Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul showed resilience and depth on Friday night, pulling away late for a 108–93 road win over Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz at Buesa Arena. The victory lifted the Turkish side to 12–6 in the EuroLeague standings and extended its strong start to 2026.
Baskonia fed off the home crowd early and dictated tempo through the opening period, applying pressure on both ends. Fenerbahce stayed within range behind timely scoring from Talen Horton-Tucker, and the teams went into halftime deadlocked at 53–53.
The game shifted dramatically after the break when Horton-Tucker was ejected early in the third quarter. Fenerbahce later lost Mikael Jantunen and Khem Birch to foul trouble, forcing head coach Saras Jasikevicius to reshuffle his rotation.
Baskonia briefly seized control and pushed the lead into double digits as Fenerbahce adjusted to the setbacks. The hosts looked poised to take command before the visitors responded with their best stretch of the night.
Fenerbahce closed the third quarter on a decisive 13–0 run, flipping momentum and taking a narrow edge into the final period. That burst proved decisive, as the visitors carried the energy forward and steadily pulled away in the fourth.
Despite the personnel losses, Fenerbahce’s offense remained composed and efficient. The team shot 50 percent from three-point range and committed just four turnovers, allowing it to control the closing minutes.
Wade Baldwin led the way with 24 points, seven assists and four rebounds, posting a PIR of 29 in another authoritative performance. The American guard repeatedly punished defensive switches and created clean looks for teammates down the stretch.
Nicolo Melli provided a veteran presence and timely shooting, knocking down four three-pointers on his way to 17 points. Tarik Biberovic and Bonzie Colson added 16 points apiece, giving Fenerbahce four players in double figures.
On the other side, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot paced Baskonia with 20 points, while the hosts shot 32.3 percent from beyond the arc. Head coach Paolo Galbiati acknowledged Fenerbahce’s quality during the contest, pointing to the form of Baldwin and Horton-Tucker.
The loss dropped Baskonia to 6–13 and extended its slide in the standings. Fenerbahce will look to build on the result when it hosts Olympiacos Piraeus on Tuesday, while Baskonia welcomes FC Bayern Munich in search of a response.
