By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Playing a home game in Kaunas was not ideal for Fenerbahce, but when all was said and done, the Turkish team got the 84-82 win over Maccabi.
Nigel Hayes-Davis with 20 points was the top scorer of the Turkish team, but it was newcomer Devon Hall who stole the show with 16 points and nine assists, a career-high in EuroLeague, Tarik Biberobiv added 15 points and arguably the biggest shot of the game, while Skylar Mars had 13.
“We dug deep and got some stops, put doubts in Maccabi‘s head”, said coach Sarunas Jasikevicius who praised his players, including DyShawn Pierre who didn’t score but was valuable in defense in 11 minutes of action: “We found the players who understood what it takes”.
For Maccabi, Jaylen Hoard scored 20 points, Levi Randolph had 14 and Saben Lee added 13, while Rokas Jokubaitis returned to action and scored nine points while dishing seven assists.
Fenerbahce now has a solid 4-2 record, while Maccabi dropped to 2-4.
Fight until the last seconds
It was a peculiar game from the first minute, as the game was interrupted due to incorrect lines around the paint. The game continued and it was balanced in the first half with Maccabi leading by five at the end of the first period (21-16) and by two at halftime (40-38).
Things changed in the third period. Maccabi had an 8-0 run to create a 10-point cushion (52-42) keeping Fenerbahce scoreless for three minutes. The game turned into a dogfight and Fenerbahce trimmed the lead to seven (65-58) after a three by newcomer Skylar Mars at the end of the quarter.
However, the tune was different in the last quarter with Fenerbahce tying the score at 72 with five minutes left. With the game on the line and Fenerbahce leading 82-80, Saben Lee missed two free throws and Biberovic scored with 43 seconds left to give a four-point cushion (84-80).
Randolph scored for the 84-82, Hall missed a three and Jokubaitis lost his step, tumbled the ball, and the last chance to send the game to overtime as the time ended.
Photo credit: EuroLeague