The champs led from start to finish thanks to effervescent performances from Talen Horton-Tucker and Bonzie Colson
Fenerbahce steamrolls Milan as dynamic duo shines
Ανάλυση αγώνα
3 Χρόνος Ανάγνωσης
Regular Season
Round 17 of 38
Regular Season
EA7 Emporio Armani MilanEA7
7287
Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulFBB
Overview
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul bounced back from a home loss to Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the previous round with an emphatic 72-87 road win at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, which saw the reigning champions improve to 10-6 while the Italian outfit dropped to 9-8.
It was a 13th win in the last 14 games in all competitions for Fenerbahce, as the Turkish side took the game by the scruff of the neck from the offset and shot the lights out from deep, sinking 12 of 24 from beyond the arc.
Talen Horton-Tucker, who scored 22 points in a 77-81 to Panathinaikos on Tuesday, carried his good form into the Milan game and paced the winner on 23 points, earning the player of the game accolade. His input was complemented by Bonzie Colson as the versatile forward added 20 points on 5-of-5 shooting from downtown, including a clutch four-point play which held Milan at bay.
Colson rounded off his effort with a masterclass defensive performance which drew heaps of praise from head coach Saras Jasikevicius, as Fenerbahce held Milan to 8 of 26 from deep and forced 13 turnovers from the home team while allowing just 11 assists.
Milan head coach Peppe Poeta, who has enjoyed a smooth run since taking over from the legendary Ettore Messina as the Italian side had won seven of their previous nine EuroLeague games, conceded that his men were second-best on the night.
“We never found the right rhythm on offense,” Poeta said. “Fenerbahce played one hell of a game. They were physical for 40 minutes, we tried to compete, but we lost the flow.”
With Colson and Tarik Biberovic (14 points, 4 of 6 from deep) hitting nothing but net from long range, Milan was forced to play catch-up throughout but looked capable of turning the tide after Shavon Shields sank a sweet three to beat the third quarter buzzer and slash the deficit to 55-56 ahead of the final 10 minutes.
That turned out to be as good as it got for Milan with Horton-Tucker continuing to do the damage from inside while Colson and Biberovic provided the long-range artillery which blew away the hosts. There was no way back for Milan after Fenerbahce opened up a 65-78 lead in the home straight, leaving Jasikevicius purring with the delight, although he insisted there was room for improvement.
“It’s very nice to win in Milan but I thought that at some points we didn’t control the pace,” the Lithuanian tactician said. “Then again, Milan is a very good team on a roll, so to score 87 points while not playing our best basketball gives us hope that we can go for more.”
“It was a very good defensive performance by our guards, but I think we can do more. Teams are going to start figuring us out so we have to adjust, which means we have to improve in every department.”
Horton-Tucker turned out to be a handful for Milan’s backcourt with his piercing drives to the basket, shooting 10 of 17 from inside as he also racked up 5 boards and 2 assists. “We were coming off a loss at home that we didn’t really need, so regaining focus and executing the game plan was the most important thing for us,” he said.
“We were able to make them shoot more threes than they wanted to and I am happy we got the win.”
Colson produced one of his most mature performances in a Fenerbahce jersey, refraining from forcing the issue from long range but rather picking his spots when he was open and executing with lethal precision. He also pointed out it was the defensive effort which allowed Fenerbahce to pull away in the early stages, as the visitors carved out an 11-19 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.
“It was a great defensive game for all of us and on offense I took what their defense gave me,” he said. “We got the stops we needed and it’s a great team win for us. Our group is never satisfied, we’ve got a lot to prove and get better with. Now we have to carry this momentum forward.”
