Fenerbahce slows down the Bayern offense

On Tuesday against Milan, 64 points were enough for the win — but on Thursday in Istanbul, even quite a few more weren’t nearly sufficient: Bayern Basketball fell 73–88 (32–37) to defending champions Fenerbahce on EuroLeague gameday five, suffering their third loss of the season. Starting from the second quarter, Munich’s offense too rarely found answers against a determined favorite intent on course correction. In front of 8,650 fans, the team’s top scorers were Isiaha Mike, Andi Obst, and Wenyen Gabriel, each with 13 points.

After returning on Friday, Bayern will prepare for the important Cup round of 16 matchup on Monday at BMW Park (8 p.m.) against Braunschweig.

Boxscore 

Only 2-of-12 from three at halftime

With an unchanged lineup — including Jovic and without four — the visitors got off to an 8–2 start before open shots stopped falling and Fener began to find their rhythm. Quick hands from Obst and Giffey, who each recorded two steals, allowed Munich to push the pace and take a 21–14 lead after the first quarter.

The hosts then noticeably increased their physicality and attacked the basket — 24–26, timeout (14’). Two minutes later, Coach Herbert called another timeout (25–32), likely urging his team to stay in front of their man defensively. The introduction of da Silva initially helped to stop the flow of points in the paint.

From 40–45 on, hardly anything dropped

In the second half, Bayern stayed within reach but twice lost track of Jantunen — 44–51 (26’). Fener began knocking down their open looks, while the visitors, pressured on every possession, failed to respond offensively (45–59/28’).

Once again, only 14 points in the third quarter — after just 12 in the second — weren’t enough against a team whose systems were now clicking and that shot 48 percent from deep (FCBB: 23%). Winning the final quarter 27–26 offered little consolation for the Bayern side.

Quotes:

Gordon Herbert, Head Coach of FC Bayern Basketball: “We knew it would be a tough game after Fenerbahce lost at home on Tuesday. We showed a good first quarter, but in the second and third quarters, we struggled a lot on both ends of the court. Offensively, we really had trouble scoring, especially in the half-court. On defense, we gave up threes. I think the difference today was how well they were shooting.”

Kamar Baldwin: “We had major problems scoring in the third quarter. They, on the other hand, made two threes in a row during that stretch. They got into a rhythm and found their flow. We just didn’t hit our shots, and they were then able to run too many easy breaks.”