Udoh, Vesely lead Fenerbahçe to third Eurolegue victory
ISTANBUL
Ekpe Udoh and Jan Vesely led the winning side with 14 points apiece. Udoh added eight rebounds while Vesely made eight of eight free throws.
Pero Antic added 11 points, Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 10 and Kostas Sloukas dished 11 assists for Fenerbahçe.
Leo Westermann led Zalgiris with 15 points, Brock Motum scored 14 and Arturas Milaknis 10 for the guests.
Despite being outrebounded 23-26, Fenerbahçe hit 21-of-22 free throws and had 22 assists to just 11 turnovers.
Both teams play again on Oct. 28: Zalgiris hosts Maccabi Tel Aviv while Fenerbahçe visits archrival Galatasaray Odeabank, in what will be their first-ever head-to-head showdown in European competitions.
“We played against a Zalgiris team which was some experienced and young players, Fenerbahçe coachZeljo Obradovic said after the game.
“A team that plays with big energy offensively and defensively. They always try to run and push the ball. We talked before the game and understood it was going to be a difficult one. One more time, we played very good defense expect in the first quarter. Our defense was very good after that and I believe what we must change is our offense, because after some good defenses, we had the opportunity to run and try to play in transition.”
Obradovic complainied about the hectic schedule of the teams in the Euroleague.
“With so many games, you don’t have time to practice. I don’t want to cry but this is the real situation. However, it was a very important victory for us against a very good team. One more time, thanks to our people for the basketball atmosphere.”