By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Pushing the advantage to 17 points midway through the fourth quarter, Fenerbahce Beko triumphed in the capital of Spain on Thursday.
Guided by Sarunas Jasikevicius, the visitors completed a two-game regular-season sweep over Real Madrid with an 89-79 victory in WiZink Center.
Despite a third consecutive loss in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, the defending champions hold a three-game lead over second-placed FC Barcelona with six fixtures left in the Regular Season.
Nigel Hayes-Davis posted a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double. “It was a very important game for us, as every EuroLeague game for the standings. We had to stay solid and stick to the plan,” noted the former Wisconsin standout, “I just tried to do my best to help where I could.”
Coming in tied between the Playoffs and Play-In zones, Fener improved to 17-11. “I think the most important is to understand that we can go on the road to win these types of games. This is important for the confidence of our team,” mentioned the winning head coach after a fifth positive outcome over 15 away games in the 2023-24 edition of the EuroLeague. A seventh win in a row across all competitions.
“It is hard not to look at the standings. For us, we just try to take each game at a time and try to play the best basketball. And in the Playoffs, we want to be in the best shape,” said Nick Calathes. The 35-year-old guard threw in 12 points, six rebounds, and six assists. He was involved in a heated argument and some shoves with Facundo Campazzo late in the third period. Upon video review, unsportsmanlike fouls were issued to both players.
With the first bucket of the night, Scottie Wilbekin went over 3,000 points in Europe’s premier club continental competition. The 30-year-old guard finished with 12 points.
Johnathan Motley packing ten points hit the double-digit mark for an eighth straight showing. Tarik Biberovic added ten more points for the recent winners of the ING Turkiye Kupasi in Turkiye.
Madrid held to two three-pointers
For the Copa del Rey winners dominated by Fener, experienced Sergio Llull was responsible for the only makes from beyond the arc by sinking two triples in the fourth quarter. Limited to 4/14 from the field, he registered a team-high 17 points.
“When you beat the best team in Europe at this point, you take it any way you can,” Jasikevicius referred to team defense in Madrid.
“We need to recover the energy that we did not have, especially in the first half,” said Chus Mateo after his side fell to 22-6, “We have to keep working, keep practicing. Because in the last couple of months, we had too many games and not so many practices.”
The all-time leader in blocks, Walter Tavares had 14 points but no additional rejections. Dzanan Musa and Mario Hezonja produced 13 points apiece. Rudy Fernandez was ruled out for the Round 28 contest.
Metecan Birsen, Dyshawn Pierre, Yigit Hamza Mestoglu, and Raul Neto remained on Fenerbahce’s injury list. Sehmus Hazer and Melih Mahmutoglu sat out as well.
“They still treat me very badly to this day”
Jasikevicius, 48, also commented on his departure from Barcelona at the end of the 2022-23 season, after being asked in the press conference.
“It wasn’t the first time I left Barcelona like that,” he mentioned, “Disappointment is humongous because of how they treated me. They still treat me very badly to this day. And my family. This is all I can tell you.”
“One day I will be very clear, I don’t want to hurt anybody,” concluded the Lithuanian tactician.
More big games are coming up
Carrying a slimmer one-game lead on top of Spain’s Liga Endesa, entertaining Lenovo Tenerife shapes the opportunity for Madrid to go up to 21-3 on Sunday. On to Italy, Virtus Segafredo Bologna is the opponent in Round 29 of the EuroLeague next Friday.
On Thursday, Fener plays at home versus Valencia. Currently tied with Anadolu Efes at 18-3 and on top of the Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi standings, an away game at Yukatel Merkezefendi is the next domestic challenge on Saturday.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net