By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Olimpia Milano got the job done and prevailed over visiting Baskonia with an 89-78 victory in Round 26 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to solidify into the third place of the standings with a 17-7 record.
Team work made dream work for Milan, who had 4 players scoring in double digits, though it was Nicolo Melli paced the efforts of the hosts with a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Devon Hall was the leading scorer with 15 points, while Sergio Rodriguez posted 14 and Troy Daniels followed with 13 points.
Milan remained in charge from the get-go, holding up to a 40-25 lead at halftime and the Spanish side never managed to become a threat for Ettore Messina’s squad. The deficit reached 25 points in the fourth quarter and despite Baskonia‘s comeback effort, the Italian side celebrated a big victory.
“It was, for great stretches, a very good game. At one point we had a huge lead and I didn’t rotate in the right way. I left too many players who had been cold on the bench at the same time. That gave a sense that we thought the game was over, so that’s my responsibility”, said coach Messina on Baskonia’s comeback.
Despite a 23-point performance by Matthew Costello, Baskonia suffered its sixth consecutive defeat, falling further down the standings with a 7-17 record. Wade Baldwin followed with 16 points and 6 assists for the visitors, while Rokas Giedraitis picked up 12 points.
Photo credit: EuroLeague