FC Bayern Munich held off Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 71-63 in a hard-fought battle at the Audi Dome on Tuesday.
Lucic inspires Bayern to overcome Fenerbahce, 71-63
FC Bayern Munich held off Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 71-63 in a hard-fought battle at the Audi Dome on Tuesday. A 15-2 run gave Bayern early control, and the hosts stayed in front, 35-30, at the break. Vladimir Lucic had a 10-0 personal run early in the third quarter, but Fener struck back with a 2-14 run to make it close. The visitors could never get ahead, though, and Bayern finished stronger to take the win. Lucic inspired Bayern with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, while Corey Walden scored 16 points and Augustine Rubit added 13. Marko Guduric led Fenerbahce’s challenge with 16 points, while Jan Vesely scored 12 and Devin Booker added 10. Bayern improves to 4-6, while Fenerbahce drops to 3-7.
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Rubit scored the first 4 points before DyShawn Pierre and Guduric responded for Fener from close range. Devin Booker scored twice for the visitors, but Rubit was on target again for Bayern as it stayed close, 10-10, midway through the first. Walden hit the game’s first triple and Rubit stayed hot to stretch Bayern’s lead, which was extended by Lucic’s triple and 4 points from DeShaun Thomas, making it 22-12 at the end of the first. Andreas Obst started the second quarter with a long-range strike before a steal and score from Sehmus Hazer revived Fenerbahce. Achille Polonara followed up with a baseline dunk but Nick Weiler-Babb’s triple kept the lead in double digits. Guduric took over with a three-point play and a buzzer-beating three-pointer, and Pierria Henry’s steal and dunk followed by Guduric’s free throws pulled the visitors closer, 31-29. Thomas’s fierce dunk kept Bayern ahead, 35-30, at half-time.
Guduric’s close-range score was bettered by a triple and layup from Lucic in a low-scoring start to the third. Lucic repeated from long-range and close-range for another double-digit lead, 45-32. Melih Mahmutoglu ended Fenerbahce’s drought from the foul line, a three-point play by Vesely was followed by a put-back from Polonara, Mahmutoglu with a triple and Nando De Colo scoring his first points with a transition layup to make it 47-44. Polonara added a huge slam before Lucic rescued Fener with free throws, making it 49-46 after 30 minutes. The first three minutes of the final period saw only foul shots, before Guduric’s threeball and Hazer’s steal and slam tied it up, 52-52. Two scores from Rubit, including an and-one, sent Bayern back in front, 59-54, with 4 minutes left. Walden’s triple gave Bayern a more comfortable margin, before Vesely’s three-point play restored Fenerbahce’s hope. Othello Hunter’s inside basket and putback dunk protected the lead, and Lucic’s three-pointer to cap a superb individual performance sealed the deal.