By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
In a game full of ups and downs, TD Systems Baskonia ended up on top with 84-64 on the scoreboard against Real Madrid in Round 24 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Luca Vildoza had his sights perfectly set for shooting as he scored 13 points on just one miss from the field while Achille Polonara had 18 and Alec Peters 16 points. Rokas Giedraitis added 14 while Pierria Henry dished ten assists.
“I needed a game like this, for my confidence, and I appreciate my teammates because they let me score in the last quarter. So thanks to the guys, they really supported me. We played good and we have to keep going. We are here, we never gave up, we keep working in our offense and in our defense,” Vildoza said after an impressive performance.
For Real Madrid, which struggled much offensively, Alberto Abalde was the only double-digit scorer with 12 points. Gabriel Deck followed with eight.
Baskonia started with a 23-9 run and that gave them the upper hand throughout the game although Real Madrid managed to stay close and cut the deficit (39-39), primarily thanks to their supremacy inside the paint and some turnovers from the opposite side.
However, with a score of 62-57 in favor of Baskonia and six minutes left, the guest caught fire. They – Vildoza (2), Peters (3), Polonara (1) – banked in six straight threes to go up 77-62 and there was no coming back from that damage for the Whites.
Coach Dusko Ivanovic was very satisfied with the win: “If you play good defense, you play offense with confidence, and that’s the key. In the second half we played a very good defense, then we were focused on offense, moving the ball, finding many options. Sometimes you make them and sometimes you don’t, but the important thing is how you play, and tonight we played how we must play. We are going to fight until the end like we did tonight.”
With this road win, Baskonia improved to 11-13 while Real Madrid now holds a 15-9 record.