Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is back in the Final Four after surviving one of the most dramatic games of the EuroLeague playoffs. The reigning champions escaped Kaunas with a 94-90 overtime win over Zalgiris Kaunas on Friday, sealing the best-of-five series 3-1 and booking a semifinal date with Olympiacos Piraeus.
The game stayed tense from start to finish at Zalgirio Arena, where the home crowd pushed Zalgiris through every run. Zalgiris even had a chance to steal control late, but Wade Baldwin IV drove through traffic for a layup with 1.6 seconds left in regulation to force overtime at 80-80.
Fenerbahce then turned to experience when it mattered most. Nicolo Melli buried a long three after Zalgiris opened overtime with the first basket, sparking an 8-0 run that swung the game back toward the Turkish club and left the arena stunned.
Khem Birch delivered the biggest performance of the night. The center finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds while setting new career highs in scoring and PIR with 31, and he repeatedly punished Zalgiris on the glass and around the rim. Talen Horton-Tucker matched that scoring total with 21 points and added six rebounds, while Baldwin finished with 14 points and Tarik Biberovic scored 11.
Zalgiris did get strong production from Sylvain Francisco, who bounced back with 23 points and 11 assists after a quieter opening stretch in the series. Azuolas Tubelis added 16 points and five rebounds after his 26-point Game 3 outburst, and Edgaras Ulanovas chipped in 15, but it was not enough to extend the series back to Istanbul.
Sarunas Jasikevicius, a four-time EuroLeague champion as a player, reached a record sixth straight Final Four as a head coach, and he did it against his Lithuanian compatriot and longtime friend Tomas Masiulis. After the game, Jasikevicius said he believed his team was the better side for most of the series, while also praising Zalgiris for its fight.
Fenerbahce’s comeback also keeps alive its push for back-to-back EuroLeague titles. For a team that leaned on composure in a hostile building, the result felt like the kind of playoff win that can carry real weight in May.
