By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Dogus resisted the third quarter comeback of Sakarya Buyuksehir Basketbol and recorded an 81-66 home win in Game 1 of Turkish BSL quarterfinals.
Despite trailing at halftime (44-30) Sakarya players bounced beak in the third period and made a three-point game (61-58) with less than nine minutes left. Fenerbahce coach Zeljko Obradovic was forced to call a timeout and the response was a 13-2 run in order to secure the game.
James Nunnally and Nicolo Melli led the winning side with 15 points each while Gian Lopez scored game-high 16 points for the losing team.
Earlier, Banvit beat Besiktas Sompo Japan 79-77 on the road and will have the chance to finish the quarterfinal series at home in Game 2.
Besiktas was trailing by one (78-77) after D.J. Strawberry’s two-pointer with 23 seconds left and send Banvit to the free throw line in the following play. Despite Can Altintig missing both shots, Besiktas “steal” the game as both Strawberry and Kenan Sipahi failed to score.
Angelo Caloiaro led the victors with 16 points in addition to Tony Taylor’s 14. On the other side, Strawberry’s game-high 21 points weren’t enough to change the outcome in the end.