Bogdanovic stars as Fenerbahce Ulker tops Partizan

Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul remained unbeaten after rallying from a double-digit deficit, downing Partizan NIS Belgrade 78-88 on Friday night in Hala Pionir. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 26 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting to pace Fenerbahce, which improved to 4-0 and is in sole possession of first place in Group A, while Partizan dropped to 1-3 and a share of fifth place. The hosts built a double-digit advantage in the second quarter, and held a 38-30 halftime lead, but Fenerbahce rallied as Bogdanovic and Emir Preldzic fueled its offense. The duo hit back-to-back triples early in the fourth quarter, sparking a 4-14 spurt that put the game out of reach. Preldzic finished with 11 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in victory. Bo McCalebb scored 14, Nemanja Bjelica had 12 points and Kenan Sipahi netted 10 for Fenerbahce. Joffrey Lauvergne led Partizan with 20 points plus 10 rebounds. Tarence Kinsey collected 18 points plus 7 rebounds, and Leo Westermann scored 13 in defeat.

First quarter: Partizan's goes in front behind its defense

The hosts started scoring in style, with a fastbreak monster-dunk from Lauvergne, assisted by Kinsey and Westermann. The visitors opened their account with a layup from Bjelica, but Partizan started off with ferocious defense that forced 3 early turnovers, so Dragan Milosavljevic hit a baseline jumper and a runner for 6-2. Fenerbahce countered as Preldzic drove for a dunk and Bojan Bogdanovic sank a triple for 6-7. After Lauvergne scored a layup, McCalebb drove for a layup and a basket-plus-foul, 8-12. But Partizan regained the lead after a triple from Westermann and a driving layup from Bogdan Bogdanovic. Boris Dallo hit a buzzer-beating jumper to make it 17-13 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Hosts open a double-digit lead

Kinsey opened the second quarter with a basket-plus-foul for a 7-point margin. After Linas Kleiza and Dejan Musli traded baskets from close range, Preldzic made a put-back helping Fenerbahce cut it to 22-19. But Lauvergne got a favorable bounce on another shot from close range, later added a put-back to his tally, and Nikola Milutinov muscled in a dunk as lead reached 30-19 midway through the second quarter. The visitors were without a field goal for almost four minutes before Bjelica sank a three-pointer to spark a 0-9 run. After McCalebb raced for a layup, and Bjelica drove the baseline for another basket, the deficit was cut to 30-28. More bad news for the hosts was Musli's foul trouble as he committed 4 personal fouls, however, Lauvergne scored another layup to spark a run that included a triple from Bogdan Bogdanovic and a baseline jumper for Kinsey, as Partizan took a 38-30 halftime lead.

Third quarter: Bojan Bogdanovic scores 13 as Fenerbahce comes back

Fenerbahce got its offense going, with a triple from Bojan Bogdanovic and a driving layup from Preldzic. The hosts were in more trouble when head coach Dusko Vujosevic was ejected for his second technical foul, and a put-back from Gasper Vidmar made it 40-39. The hosts caught some breathing room with zone defense, followed with Milutinov’s tip-in-plus-foul. In addition, Fenerbahce lost one of its leaders when Kleiza fouled out after less than four minutes gone in the third quarter. But Bojan Bogdanovic made a layup, and Milosavljevic hit a jumper, 47-42. But free throws from McCalebb and Bjelica, followed by a basket-plus-foul from Luka Zoric, tied it at 49-49. Westermann answered on the next possession with a long jumper, but Bojan Bogdanovic and Nenad Bjelica nailed triples from each corner for 53-55. Lauvergne made a dunk after a textbook spin-move, but Zoric answered with a put-back and Bojan Bogdanovic hit his fourth three-pointer as Fenerbahce was grabbing control of the game, taking a 57-60 lead into the fourth quarter.

Fourth quarter: Fenerbahce pulls away with 4-14 run

Kenan Sipahi made an uncontested fastbreak dunk at the start of the fourth quarter, and after Kinsey drove for a layup on the other end, Preldzic and Bojan Bogdanovic hit from long range for 61-68. Djordje Gagic made a dunk, but Sipahi drove for a layup, added couple of free throws to the tally, before assisting Vidmar for a layup. Preldzic made a runner for 63-76, before Kinsey hit a long jump shot, snapping a 4-14 run. The hosts got to the free throw line on consecutive possession, but Vidmar had a monster dunk and a layup to keep the lead in the double figures. Before the game’s end, Bojan Bogdanovic and Kinsey traded three-pointers, and McCalebb closed out the scoring with a shot from downtown.