TJ Shorts scored 23 points and delivered the decisive basket late in the fourth quarter as Valencia Basket defeated Fenerbahce Tarfin Istanbul 86-78 at Roig Arena on Tuesday, October 27, ending the visitors’ winning streak and returning to winning ways in the EuroLeague.
Valencia improved to 6-2 and moved into second place in the 2026-27 standings, while Fenerbahce also fell to 6-2. The result came in a matchup between Valencia’s league-leading offense, which entered the game averaging 99.1 points, and a Fenerbahce defense that had allowed a league-low 72.6 points per game.
Valencia established control immediately, opening with an 8-0 run and limiting Fenerbahce to nine points in the first quarter. The hosts led 19-9 after 10 minutes, continuing the defensive pressure that had troubled Fenerbahce in its previous game against Olympiacos Piraeus, when it scored just eight points in the opening period.
The home team’s advantage on the boards proved just as important. Valencia recorded 16 offensive rebounds in the first half, a club record for a single half since the 2007-08 season, and second-chance points accounted for roughly one-third of its 36 first-half points.
Fenerbahce struggled from three-point range before the break, making just two of 16 attempts. Although the visitors slowed Valencia’s offense to three assists in the first half, they trailed 36-25 at halftime.
Shorts and Nikola Mirotic helped Valencia maintain its advantage after the interval, but Wade Baldwin kept Fenerbahce within reach. Baldwin scored eight of his 19 points in the third quarter, and Valencia’s lead reached 60-44 before the visitors began to fight back. Fenerbahce outscored the hosts 32-26 in the fourth quarter and eventually took its first lead at 76-75.
Valencia responded with an 11-2 finish, with Shorts leading the closing stretch and scoring the basket that helped seal the win. He finished with 23 points, six rebounds and three assists, shooting 7-of-12 on two-point attempts and 9-of-10 at the free-throw line.
Kameron Taylor and Armoni Brooks added 16 points apiece for Valencia, while Mirotic scored 12. Valencia finished with a 49-34 rebounding advantage, including 21 offensive boards, despite shooting 6-of-23 from three-point range.
Baldwin led Fenerbahce with 19 points, while Shavon Shields added 18 and Wwill Clyburn scored 15. Fenerbahce made seven of 28 three-point attempts and committed nine turnovers.
Valencia will visit FC Barcelona on Friday, October 30, while Fenerbahce travels to face Real Madrid on Thursday, October 29.
