By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Barcelona preserved its mathematical chances of making it to the EuroLeague playoffs after beating Olimpia Milano 83 – 78 on the road and improving its record to 9 – 14.
Ante Tomic paced the winners with near double-double of 19 points (tying his EL season-high) plus 9 rebounds. Petteri Koponen added 16 and Sasha Vezenkov 13 with all-around helps of 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Tyrese Rice dropped 10, dished out 6 assists and sealed his team’s victory with the floater for the 76 – 82 with 26 seconds left and then the free-throw that “wrote” the final score.
It was a moment when the hosts smelled “blood” after chewing fat pieces off a 15-point deficit (59 – 74 with 6 minutes left) and making it a two-possession game in the final minute. Barcelona had built this lead thanks to a dominant 10 – 24 third quarter which helped them recover from a 45 – 41 halftime disadvantage.
The 14 points Euroleague career-high by Awudu Abass or Andrea Cinciarini’s 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists didn’t suffice for Milano. The “Red Shoes” are still sunk at the bottom of the standings, since they suffered their 16th defeat in the season.