By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
It looked like AS Monaco was going to coast to an easy victory against Panathinaikos after a big lead in the first quarter.
But the home team fought till the end led by a great effort by Derric Willimas, but at the end, Mike James scored crucial buckets in the fourth quarter to secure the 83-80 victory
James scored 27 points, most of them in the second half.
“I wished it was easier, but we fought and it is good to go home with the win. I have confidence and always have confidence in my ability“, said James after the game.
Monaco now has a 3-1 record in the Euroleague. Elie Okobo also put on a good game scoring 13 points.
On the other side, a heroic effort by Williams who had stomach problems in the morning was not enough. He scored 28 points, but it was not enough.
Panathinaikos had the lead after four minutes of play, but after that and for a while it looked like Monaco was the only team on the floor.
The French side got on a scoring run and looked unstoppable. Buckets were coming from all directions while coach Dejan Radonjić tried to stop the damage by calling a time-out. But it looked like the game was already slipping from Panathinaikos’ hands by the end of the first quarter.
Monaco finished the first 10 minutes of play on an incredible 29-13 advantage.
After a horrible first quarter, Panathinaikos woke up. Derrick Wiliams and Paris Lee put on a great effort and completely broth back the excitement to the game in Athens. Panathinaikos was only down by six points at halftime (34-40).
The great finish of the first half was used like fuel for Wiliams who continued to dominate the game and tied the score at 50. But Mike James was on fire. He scored six points in a row to keep Monaco in the lead.
Arturas Gudaitis managed to tie the score again at 68 with only five minutes left. But as much as Williams dominated the third quarter, it was all Mike James in the end. The former Panathinaikos player scored all the key baskets to secure the victory. Panathinaikos tried to come back but couldn’t tie the score again.
“Bad minutes in the first quarter cost us the game. We played better after the second quarter but it was not enough for the victory. Congratulations to Monaco“, said Dejan Radonjić after the game.