Thursday's victory made Fenerbahce the first team to beat Real twice this season.
Road win in Madrid provided Fenerbahce with confidence boost as playoff battle intensifies
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul came into the game against Real Madrid holding a poor record on the road. The Turkish side had managed just four victories in 14 games away from home and it was their dominance at the Ulker Sports And Event Hall that allowed them to be in playoff contention. In fact, no team has recorded fewer home defeats than Fenerbahce, which boasts a 12-1 record in Turkey.
Chus Mateo praised the confidence of Fenerbahce’s players before the game, but Sarunas Jasikevicius was aware that a victory away at the defending champion could serve as a turning point this season. Fenerbahce is the only Turkish Airlines EuroLeague side to have swept Real Madrid after it beat Los Blancos 79-89 on Thursday night after also becoming the first team to down Los Blancos this season by grabbing a Round 11 overtime victory at home.
“It’s very important for us to go to the opposing team's courts and get the road games,” Jasikevicius said at the post-game press conference. “We hadn’t been a really good road team and I think this is a huge step in a good direction. For the majority of the game, we stuck to our game plan and we executed well.”
Fenerbahce hit the ground running at the WiZink center and imposed its game on Real Madrid from the get-go. Its confidence on offense, coupled with solid defense, frustrated the hosts who looked unable to respond. Fenerbahce’s 17 offensive rebounds dealt a major blow to Real Madrid’s morale, while the Turkish side’s ability to find points from 11 of the 12 players who stepped on the floor showed that Jasikevicius’s plan worked to perfection.
“We had a solid game plan,” said Nigel Hayes-Davis, who registered a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. “Credit to the guys. I think we have the right mix of guys to be able to compete with what [Real Madrid] like to do defensively. We had extreme discipline. It was a very important game for us, as every EuroLeague game is.”
The battle for a playoff spot has intensified with just six rounds remaining. Boasting a 17-11 record, Fenerbahce is currently tied with Olympiacos Piraeus and Virtus Segafredo Bologna. All three sides are pushing for a top-four spot that would allow them to clinch home-court advantage. Fenerbahce holds the head-to-head advantage over the Italian side, but it will have to travel to Greece to face Olympiacos in the last game of the season. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is 17-10 with one game in hand, sitting below AS Monaco (18-10), FC Barcelona (19-9) and leader Real Madrid (22-6).
“It’s hard not to look [at the standings], but we want to take each game at a time, try to play the best basketball and be in the best shape at the playoffs,” said Nick Calathes, who ended the game with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
With their confidence sky-high after grabbing a statement win in Madrid, Fenerbahce will host Valencia Basket next week. Then, in the last double-round week of the Regular Season, it will face FC Barcelona in Turkey before traveling to Italy to take on EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. On Thursday night, Fenerbahce proved that it has what it takes to win at any court and this is key for a team that wants to succeed in the demanding EuroLeague playoffs.