Wilbekin, Motley led Fener's big third quarter
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul used a fantastic third quarter to beat FC Bayern Munich 78-71 in Round 19. Locking in on defense and finding the right go-to guys made the difference right after the break.
Fenerbahce led 46-39 at halftime, but despite outrebounding Bayern 19-11 until then, it had only gone once to the foul line in the entire first half. Coach Dimitris Itoudis's team came back to the floor with renewed aggressiveness. Bayern had made 5 of 12 three-pointers before the break but shot 0-for-8 in the third quarter when it also made just 3 of 7 two-point shots. Fenerbahce grabbed 17 rebounds in those 10 minutes to Bayern's 6.
The hosts managed to read the game well on offense, too, finding an early go-to guy in Scottie Wilbekin, who buried back-to-back jumpers to give Fenerbahce its first double-digit lead, 50-39. Johnathan Motley followed his footsteps, getting 8 points and 6 rebounds in the opening 7 minutes of the third quarter. In his final basket of this period, Motley finished a five-chance Fenerbahce offense with a tip-in that made it a 20-point game, 63-43.
Even though Bayern rallied and almost got within striking distance, Motley and Wilbekin had taken care of business in the third quarter, setting the basis for an important victory. Motley had 22 points and a personal-best 17 rebounds. Wilbekin finished the game with 11 points and 4 assists.