Fenerbahce Ulker, new leader of Turkish BSL

After a dominant 94-74 victory over Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul has taken the league leadership of the Turkish BSL with their 13-4 record. It was a big win for Fenerbahce Ulker as they were able to take advantage of a loss by former league top team Anadolu Efes to Galatasaray Liv Hospital, 78-85, the day before. The blue and yellow shirts have been on a tear as of late and are currently on a five-game winning streak. The last time they had to swallow the bitter taste of defeat was in December 24, at the hands of no less than league rival, Anadolu Efes. We are now 17 rounds into the 2015-16 regular season and it will be both interesting and exciting to watch both clubs duke it out for pole position in the BSL.

It rained three-pointers in Istanbul as Fenerbahce Ulker led the game from start to finish. The successfully converted on 14 of their 25 shot attempts from beyond the arc. It was an excellent display of what their offense is capable of when its running on all cylinders. Italian player Luigi Datome turned in a solid game for the home squad. He led four other Fenerbahce Ulker players to score in double figures with his 16 points. He made all three of his shots from three-point range as well as all of his shots from the free-throw line. Gigi added five rebounds and three assists as well.

Fenerbahce Ulker established a reasonable 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Slowly and steadily they were able to build on their advantage and ended the first half ahead, 43-37. The six point lead was within reach and Darussafaka had the tools within their reach to challenge for leadership in this game. Unfortunately for them, their hosts had other plans. In the third frame Fener Ulker exploded as their outside shots started finding their mark. They outscored Darussafaka 31-17 and blew the game wide open. With just the fourth quarter remaining, there was not enough left in the tank for the guests to contest the daunting 20-point lead as Fenerbahce matched them point for point.

Luke Harangody led Darussafaka with a game-high 17 points. Emir Preldzic added 15 points of his own, but they were the only ones able to score in double figures and Darussafaka’s reserves were outgunned.

Anadolu Efes was the only Top 5 team to lose this round. Galatasaray, Banvit and Karsiyaka each notched wins.