Fenerbahce snaps losing streak with 82-91 triumph in Moscow
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul put its three-game losing streak to bed with an 82-91 victory over CSKA Moscow at Megasport Arena in the Russian capital on Thursday night. Former CSKA star Nando De Colo scored 11 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter to lift Fenerbahce to its first road win and a 3-5 record on the season. CSKA fell to 4-4 with its third straight loss. Jan Vesely added 17 points and 7 rebounds for the winners, Marko Guduric and Devin Booker scored 13 points apiece and Marial Shayok had 12. Will Clyburn paced CSKA with 26 points and 9 rebounds, Daniel Hackett contributed 15 points and 5 assists and Toko Shengelia scored 10 in his return from injury.
CSKA controlled the opening tip and struck first on a jumper by Johannes Voigtmann. Both teams were hot on offense early with Booker standing out with a bucket in the lane, a three-pointer and a basket-plus-foul on his team's first three possession. Shengelia netted a hook shot and a triple for CSKA. More than 3 minutes passed before the first missed shot – an attempted three by Alexey Shved. Shayok took the baton from Booker and scored twice to even things at 12-12. Booker dunked, Shayok finished a fastbreak with a layup and Vesely made a tip-in in a 0-8 run for a 14-20 Fenerbahce advantage. Clyburn revived CSKA with a jumper-plus-foul and Iffe Lundberg’s free throws drew the hosts within 2. De Colo's jumper ended the first quarter with the visitors ahead 21-25.
Polonara and De Colo combined for the first 5 points of the second quarter to give Fenerbahce a double-digit lead, which prompted a timeout by CSKA. Clyburn provided a spark for CSKA with a pair of tip-ins after which Fenerbahce called timeout. Back-to-back threes by Hackett and Shengelia got the hosts within 2. Shengelia soon scored inside to give the hosts the lead, 34-33, midway through the quarter. Fenerbahce soon regained the momentum as Guduric drained a three in transition. Vesely scored inside and from deep before Guduric found Shayok open inside to make it 36-45. Hackett and Voigtmann teamed up to cut into the deficit. Kenneth Faried had a pair of offensive boards that led to points, including another three by Hackett. De Colo free throws gave Fenerbahce a 45-49 halftime advantage.
Clyburn finished a three-chance possession with a three-pointer and then blocked a pair of Shayok’s shots at the other end. Booker unleashed a vicious dunk, but the scoreboard was otherwise quiet for several minutes, Guduric heated up for the visitors with a pair of threes to extend the Fenerbahce lead to 51-59. Joel Bolomboy kept CSKA in the fight with a pair of baskets on the offensive glass. Even so, the momentum remained with Fenerbahce and Polonara stretched the lead to 53-64. The margin reached 12 after a three by Pierria Henry. Shved took charge with a three, a layup and a steal before Clyburn made free throws to cap a 7-0 CSKA burst. Ahmet Duverioglu’s free throws left Fenerbahce ahead 62-69 through three quarters.
De Colo scored twice in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter and restored a 10-point cushion each time. A three by Clyburn and layup by Hackett quickly halved the CSKA deficit, which resulted in a Fenerbahce timeout at 69-74. Vesely got Fenerbahce back on track with the next two baskets, however, back-to-back threes by Shved and Clyburn had CSKA right back in it. Free throws by Guduric made it 75-81 entering the final 2 minutes. Voigtmann connected from behind the arc to the delight of the CSKA faithful. De Colo answered back with a three from the top of the key. His next triple, with a little less than a minute remaining, made it 80-87 and Henry's free throws put the game on ice.
De Colo makes the decisive shots for Fenerbahce
Even though Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul led throughout the final three quarters on Thursday in Moscow, CSKA kept coming back. When Johannes Voigtmann drilled a three-pointer with just under 2 minutes on the clock to make it 78-81, one could be forgiven for thinking the Fenerbahce, which had lost its last three games by a total of 5 points, was about to be taken down in another thriller. However, a man who once called Moscow home rose to the occasion for the visitors. Nando De Colo hit a three-pointer from the top of the key and – after a pair of free throws by Joel Bolomboy – connected from downtown again to make it 80-87. After that, there would not be another CSKA rally.
By the numbers: Rebounding domination not enough for CSKA
CSKA Moscow proved its chops as an elite offensive rebounding even without the injured Nikola Milutinov against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Thursday. The hosts collected 18 offensive boards and cashed them in for 21 second-chance points. Several times when Fenerbahce was threatening to pull away, CSKA responded with a tip-in to turn the tide. Overall, CSKA outrebounded Fenerbahce 35-28. But the real story was three-point shooting. Both teams knocked down 11 triples. Fenerbahce did so from 20 attempts for a 55% conversion rate. CSKA needed 36 tries for a 30.6% conversion rate. Iffe Lundberg, Daniel Hackett and Alexey Shved combined to shoot 3 for 19 from downtown and those many wayward shots doomed CSKA.
Fenerbahce improves record in Moscow
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul’s win over CSKA in Moscow on Thursday was its sixth regular-season win over CSKA in Moscow in its last eight visits. Of course, CSKA swept Fenerbahce in the EuroLeague Playoffs last season, including two wins in the Russian capital, but Fenerbahce beat CSKA 83-89 at Megasport Arena in the regular season last year. Fenerbahce also won four straight at CSKA between December 2013 and November 2017. Fenerbahce or its predecessor Ulker had lost their first seven road games against CSKA to start the century.
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Euroleague.net