Fenerbahçe Beko prevails in final seconds against Virtus Bologna
With this result, the yellow-navy team earned its 8th victory in the competition, while Virtus Bologna suffered its 7th loss.
The game began at a slow pace with baskets traded on both ends. Fenerbahçe Beko, defending the paint well early on, led 10–8 in the 7th minute, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.
In the second part of the quarter, Virtus Bologna became effective through Vildoza and finished the 9th minute ahead 15–12. Scoring consecutive points under the basket, the Italian team ended the first quarter leading 17–15.
In the second quarter, the Italian side took advantage as the yellow-navy team committed turnovers and failed to score in successive possessions, reaching the 15th minute ahead 24–19. Although Fenerbahçe found points through Tarık Biberovic and Baldwin toward the end of the quarter, Virtus Bologna went into halftime leading 31–30.
The second half began with balanced play. The yellow-navy side capitalized on successive turnovers by the Italian team and, with back-to-back three-pointers, entered the final period with a 50–47 advantage.
In the last quarter, supported by their fans, Fenerbahçe Beko took the lead 60–59 with Baldwin’s successful outside shot against their turnover-prone opponent. Although Fenerbahçe struggled to score in the final stretch, they also denied their opponent easy points. Both teams scored mainly from the free-throw line toward the end, entering the final minute tied 64–64. With 45 seconds left, the home team scored with Melli under the basket, circulated the ball well in the final possessions, and won the game 66–64.
Before the match, Fenerbahçe board member responsible for basketball, Cem Ciritci, presented team captain Melih Mahmutoğlu with a “number 5000” jersey in celebration of surpassing the 5,000-point mark in the Turkish Basketball Super League.
Players from both teams took the court before the game with a banner reading “Forza Achi” (Go Achi) in support of Achille Polonara, who wore the yellow-navy jersey in the 2021–2022 season and is currently undergoing treatment for illness.
Meanwhile, Fenerbahçe came out for warm-ups holding a banner that read “Stop Violence Against Women.”
