By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
ALBA Berlin used its offensive crescendo to rout Olimpia Milano with a 102-96 victory in Round 23 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and stirs up trouble in the standings once again.
With less than two minutes in the game, Vladimir Micov made it a two-point game and tried to keep Olimpia Milano on track, though back-to-back efforts by Luke Sikma and Martin Hermansson with no reaction from the home team contributed to the final victory.
“We knew it was going to be very difficult, as every game in the EuroLeague is difficult. But I am happy because my team is always trying to do the best. I am very happy with the effort of all the players every day”, commented Aito Garcia Reneses after the game.
Marcus Eriksson was the key player behind this win for the German squad, as he posted a game-high performance of 22 points. “I’m very proud of the guys. The last couple of games, we’ve been playing good on the road, and at the beginning of the season we struggled away, so this is a big win for us”, he mentioned.
Peyton Siva was among the top scorers of the German squad as well with 12 points.
Micov tried to save the day for Milano with his 20-point performance, while Luis Scola shared 15 points for the home team.
ALBA’s second-half surge stirs up trouble for Milano
After a balanced first half that ended at an even score of 45 points, it was ALBA’s turn to accelerate in the third period and even managed to grab a narrow 75-73 lead after 30 minutes.
Landry Nnoko (11 points) helped ALBA get ahead with a 13-point lead four minutes into the fourth period. Even though the hosts quickly got back into the game and trimmed the deficit, the final two minutes of the game saw ALBA seizing control and escaping with the victory from Milan.
The Italian side falls to an 11-12 record and its position in the top 8 teams of the standings is at stake, with Fenerbahce eyeing to climb up and even their record provided they beat Zenit on Wednesday.
Photo: EuroLeague