Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul went on a 21-4 run in the third quarter to establish a solid lead, which secured the win in the end.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul survived a scare at the end of the fourth quarter but ultimately survived against Bahcesehir 78-72 (23-28, 9-13, 27-8, 17-23) to gain the first win in the Turkish Basketball League (BSL).
The first half belonged to Bahcesehir. The underdogs started the first quarter better, maintaining a slim lead throughout the first 10 minutes. Continuing the momentum, Bahcesehir gained an 8-point lead (19-11) with three minutes to go in the first quarter.
The second quarter followed a similar trend with Fenerbahce struggling to score and Bahcesehir holding a lead throughout the entire first half.
Although the away squad had a 9-point lead in the third (45-36), Fenerbahce began to fight back. Several players scored in bunches and Melih Mahmutoglu's triple helped his team gain a lead for the first time in the match with three minutes to go in the quarter (48-47).
After a Bahcesehir timeout, Mahmutoglu hit another three-pointer, Scottie Wilbekin, Dyshawn Pierre, and Nigel Hayes-Davis added two points each, and Fenerbahce's lead increased to 8 points already (57-49), capping off an impressive 21-4 run.
When it seemed like Fenerbahce was already controlling the game (72-62), the guests battled back with an 8-0 run to narrow the deficit to just two points with two minutes remaining (70-72).
However, Hayes-Davis converted a floater, Bahcesehir committed a 24-second violation, and the home team celebrated its first victory of the Turkish Basketball League season.
Hayes-Davis was the top scorer on the Fenerbahce roster with 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting and 6 rebounds in his account. Melih Mahmutoglu added 20 points, making 6 three-pointers out of 10.
Carsen Edwards made his official debut with the Fenerbahce jersey in this game. However, things did not go that well for the rookie. He made just 2 shots out of 8, missing all three triples in 13 minutes of play for a PIR of 0.
Fenerbahce will now look forward to their EuroLeague debut on Thursday, October 6th, against FC Bayern Munich.
Fenerbahce: Nigel Hayes-Davis 21 (4/7 2PT, 3/6 3PT, 6 REB), Melih Mahmutoglu 20 (6/10 3PT), Scottie Wilbekin 13 (3/7 3PT, 6 AST).
Bahcesehir: Jamar Smith 18 (5/6 2PT, 2/7 3PT), Jerry Boutsiele 15 (7/8 2PT, 12 REB), Vladimir Brodziansky 13.
