BBy Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Even though they couldn’t count on the injured Kostas Sloukas, Fenerbahce registered their sixth straight win in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by beating Barcelona 84-65 on the road in Round 10.
Bobby Dixon led the charge with 16 points while Marko Guduric added 13 in addition to Luigi Datome and Jan Vesely’s 11 points each. For Barcelona, Adam Hanga scored 15 and Kyle Kuric added ten points.
“Barcelona is very good in offensive rebounds and I talked with my players that one of the keys would be this“, said winning coach Zeljko Obradovic after the game. “The team fought and played very good basketball. I am very happy because we beat a team that, lately, is in good shape.”
Fenerbahce went ahead 23-17 after ten minutes mostly thanks to ten points from Dixon who made all four shots from the field including two from behind the arc. He notched one more triple in the second period helping Fener increase the distance to 38-23.
However, after a few calls by referees which could go both ways and a technical foul for Barca’s bench, the crowd heated up the atmosphere and the home squad decreased the deficit to just five points (39-34). Still, Fenerbahce warded them off and went on the halftime rest with a 45-36 advantage.
Both teams improved their defense significantly in the third quarter (19-11) but Fenerbahce still held an upper hand and found themselves up 64-47. Barcelona managed to get a bit closer (68-58) but the guests made a 9-0 run and secured the game without trouble.
Fenerbahce improved to 9-1 as they hold the top of the standings together with CSKA while Barcelona stands at a 6-4 record just like Olympiacos and Olimpia Milano.
Photo Credit: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague