Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe rumbled past visitors LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne with an 84-63 win to go three games unbeaten at the Ülker Sports and Event Hall on Tuesday.
Carsen Edwards led the way for the winning side with 19 points, followed by Scottie Wilbekin and Johnathan Motley, who contributed 15 and 13 points respectively, while Nick Calathes tallied 13 points and provided 8 assists for Fenerbahçe.
Youssoupha Fall was ASVEL’s top contributor with 17 points and nine boards in just 17 minutes and Nando De Colo tallied 10 points, five rebounds and four assists on his return to Istanbul.
The host didn’t need ages to build a commanding lead, as Wilbekin connected from deep three times in a row to open a 15-8 lead midway through the first quarter, which grew to a 25-17 lead after 10 minutes.
Using its offensive rebounding force, led by Fall and Joffrey Lauvergne, ASVEL recovered from a double-digit deficit, 32-21, to reach halftime with a 42-36 lead, reported the EuroLeague official website.
Fenerbahçe rectified that problem after the break, as Johnathan Motley pulled the Yellow Canaries to lock down ASVEL’s frontcourt on defense and combined with Calathes on offense.
They provided 11 of Fenerbahçe’s first 14 points in the third quarter, boosting the difference to 56-40.
Motley took over again soon after and when Wilbekin finished the quarter with a three-point play to establish a 65-46 margin, nobody doubted ASVEL would have a few chances to win the game.
The home team confirmed it early in the final period when Edwards took over to abort a 0-4 opening run by the visitors.
Edwards chained together 3 free throws and showed up later with a couple of threes, the last one with an additional free throw, to put the game to bed, 78-55, with 4 minutes to go.
Last-minute drama
Valencia Basket made 16 3-point shots and pulled out a dramatic 91-92 road win over two-time defending champion Anadolu Efes on Tuesday night. Chris Jones made a pair of free throws with 4.8 seconds left to give Valencia its first win of the season, as both teams now have 1-2 records.
Bojan Dubljevic led the visitors with 20 points, while Jones finished with 15 points and eight assists. Victor Claver and Sam Van Rossom each had 12 points, including four three-pointers. Vasilije Micic led Efes with 22 points and 8 assists.
In loss, Will Clyburn had 18 points and Elijah Bryant had 10.
Efes opened a 10-point first-quarter lead, but Victor Claver hit 3 triples on as many attempts to erase the deficit and put Valencia up 21-23. Micic and Achille Polonara briefly restored the hosts' lead, but Valencia kept hitting shots from downtown, making a total of 12 triples in the first two quarters, with Dubljevic also netting 3 from downtown. But Micic scored 17 points before the break and the teams were tied at 45-45 at halftime.
Valencia's three-point attempts ceased in the third quarter, but the clubs continued to trade punches as neither team maintained a lead of more than four points. Efes led 68-66 going into the fourth quarter. Pleiss made it 73-66 with a triple and a dunk, but Dubljevic kept Valencia close until Van Rossom hit a pair of triples to put the visitors up 84-88 with 1:09 left. But Clyburn scored four baskets, and after Van Rossom turned the ball over in his own half, Rodriguez Beaubois made a three-pointer to make it 91-90 with 14.4 seconds remaining. But Jones took control of the ball and drove to the free throw line, where he made the game-winning foul strokes.
On Thursday Fenerbahçe aims to continue its winning streak against Valencia Basket, while rival and compatriot Anadolu Efes seeks revival when it locks horns with Germany’s Alba Berlin.