By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Olimpia Milano used a second-half comeback to defeat visiting Zenit St Petersburg 82-76 in Round 23 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to end the double-game week on a positive note and a 15-7 record. This marks the Italian side’s sixth victory in a row and keeps them solidly in the third place ofthe standings.
Zenit stayed in charge with a 44-35 lead in the first half, to be met with a strong comeback by the hosts in the third quarter to reduce the deficit to 3 points after 30 minutes (59-56). Eventually, Kevin Punter took over and dropped 14 points in total to pace the hosts to the victory with a clutch performance in the fourth quarter, while Kyle Hines contributed 12 points and stepped up in key moments to place Milano ahead with a short lead in crunch time.
“It was a big win. We were sleepwalking in the first quarter, but we came out and made adjustments. We showed maturity. These types of wins matter the most when the season matters the most. All of us put in the work every day, we all have one goal and every day we say ‘Insieme’ because that means together, and we’re together right now”, said Hines post-game.
Sergio Rodriguez tapped 13 points with a strong presence in the first half, while Malcolm Delaney added 12 points for the Italian side and Vladimir Micov left the court with 10.
Zenit ends the double-game week fruitless and falls to a 13-8 record. Kevin Pangos and Austin Hollins tapped 12 points each for Xavi Pascual’s squad and KC Rivers had 11 points.
Photo: EuroLeague