Talen Horton-Tucker produced the decisive performance of the evening as Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul overcame major absences to beat Virtus Bologna 85-80 at the Virtus Arena in Bologna on Wednesday.
After six rotation players, including starting point guard Wade Baldwin IV as a late scratch, the Istanbul squad leaned on Horton-Tucker to stabilize the offense and carry the scoring.
The hosts controlled the early stages after a blistering start from Carsen Edwards, who scored 15 points in the first quarter and reached 19 points by halftime to give Virtus a 47-40 lead.
Everything changed after the break when Fenerbahce imposed its defensive identity, restricting the Italian club to just 33 points in the final twenty minutes.
The visitors opened the third quarter with continued pressure on the ball and cleaner rotations, leaving Virtus without a field goal for more than seven minutes.
Horton-Tucker led the response with a career-high 28 points, knocking down a personal-best four 3-pointers and repeatedly creating advantages off the dribble.
The 25-year-old guard sealed the outcome late in the fourth quarter with a step-back triple on Saliou Niang as the shot clock expired, pushing the margin to two possessions with 23 seconds left.
Edwards finished with 35 points on 13-of-26 shooting, one point shy of his career high, but received limited scoring support as Virtus struggled to generate clean looks late.
Tarik Biberovic provided a critical secondary punch, scoring all 15 points after halftime and adding 10 in the fourth quarter after being scoreless at halftime.
The victory marked only Virtus’ third home defeat of the season and took Fenerbahce to 15-7, extending their rise to six wins in seven games and lifting them to second place in the standings.
Virtus fell to 11-12 and will try to recover at home against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on Friday, while the Turkish team prepares for an important match against Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.
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