By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Τhe empty stands are an unusual sight, especially to those not familiar with European sports. However, Jimmer Fredette’s big night helped Panathinaikos forget about that.
The Greens got the 81-78 win over Fenerbahce BEKO, which dropped to 5-9 and urgently needs to step up to keep alive their playoffs hopes.
On the other hand, Fredette scored 22 points and with five clutch free throws sealed the deal for his team. In total, he made 10 out of 11 free throws. “I am so proud of Jimmer Fredette. He has been knocked his whole life about defense, and his defense in the third quarter won us the game,” said coach Rick Pitino. “I would never think in my lifetime that Jimmer will take credit because of his defense.”
Panathinaikos has a solid 9-5 record, the exact opposite of the Turkish side.
Nando De Colo had the chance to tie the game with the score being 79-76, he made his shot with five seconds left, but he was stepping on the three-point line. He did get one more chance, with three seconds left, but his shot was short while he might got fouled.
“The same kind of mistakes.”
It was a thrilling and unexpected ending. After a close first half, Fenerbahce had a 46-42 lead, however, that changed when the teams returned for the third quarter.
Thanks to a 20-7 run, Panathinaikos got a nine-point advantage (62-53). The hosts closed the period leading by eight (65-57) with the guests making just four out of 16 threes, and jumped to a 70-57 lead at the start of the fourth.
“We played a good game in the first half and like in many, many games, the third quarter was bad,” Fenerbahce coach Zeljko Obradovic admitted after the game. “So, more or less, we continue with the same kind of mistakes.”
Fenerbahce made a comeback, and with three minutes left, Nick Calathes fouled out with Panathinaikos being up by four (74-70). He had 15 points and eight assists.
Without him on the court, Fenerbahce got into striking distance. Still, ultimately the guests couldn’t tie or win the game and finished the night with 5/23 threes. Kostas Sloukas had 15 points and eight assists for Fenerbahce.
“We missed five or six easy layups, and 20 of our threes were open”, added Obradovic. “Believe me, I spend the whole day in the gym, and our practices are much better than the way we play the game.”
And Nick Calathes almost agreed, speaking about Panathinaikos: “In the fourth quarter, we couldn’t score. It was one of those times where nothing would fall in. We didn’t make our free throws, but our defense won it for us. We got stops when we needed it. It was a big win for us. It’s huge against a team like Fenerbahce with no fans. It was a different atmosphere for both teams, and we were lucky to get the win.”