An away game against title rivals Fenerbahce Istanbul was never going to be easy for the Roca Team, but nevertheless the Monegasques managed to keep up the fight for all four quarters and into overtime at the Ülker sports arena on the evening of Thursday, January 19.
The two teams were tied 20-20 after a contested first quarter, but the Monegasques began to build an edge over their opponents going into the break with a scoreline of 39-47. As is so often the case in these closely-matched EuroLeague games, Fenerbahce flipped the script in the third quarter to catch up to their visitors, and level the scoreline to 60-60.
Strangely enough, the match remained so closely contested down to the final second of the fourth quarter, when John Brown III sent the Roca Teams into overtime with lay-up to give Monaco the two points they so desperately needed. By the end of regular time, the teams were tied at 84-84.
However, the hosts would have the last laugh in the end, as the buzzer sounded a 98-94 victory for Fenerbahce after a long night in the office. With this their eighth loss of the season, the Roca Team temporarily drop down to fifth place in the EuroLeague table, but will be looking to get back to winning ways when they host Milan in the Salle Gaston Medecin on the evening of Thursday, January 26.
Featured image courtesy of the Direction de la Communication / Michael Alesi