Euroleague champion Fenerbahce Istanbul, reached the premier club basketball competition’s final after overpowering Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas 76-67 on Friday.

The Turkish side will battle in Sunday’s title showdown against either Real Madrid or CSKA Moscow, who meet in the second semi-final in the Belgrade Arena.
Roared on by 10,000 fervent supporters, Fenerbahce prevailed thanks to an ironclad defence coupled with a game-high 19 points from playmaker Ali Muhamed.

They forced 20 turnovers by Zalgiris and restricted them to two three-pointers from 10 attempts as they carved out a 50-37 lead midway through the third quarter.

Zalgiris, who were cheered by around 1,000 fans including Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite donning the team’s green-and-white scarf, responded with an 11-0 run to set up a see-saw final period.

http://www.theguildng.com/basketball-holders-fenerbahce-defeats-zalgiris-reach-euroleague-final/