Evan Fournier scored 19 points, including the decisive basket with 53 seconds remaining, as Olympiacos held off a furious Fenerbahce fightback to win 92-90 in the semifinal of the inaugural EuroLeague SuperCup at Etihad Arena on Thursday night.
The reigning EuroLeague champions had to survive a scare from Sarunas Jasikevicius' resurgent Fenerbahce side, who controlled long stretches of the game with their perimeter shooting before Olympiacos rallied in the final minutes.
Fournier, the French guard who has been a key figure since joining the Greek club, put Olympiacos ahead 91-90 and then added a free throw to make it a two-point game. Fenerbahce had one last chance to force overtime or win, but Talen Horton-Tucker's contested shot inside the arc fell short. Braxton Key grabbed the offensive rebound but was unable to get the ball back out in time, and Wade Baldwin's desperate heave from long range never reached the rim as Jean Montero got a hand on it.
Donta Hall recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Reds, while Montero — who arrived late in Abu Dhabi due to visa issues — made an encouraging contribution with 13 points. Cory Joseph added 10 points and Codi Miller-McIntyre finished with two points, two rebounds and four assists.
Shavon Shields led Fenerbahce with 18 points, followed by Braxton Key with 17 and Marcus Bingham with 10. Baldwin scored nine, while Will Clyburn and Horton-Tucker contributed eight each.
The game was a rematch of last season's EuroLeague Final Four semifinal, which Olympiacos won comfortably in Athens. But Jasikevicius' revamped Fenerbahce — featuring Key, Bingham and several new signings — proved far tougher opponents this time around, leading for much of the contest before the champions found another gear.
Olympiacos, coached by Georgios Bartzokas, will face the winner of Friday's second semifinal between Real Madrid and Dubai Basketball in Saturday's final of the four-team tournament. Real Madrid booked their place with a 98-95 overtime victory over Dubai earlier on Thursday.
The SuperCup, which replaces the traditional Supercoppa format, brings together the continent's elite clubs in a knockout competition in the UAE capital. For Olympiacos, victory in Saturday's final would underline their status as the team to beat in European basketball heading into the 2026-27 EuroLeague season.
Sources
https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/2009465/fournier-delivers-as-olympiacos-survive-fenerbahce-thriller/ https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/279316288/olympiacos-real-madrid-reach-euroleague-basketball-supercup-final-in-abu-dhabi
