By Eurohoops team/info@eurohoops.net
With a tremendous performance throughout the entire game, Crvena Zvezda beat Real Madrid 94-88, as the Whites are close to being eliminated. This was the third win for the hosts, who improved their chances to qualify (3-4), whereas the visitors suffered another painful defeat (2-5).
For the winners, Quincy Miller was unstoppable with 24 points (on 7 for 10 shooting) and seven rebounds, with Maik Zirbes also being dominant with 24 points. On the other hand, Sergio Rodriguez did everything he could to reverse the situation, with 16 points, six rebounds and nine assists, as Gustavo Ayon added 16 points and seven boards for the losing squad.
In the beginning, Crvena Zvezda made a great start and quickly took a nine-point advantage (11-2), but Real Madrid responded and cut the deficit to two points (18-16), behind a 14-7 run. The Serbians, though, made a 10-2 run and ended the first quarter in front by 10 (28-18). Later, The Whites responded and were down by five (35-30), however Crvena Zvezda quickly brought the lead back to double digits (42-30), with the Madrid squad fighting back to close the first half down by just three points (46-43), behind a 4-13 run.
Since then, it was a close derby between the two teams. Pablo Laso’s team earned a 10-point lead (50-60), playing very well on both ends of the floor), but the Serbians made a big run (16-7) and were down by one, after 30 minutes in the game (66-67). In the last quarter, Crvena Zvezda made a 5-0 run to take a six-point advantage (79-73). The Serbians remained solid, retained their lead (88-81, 91-86) and claimed the victory, despite Real Madrid’s big effort to make a come-back. Consequently, the hosts improved their chances to qualify to the next round, whereas the visitors are close to being eliminated.