Fenerbahce beat MBA in the first Quarterfinal – 94:79 (16:21, 27:22, 27:14, 24:22).
Game progress
MBA and Fenerbahce participated in the VTB United League SuperCup for the first time in their history. Both teams significantly upgraded their rosterrs in the offseason, and the game was a great opportunity to test the new players.
MBA had a good start. The Istanbul team defense could not stop pick-and-rolls by Daniil Kasatkin and Evgeniy Minchenko – 17:6, the Moscow team lead after 4 minutes. But after Kasatkin left the court, the Turkish team made a comeback with Jonathan Motley and Sertac Sanli help.
The second quarter was equal. Kasatkin kept finding his teammates, and they kept scoring shots. Sanli was good on offense and scored 12 points in the first half. Dimitris Itoudis team played with a little more confidence at the end. By the halftime, the score was equal – 43:43.
After the halftime, MBA started to have problems on offense: several consecutive possessions ended with difficult shots. The Istanbul team did better, with Georgios Papagiannis and Sanli help. Fenerbahce had an 11-3 run at the start, and by the end of the quarter had built up a 13-point lead – 70:57.
In the final quarter, MBA tried to organise a comeback, but there was no fight. Motley confidently outplayed the Moscow team centers, preventing Vasily Karasev team from cutting the score. The SuperCup 2023 started with the win for Fenerbahce.
Key factor
Papagiannis performance at the start of the third quarter was a key factor in Fenerbahce win. The Greek forward stopped Minchenko in the paint. He was good on offense – 11 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound in 10 minutes. Georgios inspired the team was able to create a comfortable lead for the rest of the game.
Notably, Papagiannis and Sanli duo scored more points than the entire MBA bench.
Interesting
It was the first time in MBA history, when the opponent was a non-CIS country team (previously, in addition to their compatriots, the Moscow team faced only Kazakhstan and Belarus clubs).
Itoudis return
The game was important for Itoudis. The former CSKA coach made his first appearance in Moscow since losing in the United League final in 2022. The comeback was successful.
Leaders
MBA: Kasatkin (15 + 5 rebounds + 9 assists), Lopatin, Barashkov (both – 11), Trushkin (9).
Fenerbahce: Motley (21 + 6 rebounds), Shanley (18), Papayiannis (16).
What’s next
MBA: September 23 againts CSKA
Fenerbahce: September 23 against Lokomotiv Kuban
