By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Defending champion Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul took down KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz 82-73 in Game 1 of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague quarterfinals at home.
Kostas Sloukas led the winning side with a career-high in assists in the Euroleague playoffs. He finished the game with a double-double as he had 10 points and 11 assists. Jan Vesely helped him with 13 points and 8 boards and Bradley Wanamaker was the top scorer of the winners with 16 points.
Fenerbahce‘s defense set the tone early in the game and led them to an important win. The hosts were “hungry” and their aggressivity in defense forced Baskonia to struggle. The visitors had a hard time finding a way to the basket as they scored only four points in the first five minutes of the match.
Everything was pretty much settled in the first half as the Turkish side built 17 points lead in that span (43-26). Ten offensive rebounds by Baskonia in the first half was the only thing that saved them from being in a much more difficult position.
Meanwhile, Fenerbahce also demonstrated high-level execution. They were shooting 10-21 from the downtown torching Baskonia’s defense.
In the second half, Baskonia were able to cut down the deficit to seven points (65-58), but they were still far from challenging the champs in Game 1. And the 16 points scored by Tornike Shengelia couldn’t save Baskonia against Fenerbache.
Photo credit: Euroleague