By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Elie Okobo had 15 points, Daniel Theis added 15 and Jordan Loyd scored 13.
However, nobody was close to the Mike James show, who finished the night with 29 points, 5/8 threes, plus six assists.
Thanks to his show and big shots down the stretch, Monaco got the crucial 91-82 home win over Fenerbahce, moving to an 18-12 record and remaining fourth in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings, while the Turkish side remains also second at 20-10.
“We just played with more energy than we had last week, we lost some important games in the French cup and on the road to Maccabi“, admitted James, “but we are fighting for our playoffs life and we needed this win”.
For the losing side, Errick McCollum had an amazing night with 24 points, and Marko Guduric added 15 points but that was not enough.
Monaco closing the game the right way
The game started furiously, with James scoring 11 points in the first quarter. The period ended with Fenerbahce up by two (28-26), setting the tone for the rest of the night.
Monaco took the 38-37 lead after a three by James for the first time in the game, that was the start of nine unanswered points and the hosts created a seven-point cushion (44-37). Fenerbahce had their own 6-0 run to make it a one-point game (44-43), but James with a three extended Monaco’s halftime lead to four (47-43).
Fenerbahce got the lead back (52-50) again mid-way through the third period, Monaco’s answer was six straight points (56-52) and closed the quarter with a three by Jordan Loyd that made the score 63-58.
That started a 7-0 run with two more buckets by Mam Jaiteh to make it a nine-point game (67-58) to start the last period. With McCollum taking action and Sertac Sanli making a three, Fenerbahce trimmed the lead to two (73-71) with four minutes left, changing the momentum again.
Marko Guduric made it a one-point game (76-75) with three minutes on the clock and Mike James with a big three gave Monaco a four-point cushion (79-75).
Tarik Biberovic and Elie Okobo exchanged threes (82-78) as Monaco still had the advantage and then Alpha Diallo with a key steal and an offensive rebound gave James the chance for one more three which practically decided the game (85-78) with 70 seconds left.
PHOTO CREDIT: EuroLeague
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