Guodelock leads Fenerbahce to victory in opener

Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul got a winning start to its Turkish Airlines Euroleague campaign, after pulling out 77-74 win over the visiting EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Friday night. Fenerbahce had a flying start behind Andrew Goudelock, who pushed the hosts to 26-15 lead, but Milan rallied behind Nicolo Melli, who strung together 10 points in a 0-13 run late in the second quarter, helping the visitors to 41-43 halftime lead. Teams stayed close, changing leads throughout the second half, as the game went down to the wire. David Moss made a steal and a dunk to put Milan up 68-69 with 3 minutes to go, but Ricky Hickman and Goudelock knocked down triples that lifted Fenerbahce to victory. Goudelock finished with 19 points, Nemanja Bjelica scored 11, and Hickman tallied 9. Oguz Savas, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Luka Zoric scored 8 apiece. Alessandro Gentile netted 15 for Milan, while Samardo Samuels and Nicolo Melli each had 12 points plus 8 rebounds in defeat.

Goudelock puts Fenerbahce in control early

Alessandro Gentile opened the scoring with a put-back, but Andrew Goudelock quickly answered with a driving layup. Oguz Savas scored a basket-plus-free throw for 5-2 Fenerbahce lead, and after Emir Preldzic fastbreak layup, Goudelock's triple made it 10-2. After a timeout, Bogdan Bogdanovic hit from downtown to make the margin 11 points, but Marshon Brooks answered with a triple and a runner for 13-7. Goudelock scored a one-handed put-back, but Gentile with a jumper and Samardo Samuels muscling one inside cut it to 15-11. Luka Zoric scored from close range on the other end, and after Brooks drove to the hoop, Jan Vesely finished back-to-back fastbreaks with dunks for 22-13. Hickman and Brooks traded layups, before Zoric scored a layup to finish the first quarter, 26-15.

Milan rallies behind Nicolo Melli show

Daniel Hackett drove the baseline for a tough layup, and after an easy layup by Preldzic, Moss nailed a triple, cutting it to 28-20. But Nemanja Bjelica also scored an uncontested layup for the hosts, and after a monster one-handed dunk by Shawn James, Hickman nailed a triple for 33-22. Joe Ragland countered with a driving layup and a jumper, and after a runner from Goudelock, James made a put-back dunk for 35-28. Teams continued trading baskets, with Preldzic driving for a layup, Kleiza hiting a tough baseline jumper, and Semih Erden scoring inside for 39-30. That is when Nicolo Melli took over, starting his run with a tip in, following it with a three-pointer, and after a Fenerbahce timeout, Melli knocked down a jumper for 39-37. He also grabbed an offensive board, then buried his second triple for 39-40 with 59 seconds left in the quarter. Before the end of the half, Gentile made 3-of-3 foul shots, before Zoric’s tip-in snapped a 0-13 run, as Milan held 41-43 halftime lead.

Teams step up defensively, trade leads

Bogdanovic opened the third quarter with a pair of free throws, and after Gentile’s short jumper for Milan, Goudelock made a floater and Savas scored an easy layup for 47-45. But Samuels, playing with 3 personal fouls, made couple of free throws and a monster put-back dunk for the visitors to briefly regain the lead. Gentile drove for a layup, but Bjelica made a baseline dunk, helping Fenerbahce to 52-51. Basket were few and far between before Kleiza drove to the hoop, and Bjelica nailed a three-pointer. Samuels and Savas traded baskets from close range against each other, and Samuels made a put-back-plus free throw to end the quarter, giving Milan 57-58 lead.

Hickman and Goudelock hit key triples for Fener’s win

Zoric’s powerful two-handed dunk got things going in the fourth quarter, and after a reverse layup from Kleiza, Goudelock nailed a triple and Bjelica scored from close range for 64-60. Melli scored a put-back before a timeout, and Goudelock answered with a driving layup after it. Vesely extended himself for a tip-in, but Genitle and Ragland made 4 of 5 free throws to keep the pace, before Moss made a steal and raced for a two-handed slam dunk and 68-69. After a Fenerbahce timeout, Ricky Hickman drilled a three-pointer, followed by a put-back from Bjelica for 73-69. Hackett cut the deficit with two free throws, but Goudelock drained a three-pointer over Gentile with 46 seconds to go, 76-71. Milan took three shots on the next trip down the floor, but could not connect before Bogdanovic secured the rebound and sealed the deal splitting free throws. In the final second, Gentile hit it from downtown, but it was too little too late for the visitors.