By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
After winning five of its last six games, Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul defeated 68-83 FC Barcelona Lassa on the road on Day 11 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to improve its record to 8-3.
The star: The Kostas Sloukas and Brad Wanamaker duo were impressive for the winners. The Greek international finished with 17 points and 5 assists while the American guard added 16 points and 4 steals.
The key: Fenerbahce‘s third quarter (13-25) was what got Obradovic‘s team the win. The 13-point lead Fener had to start the final period was crucial.
The game: The defending EuroLeague champions were being challenged early on by Barcelona Lassa, as the Spanish team built an eight-point lead (21-13) in the first six minutes. Despite Kostas Sloukas‘ facilitating and highlight dunks from Jan Vesely, the first quarter ended 28-22 in favor of Barca. For the first four minutes of the second period, Fener toughened its defense allowing just three points and eventually went up ahead with a 3-12 run (31-34). Alonso’s team, however, responded with a 6-0 run and regained the lead. The game remained competitive and the first half finally ended 38-39.
Both teams were going at it in the first five minutes of the second half, challenging its other (45-45). Since that point, Datome, Sloukas, and Vesely went on a 0-8 run to control the tempo of the game. To finish off the third quarter, Obradovic‘s team had a 13 point lead (51-64) thanks to their 13-25 score in the period. The home side tried to come back in the first minutes of the final period but eventually fell off short as the visitors kept on hitting shots on the offensive side of the court and increasing their lead.
Not enough: For Barca, Adam Hanga finished with 15 points.