Fenerbahce Ulker dominates fourth quarter to spoil Budivelnik's debut

In the first ever Turkish Airlines Euroleague game in Ukraine, Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul used a huge fourth quarter to rally past host Budivelnik Kiev 84-102 on Thursday at the Palace of Sports in the Ukrainian capital. The hosts led for most of the first three quarters, but Gasper Vidmar scored 6 points for Fenerbahce in 0-12 run early in the fourth quarter as the visitors went in front 79-85, taking the lead for good. Fenerbahce scored 61 points in the second half and outrebounded the hosts in the game 21-36, opening the new Euroleague season with a big victory. Bojan Bogdanovic paced the winners with 21 points, while Emir Preldzic had 14 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Linas Kleiza and Melih Mahmutoglu each netted 12 points and Nemanja Bjelica and Bo McCalebb scored 11 apiece for Fenerbahce. Darjus Lavrinovic led Budivelnik with 21 points, Blake Ahearn scored 16 on 4-for-7 three-point shooting. Janis Strelnieks netted 14, and Dajuan Summers had 12 points in defeat.

First quarter: Bogdanovic and Zoric put Fenerbahce in front early

Fenerbahce opened the game with youngster Kenan Sipahi in the starting lineup, and he assisted Mahmutoglu for a triple from the right corner to start the scoring. Summers scored the first-ever Euroleague points for Budivelnik in style, stealing the ball for a two-handed monster jam. The hosts grabbed their first lead in the competition after Micah Downs hit from downtown and Ahearn scored from close range to make it 7-5. But Bogdanovic scored two short jumpers and nailed a three-pointer to put visitors back up. The game had a good pace to it, as Downs and Lavrinovic scored inside, with the latter making an uncontested dunk for 11-10. After Bo McCalebb's driving layup, Strelnieks scored behind the arc, 14-14, but Zoric scored 4 points to end the quarter and help Fenerbahce grab a 15-18 lead after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Ahearn's shooting sparks Budivelnik

Zoric continued his run from the end of the first quarter, with a baseline dunk and a jump shot, but Ahearn nailed a three-pointer to tie things at 22-22. After a triple from Emir Preldzic, Ahearn scored another three and added a tough layup before Lavrinovic drove for a big slam-dunk and a 33-28 Budivelnik advantage. After a timeout by Fenerbahce head coach Zeljko Obradovic, back-to-back triples from Bjelica and Mahmutoglu put the visitors back in the lead and forced a timeout from the hosts. Mahmutoglu hit two more jumpers for Fenerbahce, while Summers nailed a triple and a jumper for the hosts, making it 38-38. After a tip-in from Gasper Vidmar, Strelnieks nailed a three-pointer and Ricky Minard made 2 free throws to end the half, giving Budivelnik a 43-41 edge at halftime.

Third quarter: Lavrinovic steps up and carries the hosts

Ahearn opened the third quarter with a triple, and after Preldzic and Michailis Anisimov traded layups, Bogdanovic made basket-plus-foul and Linas Kleiza scored inside to make it 48-48. Minard and Summers from close range, and Ahearn from long range kept Budivelnik ahead, but a layup from Zoric and another basket-plus-foul from Bogdanovic tied it at 55-55. The hosts went up again, building the biggest lead of the night, with Lavrinovic making an off-balance hook-shot, then making a triple-plus-foul for 64-57. Bogdanovic, Preldzic and Sipahi all scored inside to keep Budivelnik close, but Lavrinovic threw down another dunk, and Summers closed out the quarter with a last-second triple from the right corner for 77-71 after three quarters.

Fourth quarter: Vidmar, Bogdanovic spark huge game-winning run

Mahmutoglu and Lavrinovic traded baskets to start the fourth quarter, but a fastbreak dunk from Bogdanovic and couple of put-backs from Vidmar tied the game. Fenerbahce went back in front with Vidmar's fastbreak dunk before Preldzic scored free throws and McCalebb's driving layup capped 0-12 spurt, making it 79-85. Lavrinovic snapped the run, but an acrobatic driving layup from McCalebb and a fastbreak layup from Bogdanovic made it 81-90 with less than three minutes to go. The visitors sealed it with Bjelica's shot from way downtown and Kleiza converted a fastbreak with a basket-plus-foul, before Preldzic and Bjelica each hit a triple in the last 40 seconds to increase the final margin to 18 points.