After three straight losses in the Euroleague, Barça got back on track with a 6-point win at Fenerbaçhe to go 16-6 and hang on in third place in the regular season standings. Barça started very strong, the Turks battled back, but it all worked out fine in the end, with Claver leading the way (17) and Delaney (14) full of energy.
Fener only woke up after an 11-0 streak from Barça had left the Ulker Sports Arena stunned early on, and with Claver very much in his prime, the Catalans led by 12 at the end of the first period.
Threes from Kuric and Delaney kept the momentum going, but a 12-30 lead would be cut to just a 1-point difference by a sudden surge from the Turks. Barça’s offensive intensity had vanished until Higgins and Oriola started finding points to put some distance between the sides again.
Davies and Claver did the most to keep Barça on top as the third period progressed, with strong character and dominance of the offensive rebounds they key to a 3-point lead going into the last ten.
That was when the game was hottest. The home side finally led at 62-61, and key blocks from Mirotic and Delaney prevented the damage from being any worse. Barça needed to find something and they did. An 8-0 streak meant they had some breathing space for the last four minutes, and they held on to claim a splendid victory.
MATCH STATS
Fenerbache: Westermann (-), De Colo (12), Williams (7), Thomas (2), Datome (7), Nunnally (11), Mahmutoglu (-), Kalinic (12), Sloukas (14), Vesely (7), Lauvergne (-) & Ali Muhammed (2),
Barça: Hanga (6), Higgins (12), Claver (17), Mirotic (12), Davies (12), Delaney (14), Kuric (5), Tomic (-), Abrines (-) & Oriola (2).
Periods: 12-24; 27-18 // 17-19; 18-19