EUROLEAGUE – Rubio, Vazquez turn on the style in triumph at Fenerbahce

ISTANBUL (Euroleague) - Ricky Rubio turned in one of the best performances of his young Euroleague career to help fire Regal Barcelona past Fenerbahce Ulker in the Euroleague on Thursday night.

The Spain international, who wasn't in top form at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey or at the beginning of this season with Barca, returned to Istanbul and dazzled, scoring 10 points, handing out 10 assists and getting three steals in his team's 75-69 triumph.

Rubio earned several trips to the free-throw line and made eight of nine attempts.

Fran Vazquez also had a big game with 11 points and nine rebounds for Barca.

The result has left both sides with 6-2 records and a game behind Montepaschi Siena in Group C.

Fenerbahce are second and Barca third, however, as the Turkish side has a +2 goal differential in their two clashes.

In other big games on Thursday, Panathinaikos beat Union Olimpija in overtime, Zalgiris edged Asseco Prokom in Poland, Unicaja Malaga defeated Olympiacos and Lietuvos Rytas won at home over Cholet.

Barcelona will take on Lietuvos Rytas next week in Vilnius and then finish the Regular Season with a game against Montepaschi Siena while Fenerbahce travel to Siena before ending their Group C campaign at home against Cholet.

Montepaschi, Barcelona and Fener have already qualified for the Top 16.

Lietuvos Rytas (2-6) kept alive their hopes of advancing alive with a 92-80 home win over Cholet Basket (3-5).

One of the rising stars in the Lithuania game, Martynas Gecevicius, led the Vilnius club with 19 points.

Gecevicius, who made his Lithuania senior team debut this summer and helped Kestutis Kemzura's men win the bronze medal at the FIBA World Championship, made three of his four shots from long range and was six of nine overall from the floor.

It was far from a one-man show for Lietuvos Rytas, however, with Milko Bjelica scoring 18 points and both Kenan Bajramovic and Cemal Nalga contributing 16.

Nalga had nine rebounds and Bjelica eight, along with three steals.

Sammy Mejia had 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals for Cholet.

Cholet next week host winless Cibona Zagreb before taking on Fenerbahce in Istanbul, while Lietuvos Rytas are at home to Barca and then finish at Cibona.

Should Lietuvos Rytas and Cholet finish with the same record, the former would win a tie-breaker and have a higher placing in the standings because of a better goal differential in the two games between the sides.

Pana win in OT

Panathinaikos are in pole position in Group D at 6-2 following a 95-88 overtime triumph at OAKA against Union Olimpija (5-3).

It marked the second time this season the sides needed an extra five minutes to decide the outcome.

Olimpija prevailed in the first encounter 85-84 back on November 4.

There were 13,000 fans that watched that game at the Stozice Arena but only 4,000 turned up to see the Greens win at home against the Slovenian giants on Thursday.

Those who showed up to watch saw another great performance by the Panathinaikos veterans.

Antonis Fotsis had 17 points and nine rebounds, Dimitris Diamantidis scored 16, handed out 11 assists and came up with three steals and Mike Batiste poured in 14 points - including a go-ahead dunk in OT - and grabbed 10 boards.

For Olimpija, Kenny Gregory scored 19 points.

Olimpija led by as many as eight in the fourth quarter and were still on top 77-72 after two Goran Jagodnik free-throws in the final minute.

Diamantidis knocked down a three-ball to cut the deficit to two and after Vlado Ilievski sank two free-throws to make it 79-75, Diamantidis earned a trip to the line and made two before tying it with a lay-up to force overtime.

Ilievski hit a three when play resumed but Drew Nicholas replied with a shot from the arc and then Batiste dunked for an 84-82 lead.

Nicholas followed with two straight three-pointers to put the result beyond doubt.

He finished with 15 points and was five of nine from long range.

Olympiacos, Real Madrid and Unicaja Malaga are all 5-3 in a Group B that so far has no teams to seal a Top 16 place.

Milos Teodosic had 20 points but he missed a potential game-winning three at the buzzer for Olympiacos in a 76-74 defeat at Unicaja Malaga.

Saul Blanco (21 points), Joel Freeland (12pts, 7rbs) and Roderick Blakney (8pts, 6ass, 5rbs) led Malaga to victory.

Real Madrid claimed a 72-50 triumph at home over Lottomatica Roma with Sergio Llull scoring 14 for Madrid and Jorge Garbajosa 11.

Roma are still favorites to hold on to fourth place.

They host Unicaja next week before travelling to Olympiacos for their last Group B game while Spirou Charleroi (3-5) host Olympiacos and then visit Madrid - a team they beat by 18 points in the first meeting.

Roma hold the tie-breaker against Charleroi since they swept their two games.

In Group A, Top 16-bound Maccabi clinched first place with a 76-62 win over third-place Partizan Belgrade (4-4).

Chuck Eidson had 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals for Maccabi while Lior Eliyahu led the team with 16 points.

Second-place Zalgiris won 72-69 at Asseco Prokom and Caja Laboral prevailed 89-81 at home against BC Khimki.

Ratko Varda was the MVP of the Week in the Euroleague after a 25-point, eight-rebound and two-steal performance for Prokom (2-6).

Lithuania international Martynas Pocius and Zalgiris won the game, however.

Pocius had 16 points and four assists with Travis Watson also pouring in 16, hauling in five rebounds and coming up with a game-high three steals.

Mirza Teletovic led Caja Laboral to a vital win at home against Khimki with 23 points.

Caja Laboral and Khimki are each 3-4 but the former leapfrogged the latter into fourth place in Group A due to a better goal differential in the games between the sides.

Khimki had won the first encounter in Russia, 64-60.

Next week, Zalgiris host Caja Laboral, Prokom visit Partizan and BC Khimki are at Maccabi.

FIBA