By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In a game of runs, Bayern Munich saved the best for last and got the 83-77 win over previously unbeaten AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan. With Gigi Datome giving Milan a one-point lead (67-66), the hosts reacted with a 10-0 run which was completed by a big three by Corey Walden (76-67).
Milan cut the lead to four (78-74) but couldn’t get closer with Sergio Rodriguez missing an open three and then DeShaun Thomas making the score 81-74 with a long-range bomb just 40 seconds before the final buzzer.
“That’s our basketball, we managed to show toughness and turned things around in the final quarter”, said Walden after the end of the game.
It was a heated contest with the two teams tied at halftime (39-39) and Bayern getting a 59-54 lead in the third period. Vladimir Lucic scored 20 points for the winning side making key free throws in the end and not missing once in eight attempts from the charity line, Walden had 16, and Darrun Hilliard added 17, making key shots in the third period.
“The key was our defense in the second half and the right plays in the right half”, said Bayern coach Andrea Trichieri. “Walden, Hilliard, and Lucic made big plays, but our bigs and their switching defense were also really important”.
On the opposite side, coach Ettore Messina was not happy with the effort of his players in defense: “I think down the stretch our one-on-one defense was not good enough to allow us to win this game”.
Nicolo Melli with 16 points and 8 rebounds tried his best for Milan, Datome added 14 points and Dinos Mitoglou also had 13 points and 8 rebounds.
Milan remains second in the EuroLeague standing with a 5-1 record, while Bayern has a 2-4 record.
Photo credit: EuroLeague