By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul prevailed over Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz with 79-74 in Round 16 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
This marks win number 10 for the Turkish team, while the visiting side now falls to 7-9.
Key moment: Despite the turmoil after Nunnally’s injury, the hosts grabbed an early 7-2 run in the fourth period and soon enough expanded to a double-digit lead. Even when Timma tried to turn the tide in Baskonia’s favor, the hosts held up until the end.
The game: A fast-paced opening period put the hosts in charge early on, with Jayson Thompson’s efficiency playing a key role. Johannes Voigtmann helped the visiting side grab the lead, with Baskonia leading 22-18 after 10 minutes.
The Spanish team stayed in charge in the second period, with Kevin Jones expanding the advantage to 31-24 at 14′. The competitiveness kept escalating, as Baskonia was forced into many turnovers, yet still led 38-36.
After the break, Marko Guduric gave the hosts a breather with a three-pointer (39-38), yet Baskonia soon got back on track despite the constant pressure. James Nunnally came in with another three further down the quarter, as Fenerbahce once again led 53-50, then a little later on Voigtmann tied the score to 56 points.
Bad luck struck towards the end of the third period, as Nunnally went down with a nasty slip and was carried off court on a stretcher. Still, Fener had the upper hand with 63-59 after 30 minutes.
On top of that, Vesely also had to stay out towards the end with an achilles strain.
The star: Marko Guduric led the winners with 18 points.
Not enough: Tornike Shengelia’s 15 points weren’t enough to keep Baskonia in the game towards the end.