In the third-to-last Euroleague game of the season, Alba has nothing to play for in Istanbul. In sporting terms, nothing more is possible for the Berlin club anyway. An Istanbul player sets a record
Alba Berlin has suffered its ninth defeat in a row in the Euroleague. The Bundesliga club, which was short of substitutes, lost by a clear 68:103 (40:52) at top Turkish team Fenerbahce Istanbul on Friday evening. With two matchdays to go, Alba remains bottom of the table with just five wins. Berlin’s best scorer was Sterling Brown with 17 points. Nigel Hayes-Davis scored an incredible 50 points for Fenerbahce – a Euroleague record.
Head coach Israel Gonzalez was still without the injured Italian duo of Matteo Spagnolo and Gabriele Procida. World champion Johannes Thiemann was also out with back problems and center Yanni Wetzell had to miss out at short notice. And the in-form Turks piled on the pressure right from the start. Alba trailed 0:8 after less than a minute
The Berliners hardly found any means, especially defensively. Fenerbahce is still fighting for a better playoff position and that was clear to see. Berlin was already twenty points behind midway through the second quarter (24:44). However, the visitors then got into the game better and were able to cut the deficit to nine points again (40:49).
However, Fenerbahce got serious again after the break. Alba hardly managed anything in offense and the home side pulled 33 points ahead by the start of the final quarter (86:53). The game was then decided early on, especially since Berlin hardly put up any resistance.
Fenerbahce Istanbul – Alba Berlin 103:68 (52:40)
Best scorers for Istanbul: Hayes-Davis (50 points), Motley (18), Dorsey (7)
Best scorers for Berlin: Brown (17 points), Hermannsson (12), Thomas (10)
Spectators: 10781
