’t finish and finalize our good work on defense. So, we have to work on that, but it’s normal for the first game. A lot of players wanted to show their best game despite the tension, so it was a good win for us,” coach Djordjevic said.