Fenerbahce Ulker downed Power Electronics Valencia 75-73

Fenerbahce Ulker survived the showdown between undefeated teams in Top 16 Group H by edging Power Electronics Valencia 75-73 in front of 15,600 fans at Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday. Fenerbahce is first in Group H with a 2-0 record while Valencia and Olympiacos tie for second place each at 1-1. Omer Onan led the winners with 22 points. Marko Tomas added 15, Mirsad Turkcan had 14 while Emir Preldzic got 10 for Fener. Rafa Martinez led Valencia with 14 points. Dusko Savanovic added 11 while Victor Claver had 10 for the guests. A layup by Turkcan allowed Fener to get a 21-20 edge after 10 minutes. Emir Preldzic and Onan shined in the second quarter to make Fener extend its margin to 37-33 at halftime. Tomas sank back-to-back triples to give the hosts their first double-digit lead, 43-33. Nando De Colo, Savanovic and a jumper by Serhiy Lishchuk allowed Valencia to tie it at 47-47. Savanovic gave Valencia its last lead, 62-63, with over 6 minuts left. Onan led an 13-3 run that happened to be definitive, 75-66. Valencia rallied to get a chance to win the game in the final seconds but Preldzic had two blocks on Martinez down the stretch.

Onan needed just needed 15 seconds to down the game's first three-pointer and Tomas also struck from downtown for a 6-0 Fener lead. Claver joined the three-point shootout and a wild dunk by Robertas Javtokas got Valencia within 6-5. Kaya Peker found Onan for an easy layup and free throws by Roko Ukic restored a 10-5 Fenerbahce edge. The hosts opted to get Preldzic off the bench to stop Claver but Valencia found other options on offense. Martinez sank a jumper that Preldzic matched with a driving basket. Javtokas shined with a high-flying tip-in, as the guests tried to slow down the game tempo. Omar Cook fed Florent Pietrus for a reverse layup that Onan bettered with a bomb from downtown, good for a 15-11 Fener lead. James Augustine scored in transition and split free throws but a driving layup by Onan kept the hosts ahead, 17-14. De Colo sank a mid-range shot, Pietrus added a dunk and a reverse layup by Lishchuk gave Valencia its first lead, 19-20. A layup by Turkcan restored a 21-20 Fener edge after 10 minutes.

Valencia tried a more aggressive frontline - Claver, Augustine and Lishchuk together on court - early in the second quarter but a three-pointer by Turkcan gave Fener a 24-20 edge. Claver shined with a fast break dunk and Lishchuk added a backdoor layup to tie it at 24-24. Preldzic found Savas for a layup and Onan nailed another triple to make the guests call timeout at 29-24. Tomas capped a 7-0 run with an easy basket that Claver matched with a five-meter jumper. The hosts improved their defense and Preldzic got the crowd even more involved with back-to-back driving baskets. Martinez scored in penetration and a left-handed layup by Savanovic - his first points - made Fener stop the game at 35-30. Javtokas split free throws, as Valencia has started to power the offensive board very effectively. Ukic took over with a big basket off a spin move, good for a 37-31 Fenerbahce lead. A put-back layup by Javtokas fixed the halftime score at 37-33.

Tomas buried a bomb from downtown immediately after the break, as Fener raised its defensive intensity. Tomas nailed another three-pointer to give the hosts its first double-digit lead, 43-33. Savanovic stepped up with a triple, as Valencia tried to improve its perimeter defense. Martinez joined the three-point shootout but a red hot Tomas answered from downtown for a 47-39 score. Claver scored in the low post and a follow-up layup by Savanovic brought the guests back in the game, 47-43. Martinez shined with a fallaway jumper and a baseline shot by Lishchuk tied it at 47-47. Fenerbahce tried to improve its ball circulation with Sarunas Jasikevicius back on the floor, as Valencia was all over the place in defense. Onan split foul shots and a long two-pointer by Jasikevicius made the guests call timeout at 50-47. Jasikevicius took over with a floating layup that Lishchuk erased with a fallaway basket. Jasikevicius found Preldzic for a layup that De Colo bettered with a triple for a 54-52 Valencia deficit after 30 minutes.

Onan shined with an off-balance layup and Savas added a floating basket but back-to-back jumpers by Cook allowed Valencia to stay in the game, 58-56. Onan kept pacing Fenerbahce with a six-meter jumper that Augustine bettered with a layup-plus-foul that made it a one-point game, 60-59, with over 7 minutes left. Turkcan and De Colo traded free throws but Savanovic scored in the low post to complete the guests' comeback, 62-63. Turkcan nailed a critical three-pointer and Onan added a layup in transition to give the hosts some fresh air at 67-63. Claver split free throws but Turkcan and Savanovic exchanged baskets to keep it a three-point game, 69-66. Onan stayed on fire with a power layup and a baseline jumper by Darjus Lavrinovic sent the crowd to their feet at 73-66. Valencia struggled to score right when it mattered and a fast break layup by Preldzic sealed the outcome, 75-66, with 3 minutes left. Martinez stepped up with a layup and 3-of-4 free throws that Javtokas followed with a hook shot for a 75-73 Valencia deficit already in the final minute. Turkcan and Tomas missed from downtown and Valencia had a final chance to win the game but Preldzic blocked Martinez's two attempts from downtown in the final seconds.