Fenerbahce Istanbul claims playoff berth with thrilling win at Lokomotiv

After a drama-filled 40 minutes, Fenerbahce Istanbul escaped from the Basket Hall with a 52-55 victory over Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar to become the first team to advance to the playoffs this season. Fenerbahce improved to 9-1 in Group E with its second win over Lokomotiv, which slipped to 7-3. Both teams led in each of the four quarters and the fourth alone featured five lead changes. The game was not decided until the final buzzer when Victor Claver’s three-point attempt to tie it missed and the visitors raced away with the win. Bogdan Bogdanovic, who hit one of Fenerbahce’s go-ahead threes in the final stanza, led the winners with 17 points and Luigi Datome added 10. Claver posted 12 points and 12 rebounds and Malcolm Delaney tallied 12 points and 5 assists in defeat.

First quarter: Bogdanovic highlights visitors’ 0-11 charge

The hosts won the opening tip and struck first through an Evgeny Voronov layup and Anthony Randolph’s jumper. Bodanovic put Fenerbahce on the scoreboard, but Delaney delighted the home crowd with a pull-up three for a 7-2 start. Bobby Dixon’s bounce pass found Jan Vesely for a layup, but Randolph matched him with a foul-line jumper. Delaney provided a highlight with a no-look dish to Claver for an alley-oop layup, however an easy basket by Nikola Kalninic and a Bogdanovic layup closed the gap to 11-8 at the first TV timeout. After Datome’s jumper, Bogdanovic gave the visitors their first lead with a three in transition. Berk Ugurlu added a long jumper to cap a 0-11 Fenerbahce charge. Claver ended the Lokomotiv dry spell with a spin move and finger roll. Ekpe Udoh rejected Delaney at one end and Datome nailed a jump shot at the other to make it 13-17 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: After Lokomotiv rallies, Fenerbahce goes on 0-10 run

Vesely extended his team’s advantage to 6 with a jump shot. Chris Singleton twice split foul shots and Ryan Broekhoff hit a jumper in the lane. Singleton’s long jumper tied the game at 19-19 and prompted a Fenerbahce timeout. The visitors’ woes continued as Vesely missed a slam and Claver split foul shots after an offensive rebound to put Lokomotiv ahead. The lead was short-lived as Udoh ended a four-minute Fenerbahce drought with an alley-oop layup for a 20-21 edge. Ricky Hickman drove inside for his first basket as the visitors regained the momentum. Hickman took control with a jumper and 2 free throws to boost the difference to 7. A baseline drive and layup by Bogdanovic capped a 0-10 run and caused Lokomotiv to call timeout down 9. The timeout sparked the hosts as Randolph scored on the offensive glass and then drilled a jumper to trim the deficit to 24-29. Andrey Zubkov and Datome each split free throws to end the half at 25-30.

Third quarter: Claver shines as hosts climb in front

Delaney’s lob to Claver and a Broekhoff triple tied the game at 30-30 two minutes into the second half. However Bogdanovic buried a triple at the other end. Claver rejected Udoh inside, but then fouled him and Fenerbahce center made the 2 free throws. Bogdanovic was called for an unsportsmanlike foul away from the ball and Delaney sank the resulting shots. Dixon beat the 24-seond clock with a floater only to see Matt Janning match him with a left-handed layup to bring his team within 34-37. Datome nailed a jumper and Udoh scored inside. Broekhoff kept the hosts close with a three from the left elbow. Datome nailed another shot over Janning, but Delaney free throws and a three by Claver closed the gap to 1. Claver continued a fantastic quarter with a go ahead basket for a 44-43 edge.

Fourth quarter: Dixon, Bogdanovic come up big for Fenerbahce

Both teams tightened up the defense as neither team scored in the first two minutes of the quarter until Singleton buried a three. After a Fenerbahce timeout, Dixon also hit from downtown. Bogdanovic’s shot jumper gave the visitors a 47-48 edge. Points remained hard to come by with Randolph anchoring the hosts’ defense with a pair of blocks. Singleton’s steal led to a go-ahead three by Delaney with 100 seconds to play, but Bogdanovic answered in kind on the next play. Delaney made it 52-51 with a leaner from the top of the key. After a timeout, Dixon drained a triple before Randolph missed a pair of free throws with 33.7 seconds remaining. But Vesely fouled Singleton on the rebound and then Randolph on the inbounds play to take a seat with 5 fouls. A miscommunication between Delaney and Claver led to a costly turnover with 17 seconds left. However Datome split free throws with 15.6 seconds on the clock. Janning, Broekhoff and Claver all had looks from downtown to tie it in the closing seconds, but missed and Fenerbahce escaped with a victory and playoff berth.