Fenerbahce Istanbul vs. CSKA: 79-81 (+2)
Fenerbahce: Thompson (4 + 3 rb), Wanamaker (11 + 4 rb + 4 as + 3 to), Nunnally (10), Vesely (13 + 7 rb + 4 as + 2 bs + 5 pf), Kalinic (7 + 2 as) – start; Melli (18 + 4 rb), Mahmutoglu (DNP), Sloukas (6 + 6 rb + 5 as + 4 to), Guduric (2 + 2 as), Muhammed (DNP), Duverioglu (DNP), Datome (8 + 4 rb + 2 as + 3 to)…
CSKA: Rodriguez (10 + 3 rb + 4 as), Vorontsevich (17 + 4 rb), Clyburn (4 rb), Kurbanov (4 + 2 as), Hines (15) – start; De Colo (13 + 8 as), Rudd (0), Fridzon (DNP), Westermann (0), Antonov (0), Higgins (15 + 2 as + 3 st + 5 pf), Hunter (7 + 2 st + 5 pf)…
Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:
Fenerbahce opened the game ideally for them, 9-2, and we had to change a lot of things in the first time out. Thanks to our reaction we played a different game and took the lead. In this great game of basketball a lot of things happen, Melli made a basket from the half-court, and in the third quarter Fenerbahce was again decisive and we played the wrong game offensively. It cannot be a one-man game – this game is so beautiful because it’s a team game. Because it includes a lot of players in different circumstances with good spacing to create the best possible shots. Turnovers was one of the keys, forcing Fenerbahce into 18 turnovers. They have great individuals and a great fluent offensive game, but we force a lot of turnovers. That was the key. When we have more possessions we can operate better. They shot better in twos, had more rebounds, and we couldn’t go to the free throw line many times. But we managed to save the ball a lot and we had a lot of options. Of course the outcome could have been different, when you play a tight game we both could have won and it would have been fair. But we deserved to come back and change the chip from the third quarter, when we didn’t do a good job offensively. We were locked into their switches and one-on-one game, when they hurt us a lot. When we started moving the ball we had open looks, second chances, a lot of drives, and when we open up like this in the second part of the third quarter and the fourth quarter, we have won a great game. It’s another game down the stretch in this marathon, the players showed most of the game they were determined and they show that in daily practises too, so congratulations to them for that win.
