Fourth-quarter surge allowed the hosts to clinch a second straight victory
Fenerbahce downs ALBA 90-73
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul recorded two straight victories for the first time since Rounds 10 and 11 by beating ALBA Berlin 90-73 at Ulker Sports and Event Hall on Thursday evening. A tight, back-and-forth affair in the first three quarters was followed by a 22-4 Fenerbahce charge in the fourth to finish the game off. With this victory, Fenerbahce improved its record to 12-7. ALBA registered its seventh consecutive loss and dropped to 3-17.
Sertac Sanli led all scorers with a season-high 18 points. Marko Guduric and Nigel Hayes-Davis netted 14 each, with Bonzie Colson adding 10. Gabriele Procida paced ALBA with 14 points, Matt Thomas had 13 and Malte Delow scored 10.
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An early exchange of blows saw Fenerbahce grab a narrow 6-4 lead following a layup from Marko Guduric. Thomas netted a triple after 3 failed attempts from ALBA, but Devon Hall scored off the bench to put the hosts back in front, 7-6. Sanli took over with 5 unanswered points, with Tarik Biberovic netting a pull-up triple as Fenerbahce took a 16-11 lead into the second quarter.
Dyshawn Pierre and Nicolo Melli scored inside, with the latter completing a three-point play for a 21-13 cushion. Delow replied with 5 straight points before a dunk from Procida in transition and a triple by Will McDowell-White cut the difference to 24-23. After Pierre and Procida traded baskets, a David McCormack bucket and a triple from Thomas tied it at 30-30. Guduric and Sanli netted inside, but 4 points from Procida tied it again before a three-pointer by Colson gave the hosts a 37-34 edge at halftime.
Thomas opened the third quarter with a three, but Colson netted inside and Hayes-Davis drained one from deep for a 42-37 lead. Four points from Elias Rapieque and a bucket by Procida trimmed the deficit to 44-43. Then, a three-point play by Colson was followed by a basket from Skylar Mays for a 50-45 cushion. Hayes-Davis and Delow traded triples before Tim Schneider netted two of his own and Martin Hermannsson scored in transition, slashing the difference to 61-60 heading into the closing quarter.
Hermannsson opened the fourth with another layup, but Guduric drilled an open triple to restore a 64-62 cushion. McDowell-White and Guduric exchanged inside scores before Yanni Wetzell and Tarik Biberovic traded triples, with Sanli completing two straight three-point plays to make it 75-69. Biberovic nailed a midrange jumper and Guduric sank a corner three that opened an 80-69 lead. That’s when Hayes-Davis took over by netting back-to-back triples that put the game to bed.