Spanoulis lifts Olympiacos past Fenerbahce Ulker

In an outstanding battle between Turkish Airlines Euroleague giants that went down to the wire, Olympiacos Piraeus stayed undefeated in Top 16 Group F by edging Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul 68-74 on the road on Friday. Olympiacos ties for first place with CSKA Moscow each at 3-0 while Fenerbahce dropped to 1-2. Matt Lojeski paced the winners with 18 points. Vassilis Spanoulis added 16 and rescued his team in crunch time. Andrew Goudelock led Fenerbahce with 23 points. Jan Vesely added 13 while Bogdan Bogdanovic had 10 for the hosts. Vesely and Emir Preldzic shined early and a layup by Nemanja Bjelica allowed Fenerbahce to get an 18-11 lead. Olympiacos got within 22-16 after 10 minutes and managed to regain the lead, 26-28, on a close basket by Dimitris Katsivelis. The Reds found a go-to guy in Lojeski, who had 10 points late in the second quarter. A big three-pointer by Spanoulis fixed the halftime score at 36-43. Three-pointers by Tremmell Darden and Kostas Sloukas kept Olympiacos way ahead, 40-49, but an outstanding Goudelock kept Fenerbahce as close as 52-56 after 30 minutes. Bogdanovic gave the hosts a 68-65 lead in the next-to-last minute. Spanoulis shined with 6 unanswered points, including the go-ahead triple with 17.8 seconds left. Lojeski collected a key steal and sealed the outcome from the foul line.

First quarter: Preldzic, Vesely put Fenerbahce ahead

Bryant Dunston got Olympiacos going with a layup, as the guests made Fenerbahce for almost 2 minutes until Bogdanovic stepped up with a close basket. Preldzic scored off a midcourt steal, Dunston made free throws and a dunk in traffic but Darden put the Reds back ahead, 4-6. Preldzic kept pacing Fenerbahce with a one-handed floater and bettered Dunston's fast break slam with a three-pointer for a 9-8 score. Vesely shined with a put-back basket, as Fenerbahce kept reading the Reds' passing lines really well, not allowing them to circulate the ball. Vesely provided a highlight with a wild one-handed dunk that Spanoulis improved with an eight-meter bomb. Goudelock answered from downtown and a layup by Nemanja Bjelica made Olympiacos call timeout at 18-11. Oliver Lafayette buried a triple and Othello Hunter scored down low but Vesely and Bjelica gave the hosts a 22-16 edge after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Lojeski lifts Olympiacos

Hunter dunked early in the second quarter and a three-pointer by Lafayette made Fenerbahce stop the game at 22-21. The hosts kept struggling to score until Goudelock stepped up with a corner triple. Vangelis Mantzaris answered from downtown and a free throw by Kenan Sipahi gave his team a 26-24 edge. Georgios Printezis hit a one-handed floater from the left wing and a big basket by Katsivelis completed the guests' comeback, 26-28. Sipahi stepped up with a three-pointer, Lojeski found space for an uncontested layup but Goudelock hit a turnaround jumper and ignited the crowd with a wild three-pointer off the dribble for a 34-30 Fenerbahce margin. Lojeski shined with back-to-back three-pointers to restore a 34-36 Olympiacos edge. Printezis hit his trademark turnaround jumper, Lojeski scored in transition and Spanoulis bettered Vesely's free throws with a huge triple for a 36-43 Olympiacos margin at halftime.

Third quarter: Goudelock keeps Fenerbahce close

A corner three-pointer by Darden made it a double-digit game, 36-46, immediately after the break. Goudelock scored around the basket and Vesely added a two-handed dunk to keep Fenerbahce within 40-46. Olympiacos struggled to get Spanoulis involved due to Preldzic's excellent on-the-ball defense. Olympiacos did not allow any easy shots and Sloukas found space for an uncontested triple, good for a 40-49 lead. Preldzic nailed a five-meter jumper and Vesely stoke the show with an off-balance, acrobatic layup to ignite the crowd at 44-49. Lojeski rescued Olympiacos with a corner three-pointer but Bogdan Bogdanovic quickly answered from downtown and Goudelock buried his own shot from beyond the arc for a 50-52 Fenerbahce deficit. Spanoulis and Sloukas made free throws but Goudelock hit a turnaround jumper to keep his team within 52-56 after 30 minutes.

Fourth quarter: Spanoulis does it again!

Bjelica hit a running shot early in the fourth quarter and a driving layup by Goudelock tied it at 56-56. Olympiacos had been scoreless for more than 2 minutes and a three-pointer by Bogdanovic put Fenerbahce back in charge, 59-56. Bjelica capped an 8-0 run with a free throw, as Mantzaris scored around the basket for a 60-58 Olympiacos deficit with 6 minutes left. Lojeski took over with a reverse slam that Bjelica matched with a power layup. Vesely split free throws and Lojeski made it a one-point game, 63-62, with over 2 minutes remaining. Goudelock buried a critical triple to make Olympiacos call timeout at 66-62. Printezis answered from downtown, Bogdanovic scored in penetration and free throws by Spanoulis tied it at 68-68 with 1:24 left. Goudelock missed twice from downtown and a three-pointer by Spanoulis put his team back ahead, 68-71, with 17.8 seconds left. Lojeski collected a steal, drew a foul and split free throws to seal the outcome down the stretch.