Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul continued its strong EuroLeague form on Friday, January 23, cruising past Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 84–71 at Ulker Sports and Event Hall to move into sole possession of second place in the standings.
The reigning champions improved to 16–7 after 23 games, matching league-leading Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv in wins while holding the tiebreaker edge over several contenders behind them. The victory marked Fenerbahce’s third straight win and its 13th success in the last 15 outings.
The final margin did not fully reflect the competitiveness of the opening stages. Baskonia traded baskets early and stayed within striking distance through halftime, trailing by just one point at 42–41 early in the third quarter.
That balance shifted decisively once the hosts raised their defensive intensity. Sarunas Jasikevicius’ side opened the second half with a 13–0 run that flipped the game, fueled by Nando De Colo’s perimeter scoring and strong downhill pressure from Talen Horton-Tucker.
Horton-Tucker led all scorers with 21 points and added eight rebounds, continuing a productive stretch as a primary offensive option. De Colo finished with 11 points, while Tarik Biberovic chipped in 12 and Wade Baldwin IV scored 11 to give Istanbul balanced support.
During a span of more than 13 minutes bridging the third and early fourth quarters, Fenerbahce outscored Baskonia 39–12. The advantage ballooned to 69–50 after three quarters and peaked at 81–53 early in the final period.
Fenerbahce committed 20 turnovers but compensated with efficient shooting, finishing 58.8 percent from two-point range and 90.9 percent at the free-throw line.
Baskonia fell to 8–16 and remained 16th in the standings. Eugene Omoruyi led the visitors with 14 points, while Kobi Simmons added 13, but the Spanish side struggled from long range, hitting just 4 of 22 attempts from three.
Fenerbahce will host Anadolu Efes next Thursday in an Istanbul derby, while Baskonia returns home to face Zalgiris Kaunas on Friday.
