EuroLeague Day 1: Valencia edges Besiktas, Fenerbahce and Partizan roll

All three games tipped off within two hours of each other on the second night of Round 1 action, with one road team and two home teams claiming wins.

Valencia survives a Besiktas fourth-quarter push

The night carried extra weight in Istanbul, where Besiktas Istanbul was making its first EuroLeague appearance in 13 years. It did not go the way the home crowd hoped. Valencia built its road win brick by brick, outscoring Besiktas across the first three quarters (28-26-27) to take an 81-71 lead into the final period.

Besiktas responded with a 23-15 fourth-quarter surge that pulled the hosts within two points, but it wasn't enough to erase the deficit, and Valencia closed it out 96-94. T.J. Shorts led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-17 2-point shooting and 2-of-3 from deep, adding a rebound, two assists and a steal in under 24 minutes. Besiktas got 17 points apiece from Eugene Omoruyi and Jaylen Nowell, while Conor Morgan came off the bench to drop 15 points on 5-of-6 3-point shooting. Nikola Mirotic chipped in 13 for Valencia, and Kameron Taylor added 12 points and 7 rebounds as a starter. The result also marked the debut of new head coach Xavi Albert on the Valencia bench, and his tenure could not have opened much better — a road win, on a comeback bid stopped just short, against a club making its long-awaited return to the competition.

Fenerbahce shakes off Virtus Bologna in the third quarter

Fenerbahce needed a third-quarter push to shake off Virtus Bologna in a game that had the visitors believing for a stretch. Virtus briefly seized control of the scoring in the second quarter, 21-16, threatening to turn the home opener into an upset bid.

Fenerbahce answered that push with a 20-17 third and then sealed it with a 19-13 fourth to win 78-68 at home, the kind of response that settles a crowd back into its seats. Talen Horton-Tucker paced the winners with 13 points, while Braxton Key posted the game's best all-around line for Fenerbahce with 11 points, a game-high 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Wade Baldwin IV added 12 points and 6 assists off the bench. Virtus got 12 points and 4 assists from Marcus Carr, with Derrick Alston scoring 10 and Wendell Moore Jr. adding 9 points and 7 rebounds.

Partizan blows past Milano with a fourth-quarter surge

Partizan Belgrade delivered the night's most lopsided result, but only after a tight three quarters against Armani Olimpia Milano. Partizan led just 63-58 heading into the fourth before blowing the game open with a 29-18 final period to close it out 92-76 at home.

Carlik Jones led all scorers for Partizan, finishing with 20 points, a game-high 10 assists, 4 rebounds and zero turnovers on 4-of-6 3-point shooting, good for a game-high PIR of 33 in under 27 minutes. The line matched Jones's own career high and tied the club's single-game EuroLeague assist record, an emphatic way to open a new season for a Partizan side that could not have scripted a more perfect start. Lamar Stevens added 11 points and 5 rebounds, and Kevarrius Hayes contributed 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. For Milano, Alec Peters and Marko Guduric each scored 17 points, with Guduric also handing out 5 assists, while Devon Hall added 13 points and 5 rebounds.

With these three Round 1 games in the books, Valencia, Fenerbahce and Partizan all open 2026-2027 at 1-0, while Besiktas, Virtus Bologna and Milano will look to bounce back as the EuroLeague schedule moves into its next round.