By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Led by Devon Hall, Olimpia Milano had the upper hand throughout the first half, but Bayern Munich showed resilience and tied the score at the start of the final quarter.
However, with five straight points in the decisive period, Hall started a huge 20-2 run that broke Bayern’s resistance and opened the gates to the eighth win of the season for the hosts, with the final score of 76-62.
With Billy Baron, Shavon Shields, Maodo Lo, and Nikola Mirotic out, and Shabazz Napier having an off night with just five points on five turnovers and 20% shooting, Hall took over and finished the match scoring 19 points on eight of ten field goals.
“It’s important for us to stay true to who we are as a defensive team and to try to get easy buckets when we make stops. We did that early in the first half, and I’m glad we were able to secure the win,” Hall said.
Giordano Bortolani followed with 12 points, going 3-5 from beyond the arc, while Alex Poythress added 10 points. Coach Ettore Messina credited the talented Italian guard, emphasizing the importance of securing the head-to-head advantage over the German team, as both teams are tied with an 8-11 score after 19 rounds.
“Giordano gave us a significant spark, and Devon Hall played an outstanding game; everybody competed. It was a challenging night but a must-win for us to stay alive and wait for our injured players to return. Everyone contributed, especially on defense. We managed to limit them to a low-scoring game and considered the point difference, taking into account that the first game will count as a tie due to the overtime,” Messina elaborated.
On the other side, only two players finished in double digits, with Serge Ibaka scoring 16 points in 30 minutes, and Carsen Edwards adding 10. Ten different players entered the scoring sheet, but only Leandro Bolmare came close to double figures with nine points.
Bayern struggled to find an offensive flow and shooting rhythm, hitting just five triples in 23 attempts and dishing out 12 assists on 14 turnovers. On the other side, the hosts shot with great precision from beyond the arc, making 10 three-pointers that found the target with 50% accuracy.
“We were not ready to match the level of intensity they brought. We were only able to compete with them for 10 to 14 minutes, maintaining the same level of intensity and concentration,” Bayern’s head coach Pablo Laso gave his assessment of the match.
Up next for Milano are home matches against ALBA Berlin and Crvena Zvezda in another EuroLeague double week, while Bayern Munich will host Real Madrid and then visit Fenerbahce in Istanbul.