By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Baskonia was called to a difficult challenge by hosting Paris Basketball in Fernando Buesa Arena, welcoming back a local hero like Tiago Splitter, now among the candidates for Coach of the Year.
They found a way to come back into the action after a difficult start, bringing home the 94-81 victory with a stellar double-double of 29 points and 10 rebounds from Chima Moneke.
In the post-game flash interview, he left all his emotions out.
“This is my favorite game I’ve ever been a part of, ever in my life. It’s been a tough season, I’ve been dealing with a lot personally, on the court. We’ve been going through a lot”, he opened after his winning performance.
“It was my birthday three days ago, I’m never with my family during these breaks. And one of my brothers is able to be here, playing against my best friends in the absolute world [TJ Shorts]: he’s gonna win MVP still”, Baskonia‘s forward continued by praising Paris’ leader.
“Everything happened. We were down 16-18, whatever it was, and we just kept believing in ourselves. I don’t have too many other words right now”, Chima Moneke concluded.
“We’re looking to build off this win”
Markus Howard also contributed hugely to his team’s win, recording a team-high 29 points over 6/10 from beyond the arc, getting back his three-point marvelous ability.
“I feel excellent. When you can beat a team like Paris, which has been playing unbelievable basketball from the start of the season until now, to win on our home court, and the way we won, battling in the second half, I’m extremely proud of our team. We’re looking to build off this win”, he said.
Pablo Laso also expressed his satisfaction post-game.
As he said: “We’re a step closer [to the Top-10]. The only thing I’m thinking about is the great atmosphere we had today. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to come back to the game. It’s everybody’s victory, the crowd really pushed us today”.
“I feel very happy, we were able to understand how the game was going. Our first half had a lot of mistakes, and Paris is a team that takes care of those mistakes. In the second half, we were able to stay solid and minimize those errors, that made us come back to the game”, Baskonia’s coach concluded.
PHOTO CREDIT: Baskonia