Fenerbahce rallies with big fourth quarter to beat Lokomotiv

Fenerbahce Istanbul rallied from down 9 in the fourth quarter to defeat Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 85-79 in a thriller on Thursday. The visitors took over with a 0-14 second-quarter run and led for much of the second half, but Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Fenerbahce attack back. The fourth quarter featured five lead changes and four ties before back-to-back threes by Bogdanovic and Luigi Datome gave the hosts the lead for good. Bogdanovic finished with 18 points and 5 assists, Jan Vesely added 17 points and 7 rebounds, Luigi Datome scored 16 and Bobby Dixon 13 as Fenerbahce improved to 3-0 to take sole possession of first place in Group E. The loss dropped Lokomotiv to 2-1. Victor Claver was perfect on 5 attempts from behind the arc and finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds for Lokomotiv. Malcolm Delaney, who was the MVP of the week in each of the first two Top 16 rounds, tallied 12 points and 7 assists, while Chris Singleton posted 10 points and 9 rebounds and Dontaye Draper added 10 points.

First quarter: Bogdanovic helps hosts take slim lead

Delaney found Claver for an open three-pointer and the game’s first points. Vesely found Ekpe Udoh for a slam. The referees controlled the game with a few early foul calls. Sergey Bykov drilled a three for the visitors and Udoh buried a jumper. A Claver jump shot and Delaney free throws made it 4-10. Udoh got into the highlight reels with a spin move and a wicked slam, but Lokomotiv kept pace as Claver found Bykov for a reverse layup. Bogdanovic beat the 24-second clock with a pull-up jumper and soon Vesely got involved. First he drew a foul and split free throws and then tipped in a shot to make it 11-12. The defenses took over as neither team scored for more than two minutes until Datome’s put-back gave Fenerbahce its first lead. Anthony Randolph outworked Udoh in the low post for a score, but a Bogdanovic triple and Dixon free throws made it 18-14. Bogdanovic collected his own missed shot, was fouled and sank the resulting 2 shots. Bykov also sank 2 free throws and Andrey Zubkov beat the buzzer with a tip-in to make it 20-18 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Lokomotiv gets 4 threes from four players in 0-14 charge

Singleton came off the bench to split free throws, make a steal and assist Draper on a layup that put Lokomotiv in front. A fine Ricky Hickman pass led Vesely to the rim, where he scored awkwardly. Singleton connected from downtown to put the visitors up 22-24. After Claver scored inside, Fenerbahce called a timeout. Dixon took advantage if a second-chance opportunity to bury a triple. Delaney came off a pick for a jumper. Singleton rejected Dixon at the rim and Claver buried a three in transition to make it 25-31. Bodanovic ran the pick-and-roll with Vesely, who finished at the rim. Singleton drew another foul, but missed both free throws. Pero Antic drew a foul shooting a three-pointer and made all 3 free throws. Then Dixon drove for a layup and a Fenerbahce lead. After a timeout, Nikola Kalinic rescued an Antic airball and turned it into a basket-plus-foul to cap a 10-0 Fenerbahce run. However Claver and Draper responded with back-to-back threes and a 35-37 Lokomotiv lead. Fenerbahce called a timeout, but Claver stole the ball and Singleton traded passes with Bykov and connected on another Lokomotiv triple. Vesely missed twice from the line and Ryan Broekhoff punished him by draining a fourth straight Lokomotiv three. Claver capped a 0-14 charge with a layup that made it 35-45. Datome ended the Fenerbahce drought with free throws to make it 37-45 at the break.

Third quarter: Randolph provide highlights as visitors remain in control

A Bogdanovic steal led to a Kostas Sloukas layup, but Claver countered with hit fourth three-pointer. Udoh rejected Claver and Claver returned the favor. Antic drilled a triple from the corner to close the gap to 42-48. Antic was called for a technical foul and after Delaney made the bonus free throw, he lobbed a pass to Randolph for an amazing alley-oop dunk and a 42-51 lead. Udoh and Bogdanovic made free throws and Delaney did the same. Antic was next with a pair from the line. Singleton bucked the trend with a thunderous slam to make it 48-55. After a timeout, Antic missed twice from the line, but Dixon made up for it with a layup. Broekhoff’s rebound led to free throws and Draper restored a double-digit Lokomotiv lead with a triple. Randolph rejected Antic in the corner, but Boddanovic split free throws to bring the hosts within 51-60.

Fourth quarter: Fenerbahce erupts with 34 points to claim victory

Bogdanovic looked to heat up with a pull-up jumper. Randolph slapped the ball away from Kalinic and turned it into a basket. Bogdanovic split free throws and Bykov missed twice from the line. Vesely and Bogdanovic arrived simultaneously to put back a missed Bogdanovic shot. After an offensive foul committed by Delaney, Datome brought the hosts within 58-62. Vesely rejected Bykov as the fans got into the game. Vesely completed the comeback and a 10-0 run with a power layup and a three-point play to make it 63-62. After Singletin split free throws, Draper nailed a long jumper. Datome and Claver traded threes to make it 66-68. Bogdanovic tied it with a long jumper with his feet on the three-point line. Datome went strong to the basket to put the hosts up 2 with three minutes to go. After a timeout, Randolph tied it from the line, but Bogdanovic countered with a triple. The Datome blew the lid off the arena with a three from the corner. However Broekhoff countered with a three-plus-foul to send Bogdanovic to the bench with 5 fouls and bring his within 2. Vesely split free throws, but Dixon raced to the rebound and tipped it to Datome for a layup. Delaney drilled a three with 70 seconds left to make it 79-77. Vesely put the hosts up two possessions with a basket from close range. Delaney sent Nikolc out with 5 fouls and made 2 free throws with 25.5 seconds to go, but Dixon countered with 2 free throws. After Broekhoff missed from downtown, Dixon’s free throws with 6 seconds left iced the game.