By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Olimpia Milano snapped back from their loss earlier in the week with a hard-fought 69-64 victory on the road against Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 28 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, to remain in sight of the fourth position of the standings.
Zalgiris chased their visitors for nearly four quarters though eventually gave way as Shavon Shields kept Milan on track with a 23-point performance. Kevin Punter (14 points) stepped up with a crucial steal with one minute remaining in the game which he converted to a jumper, giving his team the chance to seal the win.
“I am extremely happy. We beat a very, very good team. In my opinion, one of the best-coached teams in all the league. They are very disciplined, they execute well on offense with a lot of movement”, said Ettore Messina after the win. “I am very fortunate. I have a good team not only basketball-wise but in terms of personality and leadership”
Lukas Lekavicius (11 points) emerged with back-to-back baskets for Martin Schiller’s squad in the fourth quarter but couldn’t outlast the pressure in the end. Marius Grigonis led the Lithuanian side with 17 points, 5 rebounds and Joffrey Lauvergne had 15 points and 8 rebounds.
Kyle Hines finished the game with 10 points and made history, becoming the competition’s second-best blocker in history with a total of 251 blocks, 2 of which he accomplished on Friday.
Milano improved to an 18-10 record to still remain strong in the fight for the homecourt advantage of the playoffs, as Zalgiris missed a crucial chance to take a step forward towards the playoffs and sinks to a 15-13 record.
Photo: EuroLeague