By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
With 10 seconds remaining in overtime in the game between Fenerbache Beko and Valencia and the score 98 – 87, Jordan Loyd took it on him to hit the game-winner. He drove to the basket and made the tough layup while winning the foul for an extra point to cap a comeback from down seven, 96 – 89, with 1:18 left in the extra period.
Fener had eight seconds to tie the score or go ahead. Nando De Colo, who previously forced the overtime for the hosts, missed in his 3-point attempt to win the match and Valencia escaped Istanbul with a huge 100 – 98 win over a title contender. It was quite possibly one of the biggest EuroLeague victories in the history of the Spanish club.
On the other hand, Fenerbahce suffered its fourth loss in a row and dropped to 5-11. The Turkish side is 15th in the standings and way behind in the playoffs race.
Loyd finished the match with 14 points while Bojan Dubljevic posted career-highs 30 points, 12 rebounds and 43 PIR for the Spanish squad. Brock Motum also had 14 points to help Valencia win and improve to 7 – 9.
“For this team to come back – we were down twice – to come back and win is truly special. I couldn’t be happier for my coaches and my teammates,” Loyd said to EuroLeague TV. “We had a similar game in the Spanish League and we ended up losing but as I keep saying, to win this game, especially in overtime, it’s very special.”
De Colo scored 31 points, grabbed seven rebounds and was the one to tie the game with 0.4 remaining in regulation after receiving the inbounds pass by Gigi Datome to score the layup for the 84 – 84. Alberto Abalde had put Valencia up 82 – 84.
Valencia had returned from a deficit of 11 points in the fourth period with a 0 – 9 run to first take a 77 – 79 advantage thanks to a 3-pointer by Sam Van Rossom. Fener controlled the game up to the beginning of the final quarter thanks to De Colo, Derrick Williams (20 points, six rebounds) and Datome (20 points).
Something to take, something to forget
Despite the loss that came in a heartbreaking fashion, Fenerbahce coach Zeljko Obradovic said that he was pleased with his team’s overall performance, possibly for the first time this season.
“It was an incredible game,” Obradovic said in the post-game presser. “We played very good basketball in the first half and for a lot of minutes in the second half also. Somehow, we came to the end of the game and we didn’t control the game. But I am very, very, happy about how we played. Probably tonight it’s the first time I’m really satisfied with the concentration of the players, especially in the first half, the defense, and the way we switched on defense. In the end of the game, there were some decisions that were not good, and we had a kind of miracle to tie the game. Also, in regular time it was really a great opportunity for us to win the game. Probably, with just one minute left, it was very, very simple to win this game. Obviously, I want to congratulate Valencia, because they fought until the end, they are really a good team, but I want to do so also to my players, because they played well and they also deserved to win this game.”
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball