Milan's defense stops Fenerbahce

AX Armani Exchange Milan grabbed its fourth road win of the season by downing Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 71-79 at Ulker Sports and Event Hall on Tuesday. Milan improved to 8-5 in the standings while Fenerbahce dropped to 5-9 with its sixth loss in the last seven games. Zach LeDay led the winners with 15 points. Milan also got 13 points from Kevin Punter and 10 each from Luigi Datome and Shavon Shields. DyShawn Pierre led Fenerbahce with 16 points, Danilo Barthel had 13, Nando De Colo 12 and Leo Westermann 10. Milan led for most of the game after grabbing a 25-26 edge after 10 minutes, extending it to 35-44 at halftime and then to 48-68 at the end of the third quarter en route to a big road win.

De Colo got Fenerbahce going with a coast-to-coast layup and Pierre struck from downtown, but Punter, Malcolm Delaney and Kaleb Tarczewski quickly put Milan ahead, 5-8. Edgaras Ulanovas hit a triple and Ahmet Duverioglu added a layup. LeDay sank back-to-back three-pointers that made it 10-14. Barthel, De Colo and Lorenzo Brown each struck from beyond the arc a Fenerbahce regained the lead, 21-16. Shields and Datome combined for 8 points in a 0-10 run that Kyle Hines capped with a put-back layup. Johnny Hamilton and Pierre brought the hosts within 25-26 after 10 minutes. Jeff Brooks and Hamilton traded baskets early in the second quarter. Datome hit a jumper to ignite a 0-11 run, in which Delaney had 4 points, including a layup that gave Milan a 27-39 lead. De Colo and Barthel stepped up with consecutive triples, but LeDay kept Milan in control, 35-44, at halftime.

Vladimir Micov took over with a reverse layup and a corner three soon after the break. De Colo and Pierre tried to change things for the hosts, but a red-hot LeDay restored a 41-53 Milan margin. Punter and De Colo traded jumpers and Micov hit a jump hook for a 43-57 score. Hines scored in penetration, then Shields and Sergio Rodriguez each added a layup-plus-foul to break the game open at 48-65. Datome beat the third-quarter buzzer with a triple for a 20-point Milan lead, 48-68. Duverioglu followed a dunk with a jump hook early in the fourth quarter. Datome hit a one-handed jumper off the baseline, but Pierre and Melih Mahmutoglu got Fenerbahce within 58-70 with less than 4 minutes left. Tarczewski rescued Milan with an alley-oop slam and Punter added a fast break layup that sealed the outcome, 58-74.

Pivotal performer

LeDay had a strong performance, effective in the paint but also beyond the arc. He finished the game with 15 points on 3-of-5 two-point shots and 3-of-5 from downtown, plus 7 rebounds, an assist and a steal for a team-high PIR of 20.

Game-changing moment

Fenerbahce led 21-16 late in the second quarter before Shields sank a jumper from the free-throw line and followed Datome's three-pointer with his own shot from downtown. Hines capped the 0-10 run with a put-back layup that put Milan ahead for good, 21-26, and the visitors dominated the game after that.

Stellar stat

Fenerbahce hit 8 of 12 three-point shots before halftime (66.7%), but only 2 of 9 after the break (22.2%). Milan committed just 11 turnovers and forced Fenerbahce into 17. Milan also boxed out well, allowing Fenerbahce to just 5 offensive rebounds.

Did you know?

Milan snapped a six-game road losing streak against Fenerbahce. Its last win against Fenerbahce in Istanbul was back in March 2014, 73-82, behind 16 points from David Moss.

Next game

Both teams return to Turkish Airlines EuroLeague action on Thursday, December 17. While Milan remains in Turkey to face Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Fenerbahce faces Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania.