Fenerbahce punched its ticket to the EuroLeague Final after outlasting Panathinaikos 82-76 in the first semifinal on Friday.
The Turkish side led for over 38 minutes in Berlin, riding an early offensive surge and timely fourth-quarter execution to advance.
Devon Hall scored a team-high 18 points, Tarik Biberovic added 15, and Errick McCollum chipped in 13 to pace Fenerbahce’s balanced attack.
Cedi Osman led all scorers with 22 points for Panathinaikos, while Kendrick Nunn contributed 19 before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter.
Panathinaikos opened the game with a highlight as Osman stole the ball and dunked, but Fenerbahce quickly responded with a 10-0 run capped by a Marko Guduric three.
After the Greens closed the gap to one, Hall’s perimeter shooting helped reestablish Fener’s rhythm, and the Istanbul club led 22-14 after one.
Biberovic extended the lead with back-to-back triples early in the second period, but the Greek squad chipped away with inside scores from Nunn and Omer Yurtseven.
Despite shooting struggles, Panathinaikos trailed just 38-33 at halftime thanks to a buzzer-beating jumper from Nunn.
Nunn continued to carry the offense early in the third with a quick five points that trimmed the deficit to one, but Nicolo Melli and McCollum kept Fener in front.
McCollum scored six straight to rebuild a cushion, and Baldwin’s late dunk gave the Turkish side a 55-48 edge after three quarters.
Melli knocked down a three to make it a double-digit lead again, but Osman brought Panathinaikos back with a pair of big buckets.
Hall and Baldwin responded with clutch shots before Nunn’s disqualification left Panathinaikos without its second-leading scorer in the closing stretch.
Grant and Osman fought to keep the Greens alive, but McCollum’s sidestep three and a final Biberovic triple secured the win.
Fenerbahce shot 41.2% from deep and 80% at the free-throw line, while also committing just 9 turnovers.
With the victory, Fenerbahce advances to Sunday’s championship game for a shot at their second EuroLeague title.
Panathinaikos, despite Osman’s effort, was undone by Nunn’s foul trouble and inconsistent shooting beyond the arc.
The loss ends the Greens’ run in the Final Four as Fenerbahce prepares to face Monaco in the title clash.
