


What was the first thing Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Dimitris Itoudis said after his team came from behind to beat Olympiacos Piraeus 78-82 on Friday night? "We were amazing on the boards."
His team dominated the glass at Peace and Friendship in Game 2, as it tied the series up at 1-1. After all, Fenerbahce finished the night with 15 offensive rebounds and allowed just 5. Dyshawn Pierre, who played 36 minutes, and Nigel Hayes-Davis, who played more than 37 minutes, combined for 13 rebounds, including 4 on the offensive end.
But, it was not just the rebounds that made the difference.
Olympiacos entered the playoffs averaging a league-high 21.8 assists per game, but it was Fenerbahce which shared the ball better in Game 2, dishing 21 assists to the hosts' total of just 16 – 5.8 assists below their usual mark.
Meanwhile, Fenerbahce's defense allowed just 7 triples, down from 16 in Game 1, and it forced 14 turnovers, twice as many as the team committed itself (7).
Having won the battle of the rebounds and turnovers, and having also dished more assists, everything was set up for Fenerbahce to pull out a win in Piraeus – and it did.