The Turkish club fought back after trailing for the lion’s share of a tough contest to grind out an important win
Fenerbahce edges Maccabi, 84-82, after fourth-quarter comeback
Fenerbache Beko Istanbul improved to 4-2 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after an 84-82 win in Round 6, having turned the game around in the fourth quarter.
Nigel Hayes-Davis paced Fenerbahce with 20 points, Devon Hall scored 16 and Tarik Biberovic added 15 after stepping up in the final 10 minutes of an absorbing contest. Skylar Mays netted 13 points for the home team, whose former Maccabi players Wade Baldwin and Bonzie Colson managed a mere 5 points between them.
At the other end, Jaylen Hoard led the way for Maccabi with 20 points, Levi Randolph scored 14 while Saben Lee and Jasiel Rivero chipped in with 13 each. Roman Sorkin racked up 7 points and 9 boards for the visitors, who slipped to 2-4 after losing their third in a row.
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Maccabi carved out a 16-21 advantage at the end of an even first quarter and led 38-40 at halftime, with Hoard, Rivero and Sorkin setting the pace for the visiting team which stifled out Fenerbahce’s key players thanks to aggressive defense.
Maccabi looked the more likely winner after engineering an 11-point lead in the third quarter, with Fenerbahce looking out of sorts at both ends of the floor. Hoard was unstoppable in the third, hitting shots from all over while the hosts struggled on offense as the misfiring Baldwin was glued to the bench.
The visitors headed into the fourth with a 58-67 advantage but they were unable to hold on to it as Fenerbahce’s small-ball unit swarmed Maccabi and erased the deficit. Biberovic found his range from downtown and turned the match on its head with a pair of deep threes, one of them off the glass, giving Fenerbahce an 80-76 lead heading into the home straight. Maccabi managed to hit back and force a dramatic finish, which nonetheless panned out in Fenerbahce’s favor after Rokas Jokubaitis lost his footing and threw away Maccabi’s final possession with a turnover.