Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul found its best basketball at exactly the right time. The defending EuroLeague champions ended a five-game losing streak with a 76-81 win over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on Thursday night at LDLC Arena, and the result kept the club in position to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs.
Before the game, ASVEL honored Nando De Colo, who spend four years with the team before being acquired by Fenerbahce earlier this season. The 38-yer-old French guard had previously announced he would retire at the end of the season.
The finish was far tighter than the middle stretch suggested. Fenerbahce led 42-48 at halftime, then opened the third quarter with an 18-0 run that turned the game into a rout-in-progress, with Talen Horton-Tucker scoring 10 straight points during the surge.
ASVEL went more than seven minutes without a point in the third quarter, and Fenerbahce won the period 22-8 to build a 50-70 lead entering the fourth. Horton-Tucker finished with 21 points, while Tarik Biberovic added 17 and Brandon Boston scored 10 for his third consecutive game in double figures.
ASVEL nearly turned the game into a comeback story behind Shaquille Harrison, who produced a career-high 25 points, and Braian Angola, who added 16. The home team trimmed the deficit to four points at 76-80 before Tarik Biberovic split free throws to close it out.
Fenerbahce’s numbers backed up the point. The Turkish side shot 54.8 percent inside the arc, made 5 of 15 from three-point range, and won the rebound battle 35-31. Nicolo Melli added 7 points and 12 rebounds, giving Fenerbahce another useful two-way performance in a game that briefly tested its focus.
For ASVEL, Shaquille Harrison delivered a career-high 25 points on 12-of-14 shooting inside the arc, consistently attacking the paint and finishing through contact.
Braian Angola added 16 points and 7 assists, creating offense and helping fuel a late push that cut the deficit to 76-80 in the closing seconds.
Friday’s results will determine the playoff picture, but the bigger takeaway came from Lyon. If Fenerbahce is going to repeat as EuroLeague champion, the third quarter at ASVEL is the level it will need to find again.
