The big man served up a career high PIR of 34 for the hosts as they trumped the champs
Kenan Kamenjas shines as Dubai stuns Fenerbahce
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 21 of 38
Regular Season
Dubai BasketballDUB
9281
Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulFBB
Overview
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Dubai Basketball lit up Round 21 of the EuroLeague with a blistering 91-82 home win over the competition’s holder, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, as a number of key players stood out in a fascinating clash played in a cracking atmosphere on Thursday.
Among the home team’s heroes, big man Kenan Kamenjas took center stage with an impressive double-double of 20 points and 15 boards, which generated a career-high PIR of 34 after he came off the bench to rip through his opponents in the paint at both ends.
Guard McKinley Wright chipped in with a game-high 22 points and 4 assists, shooting 9-of-11 from inside as he dominated the backcourt, while Dwayne Bacon scored 10 of his 15 points in the first quarter. Mfiondu Kabengele racked up 14 points to go with 5 boards and Justin Anderson netted 11 points, including a spectacular alley-oop reverse slam, which had the home faithful in raptures.
The evening’s plaudits went to Kamenjas, though, as the 25-year-old Bosnian keeps going from strength to strength in his maiden EuroLeague campaign, having joined newcomers Dubai from Buducnost VOLI Podgorica during the offseason.
With Kabengele doing the early damage in the paint as Dubai jumped into the driving seat, Kamenjas picked up all the offense scraps close to the basket after coming off the bench and hurt the visitors with quiet yet lethal finishing while constituting a wall at the other end, as Dubai outrebounded Fenerbahce 42-21.
“Dubai were more physical and the rebounding stats show they were better than us today,” Fenerbahce head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius said. “The more aggressive team won and we tried to prepare the players for the fact that it was a must-win game for Dubai. We made a lot of bad fouls and gave them a lot of cheap points; we didn’t deserve to win,” he added.
Smarting from a pair of successive defeats, including an 85-60 mauling at Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv in the previous round, Dubai’s players dug deep and fought as if their lives depended on the outcome.
Fenerbahce trailed by as many as 15 points and, having closed the gap to 73-69 early in the fourth, it looked like raw talent and the makings of a champion might prevail, but Dubai fended off the Turkish side’s fightback superbly.
“A great victory for us against a very good team who are now probably in the best rhythm in the EuroLeague,” Kamenjas said after Dubai snapped Fenerbahce’s four-game winning streak. “I want to thank the fans for their amazing support. We did a good job from the first minute to the last as we stayed together as a team.”
The action on the court went hand in hand with a vocal battle on the terraces, where a large contingent of visiting Fenerbahce fans contributed to a fantastic atmosphere. The home faithful did all the singing and dancing after the final buzzer, though, giving Dubai a standing ovation.
Home coach Jurica Golemac stressed consistency was the key as |Dubai kept its composure and intensity for the entire contest after being blown away 49-19 by Hapoel in the second half on Tuesday.
“Congratulations to the players, they were extremely focused today,” the Slovenian tactician said. “We played smart and physical for the full 40 minutes, as 42 rebounds against Fenerbahce is an achievement showing that we played with a lot of desire tonight. We had issues at the start of the second half lately, but this time we managed to share the minutes and keep the same intensity.”
“We rose to the challenge as we didn’t look too good in the last two games. Congratulations to the fans too, as they competed with the Fenerbahce supporters in the stands just like we did on the court.”
Wright also gave Dubai value for money as he put in a highly efficient performance and ran the backcourt, his partnership with Kamenjas once again coming to the fore as both men joined Dubai from Buducnost during the summer. The guard made it clear in no uncertain terms what was at stake for Dubai, which remains well placed to contest a postseason spot.
“We had our backs against the wall after two straight losses, but we stayed together for 40 minutes tonight and took care of business on home court against a really good Fenerbahce team,” he said. “We stuck to the game plan and it’s a big win for us.”
