Fenerbahce downs CSKA in Moscow

Round 8 of the Euroleague Top 16 has showed that in Europe’s elite competition that nothing can be taken for granted. Fenerbahce showed CSKA Moscow that at home on Friday as arguably the form team of this season was defeated by Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul. Barcelona has discovered that the Euroleague can be brutal this term too, but the Spanish team continued to recover from bumpy form to defeat ALBA Berlin at home.

Anadolu Efes has done plenty right this season, but the club slipped again as Laboral Kutxa Vitoria shocked the Turkish team in Istanbul. In the other game on Friday, Olympiacos found a home win that pushed it clear at the top of Group F.

Group E

Barcelona vs. ALBA Berlin, 92-82
Barcelona overcame ALBA Berlin after overtime in the sole Euroleague game from Group E on Friday. After Thursday’s events where Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv pulled further ahead at the top of the standings, Barca would have known a win was vital for its own qualification hopes. Especially as nearest rival Panathinaikos slipped up yesterday.

The Catalan giant took full advantage with a win over the German club to move level with Panathinaikos with a 5-3 record. Fans will hardly be happy with Barcelona’s patchy form, but yet the club is firmly in the qualification picture. ALBA Berlin remains on the fringes after another loss, the German capital representative now sits on a 3-5 record.

Group F

CSKA Moscow vs. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul, 75-81
At the end of the Regular Season CSKA Moscow had cruised through ten games unbeaten and the club looked like it would ease into the Final Four. However, the Euroleague always proves that no club is impervious to others, and here we are again. CSKA has now lost twice in the Top 16 stage. A crisis no, the Russian giant will still qualify and will still be in the title picture come May, but the Top 16 has exposed that the Moscow club can be beaten on the road to Madrid and the Final Four.

Fenerbahce followed Olympiacos’ lead from earlier in the Top 16 and downed CSKA on Friday, although Fener’s win was more impressive as it came in Moscow. The victory helped the Turkish club onto the same 6-2 record as their opponents, although they move into second place thanks to a better head to head. The Turkish club cut CSKA out of the first quarter to win it 10-17, but the hosts fought back in Q2 and the game went tight for the remainder. It was a good battle between two good teams, but ultimately Fener found the key buckets to win the game.

Andrew Goudelock and Jan Vesely logged 14 points apiece for the winning effort, while Bogdan Bogdanovic netted 13 points and grabbed 6 boards. The star of the performance was Nemanja Bjelica with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Nando De Colo continued to be a constant threat for CSKA as he logged a game high 18 points, while Milos Teodosic continued his consistent game with 14 points and 6 assists.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria, 84-87
Anadolu Efes has been in good form this season and any victory against the club in Istanbul is a sit up and take notice performance. Laboral Kutxa has been hot at home, but not so much on the road in the Euroleague this season, but the Spanish club put in its game of the season tonight. The visitors used a huge first half to control the game, heading into the long break holding a 33-50 lead. The inevitable Efes storm followed in the third and fourth, but Laboral Kutxa weathered it to edge the scoreboard and win the game. The victory meant that the visitors equalled Anadolu Efes on a 4-4 record in Group F, both clubs contesting fourth spot.

Fernando San Emeterio topped the scoring with 22 points for the Spaniards, while Colton Iverson doubled up with 17 points and 11 boards. Davis Bertans also logged double digits with 14 points on the night.

Dario Saric led five Efes players in double figures with 18 points. The hosts saw Thomas Huertal notch 17 points, a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds from Nenad Krstic, and 11 points from Matt Janning.

Olympiacos vs. Unicaja Malaga, 77-72
Greek powerhouse Olympiacos took control of Group F with a home victory over Unicaja Malaga. With the success, the Pireus based club positioned itself alone at the top of the group with an impressive 7-1 record that is only equalled by Real Madrid in Group E. Unicaja’s woes continue and the club is simply struggling to emulate its domestic form on the continent, the Malaga club now sits last with a 1-7 losing record. It was looking good for the visitors after ten minutes too, they had raced into an 11-17 lead at the first split. However, Olympiacos picked up in the second stanza and went big with a 26-19 third quarter which saw them regain the lead heading into the last act. Buckets were traded in the fourth, but the hosts edged it down the straight.

There are no prizes for guessing that Vassilis Spanoulis was the attacking architect behind the winners, he had a double-double of 18 points and 10 scoring passes. The playmaker was followed by 13 points courtesy of Georgios Printezis and 12 points from Matt Lojeski.

Unicaja Malaga has the whole roster picking up consistent points, but perhaps the clubs’ problems in Europe this season are summed up by the fact only one player registered double figures. That honour went to Jayson Granger with 13 points.