By Euhoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Wade Baldwin posted a new EuroLeague career-high 30 points to help Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz bounce back after consecutive defeats with an 81-76 victory against FC Bayern Munich, for Round 17 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Baldwin also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals for a PIR of 33 against his former team, with which he clinched a historic playoffs spot last season.
“We were down a lot of guys today, so everybody had to step up. As one of the leaders of this team, we’ve been in a struggle and it’s my job to step up and play well”, said Baldwin after the win. “There was an opportunity tonight for me to do so and there’s nothing better than to come back and beat Bayern and Coach Trinchieri. That put a smile on my face tonight”.
Baskonia run the floor effectively early on to get a 25-13 in the opening period, though quickly enough Bayern fought back and trimmed the deficit to 46-42 at halftime. A 5-0 start in the third quarter helped them build up a 12-point lead after 30 minutes (67-55) which they managed to retain in the fourth despite a late run by the hosts, to end the first leg of the regular season on a good note.
Matt Costello added up a new EuroLeague career-high with 23 points and 9 rebounds for the visiting side and Landry Nnoko posted 9 points and 8 rebounds. Baskonia improved to a 6-11 record, despite missing Rokas Giedraitis and Tadas Sedekerskis.
KC Rivers led the efforts of Bayern with 19 points, while Vladimir Lucic and Deshaun Thomas followed with 12 points each. The German side has now lost its third straight game and falls to a 7-10 record, while they will seek to bounce back next week when they face LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on the road.
Photo credit: EuroLeague