Joel Bolomboy shined at both ends for the Serbian side, which showed defensive steel in its Round 3 triumph
Crvena Zvezda showed new-found grit to demolish Fenerbahce
Article
3 Mins read
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade produced one of its best-ever performances in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as it celebrated a 57-76 road rout of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Perhaps most surprisingly was the nature of the win as the Serbian demonstrated its ironclad defense, something it has rarely produced in the past.
Zvezda forced a staggering 18 turnovers from Fenerbahce and limited the home side to just 13 assists, while holding the Turkish outfit’s star player Wade Baldwin to a mere 3 points on 1 of 6 shooting from the floor, having also forced 5 turnovers from the guard.
Fenerbahce was held to 7 of 23 from deep and a miserable 12 of 32 from two-point range, a testament to Zvezda’s hustle which forced the home players to give the ball away repeatedly and take a barrage of tough shots from all over.
In contrast, Zvezda’s smooth offense was rarely disrupted by the home team as visiting center Joel Bolomboy dominated at both ends of the floor, having racked up 18 points and 11 rebounds. The big man literally toyed with his markers, once again showing that he has given the Serbian side value for money since he joined it from Olympiacos Piraeus in 2023.
The 30-year-old, who surpassed 1,000 points in the EuroLeague with a vintage performance, outlined just how pleased he was to be part of this Zvezda team which won its opening three games in Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in the club’s history,
“It’s my ninth year as a professional and my seventh in the EuroLeague. It’s been quite a journey since I entered the EuroLeague from the NBA, and I didn’t know what to expect at the time,” Bolomboy said in a courtside interview. “I’ve been able to build my career and find a home here with Red Star, hut it’s a long season and we can still improve.”
Zvezda suffered a series of fourth-quarter collapses last season, letting several victories slip away as the team appeared to lose momentum every time the chips were down. Not this time in Istanbul, as the visiting team held firm in the wake of Fenerbahce’s fierce third quarter onslaught with the hosts at one point slashing the deficit to 41-45.
Nemanja Nedovic was also instrumental as he drained 17 points while Mike Daum chipped in with 14 points and 5 boards, which allowed Zvezda to regain its composure quickly and race away into an insurmountable lead in the closing stages.
Zvezda had 19 assists and just 11 turnovers while making 17-of-29 shots from inside the three-point arc and Bolomboy pointed out that sound offense was generated by a valiant defensive effort.
“They were obviously going to respond as they made some adjustments,” he said. “We played really well defensively tonight as we limited them to lower points than what they usually average and it was a great team effort.”
“Everyone is on the same page and we’re really working behind the scenes. We have a really good team this year and going into every game we have a great game plan. Ultimately it comes down to defense. If we are locked in defensively, we have enough talent to score points.”
Head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos lauded his team for executing the game plan to perfection. “We only allowed 57 points against a great offensive team and our defense was key to winning the game as we forced 18 turnovers from them,” the Greek tactician stated.
“Offensively, we found the best solutions and executed well, so congratulations to my players. The team’s core is from last season but we have added some important players and we can still improve. It’s still early days, but we really are playing as a team.”
Daum was elated after his biggest game for Zvezda since joining the Serbian outfit from Fenerbahce’s cross-town rival Anadolu Efes Istanbul during the off season.
“I am very excited to be back in Turkey, obviously this is where my EuroLeague career started last year when Efes gave me the opportunity,” said the versatile swingman. “It’s a familiar place and I saw some familiar faces, so it’s awesome to be back.”
“We played so hard tonight, the guys stuck together through the highs and the lows and I was just able to do my thing. I have fun playing with these guys, they are unbelievable and enjoy being out there with them.”
Fenerbahce head coach Saras Jasikevicius succinctly summed up his team’s poor night, as well as his own, having had to watch helplessly as Zvezda tore its more heralded rival apart. “Not very good coaching and not a very good team performance, there is no other way to evaluate,” he said and rushed away in a hurry.