Toko Shengelia’s 35 points were not enough to prevent the visitors from losing
Fenerbahce outguns Virtus to notch sixth win in a row, 95-81
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul grabbed its sixth straight win in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as it defeated the visiting Virtus Segafredo Bologna at Ulker Sports and Event Hall on Friday evening. The hosts had to resist against Toko Shengelia’s career game in scoring, but better accuracy from the three-point line allowed them to keep their opponents at arm's length for almost the whole game. Fenerbahce improved to 16-7 while Virtus slipped to an opposite record of 7-17.
Marko Guduric led the winners with 17 points, Errick McCollum followed with 15, Bonzie Colson had 12 and Sertac Sanli finished with 11 on a perfect 3 of 3 from behind the arc. Toko Shengelia registered a career night thanks to a 35-point performance, good for a PIR of 39, also a career best for him. Isaia Cordinier scored 12 and Matt Morgan netted 11 in the losing effort.
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A low-scoring start prevented the fans from watching more than a couple of successful offensive sets on each end in the first few minutes of the game. Sanli was the first one to hit from long range, granting an 8-6 edge for the home side, that Colson extended the advantage to 10-6 with a dunk off a steal soon after. Cordinier took over with a couple of nice buckets, but a poor shooting display, several turnovers and many fouls committed by the visitors allowed Fenerbahce to increase the gap to 19-11 after nine minutes. A late three by Nicolo Melli, the second for the hosts in the game, closed the first-quarter assault with the home team leading 22-13.
Fenerbahce built a double-digit advantage early in the second, as Nigel Hayes-Davis struck from downtown to make it 25-15. The visitors responded, as Morgan from outside and Shengelia inside teamed up to give Virtus a boost. The hosts remained hot from long range, with Tarik Biberovic, Guduric and Melli drilling a trey each to maintain a safe 10-point margin, 36-26. Shengelia geared up then with a couple of free throws and a corner three that reduced the gap to 36-33 and forced a Fenerbahce timeout. Even though the Georgian forward provided four more points after the game resumed, a couple of steals and a couple of offensive rebounds helped Fenerbahce regain a solid margin, 46 -37, at halftime.
Guduric got the hosts going after the intermission with a layup and a dish for Arturs Zagars's triple, which made it 51-40. Hayes-Davis followed with another of his own and Guduric showed up again from deep to get the home fans off their seats and set a 57-44 score midway through the third quarter. With Shengelia as the only reliable weapon on offense, Virtus managed to hold on thanks to a couple of offensive fouls drawn, good to keep the hosts in sight, 60-51. Sanli and Biberovic calmed things down again, though, with the former nailing back-to-back three-pointers and the latter completing a three-point play that gave Fenerbahce a 69-54 lead entering the last stanza.
Daniel Hackett and Shengelia got Virtus within 71-60 with seven minutes remaining. The distance didn’t shrink beyond that, as Guduric elevated from behind the arc and McCollum hit a mid-range jumper to keep Fenerbahce in charge, 76-62. Colson joined the shootout contest with another three and McCollum twice hit again to keep Fenerbahce hot, as Shengelia left the court with an already career night in scoring with 35 points and still four minutes to play. Despite Virtus managing to replace Shengelia’s scoring, the home team continued to punish the visitors from downtown, with two more coming from McCollum and Biberovic to seal the outcome, 89-72, entering crunch time.