Fenerbahçe Crushes Baskonia (84-65)

Velimir Perasović's first Liga Endesa victory hasn't changed Kosner Baskonia's European struggles. In Istanbul, facing a Fenerbahçe side needing to bounce back after losing in Madrid, the Vitoria team held on for barely five minutes before the game slipped away. It's their eighth consecutive EuroLeague loss and they remain in last place with just one win in ten games.

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First quarter decides the game

Fenerbahçe came out running and Baskonia couldn't find a way to stop them. With Shane Larkin and Wade Clyburn punishing from beyond the arc, the Turkish side won the first quarter by 15 points (33-18) and continued extending their lead in the second quarter to reach halftime with a 20-point advantage (52-32). Baskonia, lacking size in the paint due to injuries to their big men, only found points in transition, and their three-point shooting was very poor. Faried, who went into halftime with 10 points and 11 rebounds, was their only bright spot.

Read also:

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Second half without drama

The third quarter was an exchange of mistakes, with barely 20 points between the two teams (11-9). Talen Horton-Tucker, the game's leading scorer with 19 points, kept Fenerbahçe well ahead, reaching a maximum of 22 (63-41). Not even Wade Baldwin's ejection for two technical fouls at the start of the fourth quarter changed the script. Baskonia won the final period (21-24) with Kobi Simmons and DJ Stewart, both with 12 points, but it only served to mask the result. To make matters worse, Faried, who finished with 15 rebounds, left the game with discomfort in the final minutes.

For Fenerbahçe, the night also marked Dwight Powell's European debut, with 3 points. Šarūnas Jasikevičius's team improves to 7-3.