In the opening round of the premier European competition, Fenerbahce hosted Nikola Mirotic and Milan in Istanbul. The victory went to the home team after overtime with a score of 85:82.
The Italian team was without three players for this game. Billy Baron, Devon Hall, and Maodo Lo did not play and will not be available to their team for some time.
Milan started the game with excellent shooting. They made four of their first five three-point attempts, giving them an early lead of 14:8. The lead quickly reached double digits, but Marko Guduric completely brought his team back into the game. Although Milan had a 10-point lead twice, the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter showed only 23:19 in favor of the visiting team.
In the following quarters, the Italian team struggled offensively. Scottie Wilbekin took advantage of this and, with eight quick points, orchestrated a complete turnaround, giving Fenerbahce a 30:29 lead. Nikola Mirotic managed to keep his team close on the scoreboard, and the Turkish team led 38:35 at halftime.
The standout player in the second half of the game was Yam Madar, the Israeli playmaker, who scored, assisted, and orchestrated his teammates, helping Fenerbahce to their largest lead at that point, 50:42. Coach Itoudis’s team soon established a double-digit lead, but Mirotic’s outstanding performance once again brought Milan back into the game, reducing the deficit to just three points. Fenerbahce secured a 62:54 lead with another 5:0 run as a cushion for the decisive ten minutes.
Even without Mirotic on the court, Shavon Shields and his teammates created a 10:3 run to fully get back into the game, narrowing the gap to 65:64. Milan even managed to take the lead, but Fenerbahce fought back, primarily thanks to their three-point shooting. Although the home team led 76:72, Nicolo Melli leveled the score with 15 seconds remaining. Wilbekin missed the game-winning shot on one end, and Shields missed on the other, leading to overtime.
Fenerbahce scored the first points in overtime, with Dyshawn Pierre hitting a three-pointer. Mirotić responded on the other end, and Tyler Dorsey scored and played solid defense to give his team a three-point lead. Wilbekin sealed the victory with a three-pointer with 45 seconds left, extending their lead to five points. This proved to be enough for the win despite Gudurić missing one of his two free throws when Fenerbahce was ahead by two points, leaving a chance for Milan to force overtime. Mirotić took the responsibility and missed the shot.
The top scorers in the winning team were Scottie Wilbekin with 19 points, including the crucial three-pointer for the victory. Marko Guduric, Tyler Dorsey, and Georgios Papagiannis also made significant contributions, each scoring 15 points. Yam Madar stopped at eight points but played a crucial role on the court when the team established a double-digit lead. In the losing team, Nikola Mirotic led his teammates with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Johannes Voigtmann scored 21 points.
In the next EuroLeague round, Fenerbahce will visit Valencia, while Milan will host Maccabi Tel Aviv at home.
FENERBAHCE – MILANO 85:82 (19:23, 19:12, 24:19, 14:22, 5:3)
Venue: “Ulker Sports and Event Hall”, Istanbul
Referees: Pukl, Peruga, Nikolic
Fenerbahce: Motley 2, Wilbekin 19, Sanli, Papagiannis 15, Mahmutoglu, Hayes-Davis, Pierre 11, Guduric 15, Dorsey 15, Calathes, Madar 8, Sestina
Milano: Poythress 5, Bortolani, Pangos 2, Tonut 3, Melli 7, Kamagate, Ricci, Flaccadori 3, Shields 10, Mirotic 27p 10s, Hines 4, Voigtmann 21