Fenerbahce defeated Monaco on away court after overtime by 95:91 in the first game of the EuroLeague quarterfinals.
Monaco started this game much better, and after just a few minutes, they took a double-digit lead of 14:4. Donatas Motiejunas was excellent in the first quarter, scoring 8 points, and the score was 26:15 in favor of Sasa Obradovic’s team. Fenerbahce had as many as 5 offensive rebounds in the first quarter, but they didn’t capitalize on them.
Monaco looked excellent, with Elie Okobo shining, bringing the biggest lead so far for the home team at 34:20. Fenerbahce seemed quite disorganized on both ends of the court. Finally, Fenerbahce found some rhythm in their offense, and unexpectedly, Nate Sestina ignited them with 8 quick points, reducing the lead to 42:35. The first half ended with points from Mike James, and the final score was 46:37.
The second half started with an 8:1 run by Fenerbahce, narrowing the score to 47:45. Marko Guduric was in great form in the second half, and Fenerbahce closed in to 52:51 with his points and a foul. The end of the third period was marked by Jordan Loyd and Nick Calathes hitting three-pointers from the center at the sound of the buzzer, making it 61:60 before the decisive quarter.
Nick Calathes (@Nick_Calathes15) hit a three-pointer from the center to end the third quarter 😱😱pic.twitter.com/rn1yKhg5TV
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) April 24, 2024
The home team took the lead at the start of the fourth quarter, but Monaco responded with a 9:0 run, regaining a comfortable lead. Fenerbahce lacked offensive solutions, going four minutes without scoring from the field. However, they found some solutions through Nigel Hayes-Davis and Tyler Dorsey, so Sarunas Jasikevicius‘ team closed the gap again to 1 point (74:73). Monaco couldn’t find the right solutions in offense. The visiting team capitalized on it through Calathes and Hayes-Davis, taking the lead 80:76.
Jaron Blossomgame hit a three-pointer afterwards, and after Alpha Diallo’s free throw, Monaco took the lead again. Nick Calathes then made only one of two free throws, leaving the score tied. Fenerbahce defended well after that, and Marko Guduric missed the shot for the win, so the game went into overtime.
Hayes-Davis and Calathes stepped up in overtime, bringing Fenerbahce a lead of 89:84. Sasa Obradovic’s team tried to make a comeback until the end of the game but failed to do so, resulting in Fenerbahce taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
The top scorer for the winning team was Nigel Hayes-Davis with 19 points, while Nick Calathes contributed 17. One of the key players for Fenerbahce was Nate Sestina with 16 points. The best performer for the home team was Elie Okobo with 19 points, while Jordan Loyd had 16. Mike James also scored 16 points but had a very poor shooting performance
MONACO – FENERBAHCE 91:95 (25:16, 20:22, 15:23, 20:21, )
Arena: “Gaston Medecin”, Monaco
Referees: Perez, Pastusiak, Sukys
Monaco: Okobo 19, Loyd 16, Blossomgame 8, Brown 8, Diallo 10, Cornelie, Jaiteh, Walker, Motiejunas 12, Strazel 2, Hall, James 16.
Fenerbahce: Wilbekin 7, Sanli 6, Papagiannis 4, Hayes-Davis 19, Biberovic 2, Noua, Pierre, Guduric 11, Dorsey 12, Calathes 17, Madar, Sestina 14.