The 24-year-old had a career-defining performance that should boost his confidence to new limits
Fenerbahce's Tarik Biberovic came of age in Game 2
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is one win away from reaching the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four following its 89-72 triumph over Paris Basketball in Game 2 on Thursday night. Fenerbahce has a solid 2-0 lead in the series after a record-breaking first-half performance which allowed coach Sarunas Jasikevicius's team to control the game until the final buzzer.
Small forward Tarik Biberovic was at the center of it all, being unstoppable in the opening three quarters in what was arguably his best game in seven EuroLeague seasons.
Biberovic paced Fenerbahce since the very beginning of the game, hitting an early three-pointer and adding a jumper to help his team get a 29-20 lead after 10 minutes. He kept hitting everything he took before the break, reaching halftime with 12 points on 3-of-3 two-pointers and 2-of-2 three-pointers.
"We played well as a team. We were sharing the ball and there were a lot of opportunities for me," Biberovic told EuroLeague TV after the game. "From three, from mid-range, in the paint, from the free-throw line... It doesn't actually matter: as long as we play this team game, offensively and defensively, each and every one of us can shine."
After enjoying a 61-38 lead at halftime, Fenerbahce struggled in the third quarter, right after Devon Hall gave his team its biggest lead of the night, 64-39. Fenerbahce was limited to just 8 points in the next six minutes but Biberovic had 7 of those: an off-balance shot, a pair of free throws, and a bomb from downtown. All that allowed Fenerbahce to hold a 76-57 lead after 30 minutes, enough to keep a safe margin for good.
Biberovic finished the game with 20 points, a new career high, in his 114th game in the competition, beating his previous best of 18. He added 4 rebounds to amass a PIR of 21, matching his personal-best effort.
On a night that saw three of Fenerbahce's big men (Khem Birch, Sertac Sanli and Jilson Bango) go scoreless despite combining for 27 minutes, Fenerbahce got solid contributions from all perimeters players and two of its most experienced stars: Nicolo Melli had 7 points and 4 rebounds. Nigel Hayes-Davis finished the game with 16 points, 7 rebounds and a game-high PIR of 26.
"It's easy. I mean, it's 20 points! It's a shame I didn't score 20 points [in a EuroLeague game] until now," Biberovic joked after the game. "To be honest, it's only 2-0 and nothing is finished yet. We are going to Paris and know how they play over there. They are actually a very, very fast team and never gives up. We need to finish the job, that's our mentality, and each and every one of us is thinking the same way. We have to finish the job."
Fenerbahce has its first chance to advance to the 2025 Final Four in Game 3, played at Adidas Arena in the French capital on Tuesday, April 29.