Baskonia was able to recover from a disappointing 2nd quarter to cruise past Fenerbache with a 77-62 victory for EuroLeague round 31.
After a close-fought first quarter, Fenerbache made a 21-12 run in the second quarter to take the advantage at half-time. Baskonia made its run in the second half to secure a huge victory at home.
That was the fourth consecutive win for Baskonia, which kept its playoff hopes alive after the exclusion of the Russian clubs from this season’s standings.
The Basques had a great defensive performance in the second half allowing just 22 points in 20 minutes of play and making a 45-22 run after the intermission.
“We played very aggressive defense, we pressured them. Offensively I think we played more reasonable, we didn’t shoot every open shot and tried to penetrate.
We got some fouls and way better percentages. They didn’t respond and I want to congratulate my team for the great job,” Baskonia coach Neven Spahija said on his team’s victory.
Wade Baldwin had a key role in another Baskonia triumphant night as he put up 24 points, six rebounds and six assists. The explosive guard made 5 of his 9 threes and shot 4-of-10 from two-point range.
“I’m happy that we’re playing well and finding our rhythm”, Baldwin said. “I went a bit Steph Curry out there, the shots were flowing and I’m happy we won the game.”
Key of the game: Baskonia’s defense was the X-factor for its win as the Spaniards finished the contest with nine steals forcing Fenerbahce to 14 turnovers. They only allowed 22 points in the second half.
MVP: Wade Baldwin was unstoppable for the winning side with 24 points, but Alec Peters was also important with four threes and 16 points. Both Baldwin and Peters combined for 9 of Baskonia’s 14 three-pointers.
Baskonia will need to remain undefeated the rest of the way to hope to snatch the 8th seed. Next week they will face AS Monaco in the most significant game of the team’s EuroLeague season.
The Spanish club improved to 11-15 with Tuesday’s victory and Monaco is at 12-13. Fenerbache dropped to 9-14 with Tuesday’s loss.
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