Fenerbahce beat Virtus as Besiktas fall in EuroLeague openers

Fenerbahce Beko began their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season with a 78-68 victory over Virtus Bologna at home on Friday, surviving a second-half surge from the Italian visitors to secure the opening-night win. The Istanbul powerhouse led 23-17 after the first quarter and held a narrow 39-38 advantage at halftime, despite Virtus briefly pulling ahead in the second period.

Virtus opened the third quarter strongly to establish a 51-46 lead, but Fenerbahce responded with an 11-2 run to enter the final period 59-55 ahead. The Italian side levelled at 60-60 early in the fourth quarter before the hosts regained control, building a 69-64 advantage with under five minutes remaining to seal the result. Talen Horton-Tucker led Fenerbahce with 13 points, Wade Baldwin added 12, and new arrival Braxton Key contributed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Marcus Carr scored 12 for Virtus.

Besiktas comeback falls short against Valencia

Besiktas suffered a heartbreaking 96-94 defeat to Valencia in their first EuroLeague appearance since 2011, missing a potential game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds after rallying from a double-digit deficit. The Black Eagles led 27-19 late in the opening quarter before Valencia closed with 11 unanswered points to seize a 28-27 advantage, extending their lead to 54-51 by halftime and 81-71 entering the final period.

The Istanbul club responded with a 9-2 run to start the fourth quarter and drew level at 86-86 with six minutes, 35 seconds remaining before Scottie Wilbekin’s three-pointer put Besiktas ahead 91-86. Valencia fought back to tie the game at 94-94 with just over two minutes left, and after taking a 96-94 lead, saw Eugene Omoruyi and Kameron Taylor both miss two free throws, giving Besiktas one final possession. Jaylen Nowell’s three-point attempt rimmed out as time expired. T.J. Shorts led Valencia with 26 points, while Omoruyi and Nowell scored 17 apiece for Besiktas.