Euroleague Top 16, Madrid loses again

There are just two rounds left of the Euroleague Top 16 this season as Round 6 was completed on Friday with four games around the continent. Fenerbahce continued its dominance in Group E with a win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul in an all-Turkish clash that saw Fener progress to the next round.

In Group F, CSKA hit Zalgiris Kaunas hard on the road, while Real Madrid’s inconsistency continued at home with a loss to fellow Spanish club Laboral Kutxa Vitoria. Also in Group F, Olympiacos defeated Khimki to stop the Russians qualifying.

Group E
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Fenerbahce Istanbul, 73-77
A red hot Istanbul derby saw Turkey’s premier club teams square off in the Euroleague Top 16 at the Abdi Ipecki Arena in the heart of the city. Fenerbahce celebrated downing its rival, but also celebrated passage into the quarterfinals, the team remaining the only unbeaten team at this stage with a 6-0 record. Efes had led for much of the game and took a 57-55 advantage into the fourth act before Fenerbahce rallied in the fourth to turn the contest around for the win.

Ekpe Udoh and Bogdan Bogdanovic grabbed 15 points apiece in the win.

Cedi Osman and Dario Saric also scored 15 points each in the losing effort.

Group F
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. CSKA Moscow, 59-94
CSKA Moscow tore apart Zalgiris Kaunas on the road to pick up its 16th consecutive victory over the Lithuanian champions. The Russian giant led from the opening tip off to the closing buzzer, and led 29-44 through the long break. The onslaught continued in the second half, and the Army Men rounded a fantastic performance with a 14-28 winning fourth quarter that made the closing minutes a formality.

Milos Teodosic topped CSKA with 20 points, followed closely by Nando De Colo with 19 points.

Paulius Jankunas was the only double digit scorer in the loss, nailing 16 points for Zalgiris Kaunas.

Real Madrid vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria, 68-77
Laboral Kutxa Vitoria took out Real Madrid in the Spanish capital, moving past the current Euroleague champs to 4-2 in the standings, with Madrid sitting on 3-3. Both teams are still on course for the knockout phase, but Los Blancos needs to wake up after a fairly poor defence of its title so far this season. The hosts managed just 31 points in the second half, giving Laboral Kutxa Vitoria the perfect change to seal the contest after leading 37-41 through halftime.

Fabien Causer led the visitors with 15 points, while Jaka Blazic added 13 points, and Ioannis Bourousis grabbed 14 rebounds off the glass.

Sergio Rodriguez kept Madrid ticking through the bucket with 18 points, followed by Willy Hernangomez with 13 points.

Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Khimiki Moscow Region, 89-77
Khimki could have qualified this week, but the Russians lost to Greek heavyweight Olympiacos in Pireaus, meaning both teams are still in the hunt for qualification from the Euroleague Top 16. Khimki was on course too, controlling the early exchanges to lead 38-43 as the teams headed into the locker room for the midway rest. The layoff worked for Olympiacos as the hosts exploded in the second half, winning the third act 24-17 and the fourth stanza 27-17 to blitz Khimki out of the game.

Georgios Printezis was the star of the game, hitting 30 points in the win and combining it with 9 rebounds. Vassilis Spanoulis and Daniel Hackett both scored 14 points, while Othello Hunter had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Tyrese Rice claimed 14 points in the loss, followed by James Augustine with 13 points.