By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
In a game where physicality was the beginning and the end, FC Bayern Munich held back Fenerbahce Beko’s comeback to grab a 71-63 win in Round 10 and bounce back from a two-game skid.
After trailing by five at halftime (35-30), momentum turned in Fenerbahce’s side with dominant plays by Achille Polonara and Melih Mahmutoglu. Sehmus Hazer would tie the game for the first time early in the fourth quarter, though Corey Walden and Vladimir Lucic stepped in for the hosts to keep them intact in crunch time.
Lucic saved the day for Bayern, posting a season-high with 22 points and 6 rebounds, including a big three-pointer in the final minute of the game to give his team a six-point advantage. Walden added 16 points and Augustine Rubit also had 13 points including a clutch performance in the final period.
Lucic even gained the praise of coach Sasa Djordjevic after the game: “Lucic had a really exceptional game. We didn’t find an easy way to the basket, they locked the basket for us and offensively we were not that good,” he said.
Marko Guduric led Fenerbahce’s offense with 16 points, Jan Vesely had 12 points and 7 rebounds, Devin Booker added 10 and Polonara exited with 8 points and 6 rebounds.
With this victory, Bayern improves to a 4-6 record and will be facing Panathinaikos OPAP Athens for Round 11, hoping to turn it into a streak.
This marked Fenerbahce’s second defeat in a row, and they will look to bounce back this Friday when they face Zalgiris in Kaunas.
Photo: EuroLeague