By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce BEKO was in control during the first half, however, Maodo Lo ‘woke up’ after the break and led Alba Berlin to an 84-70 win.
Lo scored all 21 of his points in the second half and was the force that pushed Alba to win the third quarter 30-18, after being down 35-27 at the break, and eventually log a rather convincing win score-wise.
“We just came out with a little more aggressiveness and more confidence on offense [to start the second half]. We were tight. We just tried to play a little more loose, have confidence in the things we do and be aggressive. And it worked. We were able to do a good job in the beginning of the second half. That gave us confidence and momentum and we took that and just kept on going,” Lo said.
Alba’s defense was impressive during the whole game but it was their offensive barrage that tipped the scale. They scored a total of 57 points in the second half, sparked by Lo’s three shots from deep in the third quarter.
Israel Gonzalez logged his first-ever win in the EuroLeague and he gave all the credit to his players, especially so for the second-half performance.
“It was the desire of the players. It was unbelievable. They were tired but they came here with a lot of desire to play against a great team like Fenerbahce. We showed a different team on offense in the second half. We kept our defense, maybe even improved it. They believed in themselves and played with conviction on offense. The aggressiveness was much better in the second half,” he said after the game.
Oscar da Silva banked in 22 points while Luke Sikma put up 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block.
For Fenerbahce, Nando De Colo scored 15 and Ahmet Duverioglu 12 points. De Colo also dished seven assists while Jan Vesely logged six points and 11 rebounds.