Sarunas Jasikevicius is confused over Fenerbahce's persistent struggles with slow starts at home: "I don't know if it's overconfidence or mental preparation. I cannot answer, but we know it's a problem."
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul secured their fourth consecutive EuroLeague victory on Friday night, overcoming Zalgiris Kaunas 98-86 in a comeback effort. However, the win at the Ulker Arena wasn't without its concerns.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
24
|
| Marko Guduric | |
| Points | 20 |
| Accuracy | 4-4 |
| Rebounds | 2 |
| Assists | 3 |
Zalgiris built a 13-point lead by halftime, leaving Fenerbahce needing a major turnaround. The Turkish team responded impressively, scoring 64 points and knocking down 10 three-pointers in the second half while tightening their defense.
Still, Fenerbahce's slow starts remain a headache for head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, especially when his team has a home-court advantage.
"If we need to come back, it's not a problem, but if we lose, it's a problem. When I came here one year ago, the assistant coaches were saying that at the Ulker Arena, we are extremely slow starters," Saras said in the press conference. "It was with the previous coach. With me, nothing changed. In 6 months last year, we were always starting games very badly at Ulker Arena.
"This year, we changed a lot of players, it's a new year, and it's still the same thing," he noted. "I don't know why we are so bad at the beginning of the games. I'm not sure how it is right now, but I believe 2 weeks ago, probably more, 3 weeks ago, we were the worst team in the first quarter at home, but by far in the EuroLeague.
"I don't know. I try to change the starting lineup, and we talk about it all the time, but yes, we were one of the worst teams. I mean, we probably still are one of the worst teams starting games at home. I don't know if it's overconfidence or mental preparation. I cannot answer, but we know it's a problem, and we get dig ourselves in these holes."
Despite their struggles, Fenerbahce improved their record to 14-7 with the win, securing the second-best standing in the EuroLeague.
