Fenerbahce Ulker rewrites history in rout of Laboral

Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul broke a pair of the club’s Top 16 offensive records en route to a big 98-64 home win over Laboral Kutxa Vitoria on Thursday night. Fenerbahce improved to 2-4 and a share of sixth place in Group E, while Laboral dropped to 1-5 and sits in last place. The hosts used a strong start to the second quarter to leave Laboral behind, with Bojan Bogdanovic, Bo McCalebb, Emir Preldzic and Nemanja Bjelica putting on a show to build 59-38 halftime lead. The 59 first half points tied for the second-most in Top 16 history, behind only Maccabi Electra’s 61 from last season. Fenerbahce cruised in the second half, with the margin reaching 35 points late in the fourth quarter, and a final total of 98 points set the best-ever Top 16 scoring output in club history. Bogdanovic had 17 points plus 5 assists, Bjelica added 14 points and 9 rebounds, and McCalebb scored 13 points. Luka Zoric also scored 13, Linas Kleiza added 10, while Preldzic finished the game with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Tibor Pleiss scored 14 for Laboral and Walter Hodge netted 13 along with 5 assists in defeat.

First quarter: Bogdanovic and Pleiss get their teams going

Bogdanovic opened the scoring with a fastbreak layup. David Jelinek answered with a triple, but Luka Zoric had a jumper and a layup-plus-foul, before McCalebb’s fastbreak layup made it 10-3. After a timeout by visiting coach Sergio Scariolo, Jelinek and Bogdanovic traded layups, before Hodge hit a jumper to get within 12-7. Luka Zoric hit a jumper and had a monster-slam, but Pleiss strung together 9 points for Laboral - including an alley-oop dunk as well as a three-point play - cutting it to 18-16. Bogdanovic and Fernando San Emeterio traded quick baskets, and Bogdanovic nailed a long off-balance jumper to make it 22-18. Bjelica drove for a layup, but Andres Nocioni fought his way for a layup-plus-foul, and Hodge nailed a jumper to tie it at 24-24. McCalebb put Fenerbahce back in front with a driving layup, and Bjelica had a big put-back dunk, before Bogdanovic finished the quarter with another driving layup and a 30-24 lead after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Fenerbahce pulls away with style

McCalebb drove for a layup, Bjelica followed it with a clever layup, and Preldzic added a corner triple on a breakaway. A jumper from Kleiza against Laboral’s zone defense capped a 9-0 run for a 39-24 advantage. Pleiss scored a layup, but Preldzic fed Bogdanovic with a no-look pass for an easy dunk. San Emeterio sank a fadeaway runner, but Bjelica answered with a three-pointer from the left corner and Preldzic sank another one from the right corner to make it 47-28 midway through the second quarter. Fabien Causeur and Bjelica traded triples, before Omer Onan and Luka Zoric added layups to the hosts’ tally, 54-31. Hodge ended Laboral’s drought with a layup, and Nocioni hit a triple, but McCalebb hit all 3 free throws and Preldzic had a dunk for the hosts, making it a 59-38 halftime lead.

Third quarter: The hosts’ offense keeps on running

Kleiza opened the scoring in the third quarter, and Hodge hit a jumper on the other end. Zoric and Pleiss traded baskets to make it 63-42. Kleiza hit a jumper, before a tip-in and a driving layup from McCalebb extended the margin to 17. Nocioni scored inside, and San Emeterio from the distance for the visitors, but Bogdanovic hit a jumper before a block from Zoric led to a fastbreak dunk by Kleiza. Onan’s floater made it 75-47. After Causeur hit a triple on the other end, Adam Hanga made a floater of his own and Ilimane Diop had an easy dunk for a 77-54 lead. Before quarter’s end, Melih Mahumotogu also sank a floater and Onan’s triple helped the hosts lead 82-55 after three quarters.

Fourth quarter: Fenerbahce locks up mammoth win

Onan joined in on the party of floaters at the start of the fourth quarter, but the pace slowed down . Leo Mainold and Mahmutoglu traded shots from downtown, before a pair of Mahumorglu free throws broke the 30-point barrier. Izzet Turkyilmaz had a put-back dunk and Mahmutoglu a fastbreak layup for a 94-59 lead. As the final buzzer was getting closer, Hodge hit a three-pointer and a layup, but Bjelica’s dunk and free throws from Turkyilmaz rounded out the scoring.