By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Zalgiris Kaunas had a better early and mid-game but they couldn’t hold on and Fenerbahce BEKO broke them down in the final stretch of the match for a 73-67 win at home.
With this win, Fenerbahce improved to 9-10 in the Euroleague standings, chasing the playoffs, while Zalgiris remained at the bottom with a 3-15 record.
Marko Guduric had an excellent game with 19 points on 3-6 from deep (including the go-ahead triple at 43 seconds remaining) while also adding five assists, four rebounds, three steals, and drawing six fouls. He accumulated a total of 27 PIR.
Sehmus Hazer scored 13 and Achille Polonara ten points. Polara also grabbed eight rebounds, dished four assists and hit two crucial three-pointers to help Fener bounce back from a nine points deficit (60-51) in the fourth quarter.
For Zalgiris, Edgaras Ulanovas scored 16 and Karolis Lukosiunas 15 points. Marek Blazevic scored ten while Tyler Cavanaugh had two points but also 13 rebounds.
“One of the most important games in my career”
Fenerbahce assistant coach Goran Bjedov, who led the team with head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic being out due to COVID-19, was satisfied with how his squad managed to recover despite being visibly tired.
“Defensive mentality was completely different after the timeout and we finally made some three-point shots. But I think we picked everything up defensively. We put in great effort, great heart and we didn’t quit. I’m super proud because we were tired, we were maybe without energy, but everyone who played gave everything tonight. Guduric is that kind of player, that’s why he is here so it’s not strange for us. We have some problems with injuries but we hope we can finish this period soon,” he said.
Guduric accepted the responsibility of leading the team and he was very happy with the final outcome of the game, singling it out as one of the biggest games of his career. Those are big words considering he played various Finals and won a number of trophies with both Crvena Zvezda and Fenerbahce in the past.
“What changed in the second half was just energy and wanting to win so bad. This was, I have to say, one of the most important games in my career and one of the best wins. I’m so happy, so proud of this team. With all the problems we have, it’s unbelievable. Corona cases, injuries, and 17 points down in the third quarter, we came back. I’m super proud of my team. Henry did not even practice the whole week; he just did shoot this morning. This is an amazing group of guys. I have to be a leader of this team right now. I tried to do it tonight, and it worked well.”