By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nobody expected that Barcelona would have an easy night against Fenerbahce. However, that was the story of the game with the hosts getting the 90-63 win.
Kevin Punter with 25 points, Justin Anderson with 18, and Jabari Parker with 15 led a balanced effort, but it was the defense that set the tone in the contest.
“That’s one of the areas we want to grow, to be consistent for 40 minutes”, said Punter.
As coach Joan Penarroya added: “It was a complete game both on offense and defense and especially on defense, only eight rebounds, we controlled the rebounds”.
Bonzie Colson with 15 points was the only scorer in double digits for Fenerbahce, which dropped to a 10-6 record, while Barcelona improved to 9-7 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings.
On top of that, Fenerbahce’s Wade Baldwin left the game injured in the second quarter, playing only 12 minutes.
Barcelona defending perfectly
It was all about defense from the get-go, as Barcelona led 20-12 after 10 minutes of play, setting the tone and keeping their distance. The hosts led momentarily by double digits (24-14) and after a balanced second period, the halftime score was 44-37.
Anderson and Punter already had 14 and 10 points respectively while Colson with eight points was the top scorer of the guests.
However, in the second half, Barcelona had things in total control.
The hosts managed to close the third period up by 12 (65-53) and in the fourth quarter, Fenerbahce collapsed, ending up losing by 27 and not being able to get a bucket…
Photo credit: EuroLeague