For a moment, it seemed like a carbon copy of the defeat to Olympiacos just 48 hours earlier. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv fell to an early double-digit deficit, struggled from deep, played catch and rallies back. Only this time, Oded Kattash’s men completed the job – the Israeli champs beat Fenerbahce 78:73 in Belgrade on Thursday, improving to a 5-3 EuroLeague record.

The Turkish rivals came in hot early on, led by Tarik Bebirovic’s 4-out-of-4 from beyond the arc, and led 28:17 in the first quarter. But little by little, Maccabi evened the game out by tightening the defense, fighting for every loose ball and getting scrappy points in the paint.

Lorenzo Brown bounced back from a down game scoring wise, leading the way for the yellows with 18 points, shooting 8-out-of-12 from the field. Bonzie Colson, who also had a tough game on Tuesday, regained his touch with 13 points and 13 rebounds. And Wade Baldwin, who returned after missing the previous game with an illness, closed out the game with some clutch plays.

The Maccabees will remain in their home away from home for a difficult clash with Barcelona next Thursday.