Lucic inspires Bayern to overcome Fenerbahce
FC Bayern Munich held off Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 71-63 in a hard-fought battle at the Audi Dome on Tuesday. A 15-2 run gave Bayern early control, and the hosts stayed in front, 35-30, at the break. Vladimir Lucic had a 10-0 personal run early in the third quarter, but Fener struck back with a 2-14 run to make it close. The visitors could never get ahead, though, and Bayern finished stronger to take the win. Lucic inspired Bayern with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, while Corey Walden scored 16 points and Augustine Rubit added 13. Marko Guduric led Fenerbahce’s challenge with 16 points, while Jan Vesely scored 12 and Devin Booker added 10. Bayern improves to 4-6, while Fenerbahce drops to 3-7.
Rubit scored the first 4 points before DyShawn Pierre and Guduric responded for Fener from close range. Devin Booker scored twice for the visitors, but Rubit was on target again for Bayern as it stayed close, 10-10, midway through the first. Walden hit the game’s first triple and Rubit stayed hot to stretch Bayern’s lead, which was extended by Lucic’s triple and 4 points from DeShaun Thomas, making it 22-12 at the end of the first. Andreas Obst started the second quarter with a long-range strike before a steal and score from Sehmus Hazer revived Fenerbahce. Achille Polonara followed up with a baseline dunk but Nick Weiler-Babb’s triple kept the lead in double digits. Guduric took over with a three-point play and a buzzer-beating three-pointer, and Pierria Henry’s steal and dunk followed by Guduric’s free throws pulled the visitors closer, 31-29. Thomas’s fierce dunk kept Bayern ahead, 35-30, at half-time.
Guduric’s close-range score was bettered by a triple and layup from Lucic in a low-scoring start to the third. Lucic repeated from long-range and close-range for another double-digit lead, 45-32. Melih Mahmutoglu ended Fenerbahce’s drought from the foul line, a three-point play by Vesely was followed by a put-back from Polonara, Mahmutoglu with a triple and Nando De Colo scoring his first points with a transition layup to make it 47-44. Polonara added a huge slam before Lucic rescued Fener with free throws, making it 49-46 after 30 minutes. The first three minutes of the final period saw only foul shots, before Guduric’s threeball and Hazer’s steal and slam tied it up, 52-52. Two scores from Rubit, including an and-one, sent Bayern back in front, 59-54, with 4 minutes left. Walden’s triple gave Bayern a more comfortable margin, before Vesely’s three-point play restored Fenerbahce’s hope. Othello Hunter’s inside basket and putback dunk protected the lead, and Lucic’s three-pointer to cap a superb individual performance sealed the deal.
Magnificent seven for Trinchieri
Bayern coach Andrea Trinchieri employed a short rotation in Tuesday’s win over Fenerbahce, effectively only using seven players. Three of his 12-man roster did not play at all – Jason George, Gavin Schilling and Nihad Dedovic – while two more, Ognjen Jaramaz and Andreas Obst, spent no more than six minutes on the floor. Another complication was Augustine Rubit getting into foul trouble, which meant the remaining six players did the bulk of the work. Vladimir Lucic was the most tireless with 34:47 on the floor, followed by DeShaun Thomas (30:17), Corey Walden (27:35), Nick Weiler-Babb (26:15), Darrun Hilliard (25:10) and Othello Hunter (24:53).
Lucic dominates third quarter
FC Bayern Munich found a hero from the usual source to establish big lead early in the third quarter, as Vladimir Lucic scored 10 points in a row to extend the home team’s lead from 35-32 to 45-32. Last season’s All-EuroLeague selection hit two triples and two layups during that golden run, which took place in just over three minutes as Bayern’s defense also played its part by keeping Fenerbahce scoreless. Lucic later added free throws near the end of the quarter, meaning he scored 12 of Bayern’s 14 points in the third quarter.
Fener hits first quarter scoring problems again
After compiling a club record low 3 first quarter points at home to AX Armani Exchange Milan last Friday night, Fenerbahce suffered similar – if not quite so bad – struggles in the early stages against FC Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The Turkish team only scored 12 points in the first quarter despite a solid conversion rate, 5-of-8, from two-point range. The main problems were a lack of long-range shooting as all 3 three-point attempts were missed, and carelessness with the ball as 5 turnovers were committed. That slow start ultimately proved very significant as Fenerbahce was never able to get back in front despite improving the rest of the way.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Euroleague.net